Niagara Falls
History of Creation, City Expansion, Famous Visitors, Tourism Development
... so, when was Niagara Falls formed ?
History of
Niagara Falls - Creation
- Niagara Falls History starts a long time
ago, when it was carved
out by the receding Wisconsin Glacier, more than 10,000 years
ago
- North American Great Lakes and the Niagara
River were made by the same forces that created the Niagara Falls
- All were dug by a continental ice sheet, that
drove through the area
like a giant bulldozer, deepening some river channels to make lakes and
damming others with debris
When the ice melted, the upper Great Lakes emptied into the Niagara
River, which followed the rearranged topography across the Niagara
Escarpment. In time, the river cut a gorge through the north facing
cliff or "cuesta"
(Spanish: slope).
Niagara Falls
History - The First Settlers
- The first ancient Niagara Falls settlers were
the Iroquois
Niagara Falls Iroquois
with western
goods
- The name Niagara originates from an Iroquois
word "Onguiaahra"
meaning "The Strait."
- Louis Hennepin, a French priest, is regarded as
the first European to visit the area in the 1670s
- Tourism started in the early 19th century and
has been a vital part of
the local economy since that time. That was a beginning of a great
progress in Niagara Falls History
- Most of the early settlers in what is now
Niagara Falls were United Empire Loyalists
- The Lundy, Bender and McMicking families were
among the
Loyalists who became some of Niagara Falls earliest European
inhabitants
Niagara Falls
History - Development and Progress
- In 1848, the first bridge opened across the
Niagara River – very
important in Niagara Falls history, for future economy growth and
progress
- Niagara Falls markets itself as a honeymoon
destination and is Self-proclaimed as the Honeymoon Capital of the World
- That was a great campaign, that boosted tourism
and economy
Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge
- In 1886, Leffert Buck replaced Roebling's wood
and stone bridge with
the steel bridge that still carries trains over the Niagara River
- The first steel archway bridge near the Falls
was completed in 1897, known today as the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge
- In 1941 the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission
completed the third current
crossing in the immediate area of Niagara Falls with the Rainbow Bridge
Niagara Falls
History - City Foundation and Expansion
In 1856 a small village named Elgin merged with a small community just
to the south. Named Clifton, it was in the Victoria Avenue, Centre
Street, Clifton Hill area. The enlarged town took the name Clifton.
In 1881 Clifton changed its name to the Town of Niagara Falls the
following year Drummondville became the Village of Niagara Falls.
The two communities merged to create the City of Niagara Falls in 1904.
From 1963 Township of Stamford, Chippawa, Willoughby Township and
a small portion of Crowland Township became part of Niagara Falls.
Modern
History of Niagara Falls
- The Niagara Falls Power Company offered a
$100,000 prize for anyone who
could develop a method to transmit electricity long distance
- Within two years, three large hydroelectric
generating plants began operating in the area around the Horseshoe
Falls
Nikola Tesla and his great
inventions
- During the Ontario Provincial election of 1905,
the main issue became
"Niagara Power". At the urging Adam Beck, Mayor of London, Ontario, the
Provincial Conservative Party ran on an election platform of "water
power of Niagara should be free"
- The first major project of the Ontario Power
Commission was to build a
110,000 volt transmission line from Niagara Falls to Toronto
- In November of 1908, work began on the Ontario
Power Commission power transmission line
- It was completed in October of 1910 when the
first public power was switched on
- By 1914, the Ontario Power Commission was
supplying over 100 municipalities and running short of power
Famous people
in Niagara Falls History
Charles
Dickens wrote (American Notes, 1842):
"... I was in a manner stunned, and unable to comprehend the vastness
of the scene.
It was not until I came on Table Rock, and looked — Great Heaven,
on what a fall of bright-green water! — that it came upon me in its
full might and majesty."
Mark Twain
wrote:
"NIAGARA FALLS is a most enjoyable place of resort."
...and some of the famous Niagara Falls visitors:
- Napoleon Bonaparte's brother Jérôme visited
Niagara Falls with his bride in the early 19th century.
- Nikola Tesla
- King George VI, 1939
- Shirley Temple 1944
- Princess Margaret, 1958
- Marilyn Monroe
- Christopher Reeve (as a Superman had few scenes
in Niagara Falls), 1979
- Princess Diana with Prince William and Prince
Harry, 1991
- And many presidents, prime ministers,
celebrities…
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