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I wrote this Point of View
because I felt compelled to clarify some of the uninformed statements made about Isaac Penniman Niagara Falls ontario. Hopefully you'll find some
useful information to put to good use.
Historical backdrop
While the moniker “Niagara” is stated to come from an Iroquois phrase “Onguiaahra”, or “The Strait”, I have found the folklore to be a more intriguing story. The legend from Native American Indians tells of Lelawala, a gorgeous maiden affianced by her father to an Indian warrior she loathed. She opted to sacrifice herself to the Thunder God He-No instead of wedding a man she did not love. The story says that she paddled her canoe over the falls and into He-No’s arms. Together their souls will live forever in the Thunder God’s sanctuary behind the Falls.
You in all likelihood already know that tourism is the areas primary source of income. This really began during the early 1900's and even Napoleon's brother Jérôme Bonaparte visited with his bride. After our country's Civil War the railways began publicizing the area as a holiday spot. It wasn't difficult given the history to romanticise Niagara Falls as an ideal honeymoon destination.
The touristry industry enjoyed a second boom immediately after World War One. It was the car that offered a much need boost to the industry. Travel to the area went much easier and was one of the best vacation destinations that New Yorkers could drive their shiny new motorcars to.
Almost from the time that Niagara Falls was discovered man has been attempting to harness the massive water flow as an perpetual supply of energy. The first successful campaign to use the falls as an energy source was documented in 1759 when Daniel Joncairs powered his sawmill with a little man made channel. The major evolution came in 1883 when Nikola Tesla invented the three-phase system of alternating current power transmission. This engineering made it possible to transfer electrical energy over long distances. Today Niagara Falls furnishes around 4.4GW of power to the encompassing areas of both the United States and Canada.
Conservation efforts
Once Europeans began to settle in the Niagara Falls area it was rapidly targeted by developers and enterprisers alike as a way to realise a fast fortune. Unlike today most of the land in the area was privately owned and was easily acquired for growth. This came at a toll to the innate beauty of the area. As luck would have it a group of worried citizens guided by noted artist Frederick Church forged the Free Niagara social movement. This governance was successful in convincing the general public that Preservation of the area was in its best concern.
In 1885 the Niagara Reservation State Park, engaged by New York State, began buying land from developers in an effort to retard the consuming development in the area. The Canadians followed suit in the same year with the Queen Victoria Niagara Falls Park. Each organizations have been enormously successful at keeping up the area and restricting growth so that the next generations will be able to enjoy this natural marvel.
Niagara has so very much to offer. From a robust history of romance and adventure to a real natural wonder. If your looking for a holiday to the metropolitan area, I’m certain you’ll be able to find plenty to do. I have numbered various fine books at the closing of this article or you can visit Amazon for a complete list of books on Niagara Falls. Please remember to depart the area as nice as you encountered it and to leave the barrel at home.
Niagara Falls : An Intimate Portrait - by John Grant
Fodor's Toronto 2006 : With Niagara Falls & the Niagara Wine Region (Fodor's Gold Guides) - by Fodor's
In the Mad Water: Two Centuries of Adventure and Lunacy at Niagara Falls - by T. W. Kriner
Niagara Falls Volume II (Images of America) - by Daniel M. Dumych
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