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I wrote this Viewpoint
because many people were confused about Niagara Falls Holmes. With any luck you'll find some
useful information to put to good use.
Historical setting
While the name “Niagara” is said to come from an Iroquois word “Onguiaahra”, or “The Strait”, I have discovered the folklore to be a more engrossing story. The legend from Native American Indians tells of Lelawala, a gorgeous maiden engaged by her father to an Indian warrior she loathed. She opted to sacrifice herself to the Thunder God He-No instead of espousing a man she did not love. The chronicle says that she paddled her canoe over the falls and into He-No’s arms. Together their souls will live evermore in the Thunder God’s sanctuary behind the Falls.
You likely already know that tourism is the regions primary source of income. This really started during the early 1900's and even Napoleon's brother Jérôme Bonaparte visited with his bride. After our Civil War the railways began advertising the area as a vacation spot. It wasn't hard given the history to romanticize Niagara Falls as an ideal honeymoon destination.
The tourism industry enjoyed another boom immediately after World War One. It was the motorcar that provided a much need boost to the industry. Travel to the area turned much easier and was one of the best vacation destinations that New Yorkers could drive their shiny new automobiles to.
Almost from the instance that Niagara Falls was discovered man has been attempting to rule the massive water flow as an eternal supply of energy. The first successful effort to use the falls as an energy source was documented in 1759 when Daniel Joncairs powered his sawmill with a minor man made canal. The major development came in 1883 when Nikola Tesla formulated the three-phase system of alternating current power transmission. This applied science made it possible to transmit electricity over long distances. Today Niagara Falls furnishes just about 4.4GW of power to the encircling areas of both the United States and Canada.
Preservation efforts
Once Europeans began to settle in the Niagara Falls area it was rapidly targeted by developers and enterprisers alike as a way to produce a speedy fortune. Unlike today most of the land in the area was privately owned and was easily acquired for development. This came at a price to the raw beauty of the area. As luck would have it a group of concerned citizens guided by noted artist Frederick Church organized the Free Niagara effort. This governance was successful in convincing the general populace that Preservation of the area was in its best interest.
In 1885 the Niagara Reservation State Park, engaged by New York State, commenced purchasing land from developers in an effort to retard the overwhelming development in the area. The Canadians followed suit in the same year with the Queen Victoria Niagara Falls Park. Each establishments have been tremendously successful at upholding the area and curtailing development so that the next generations will be able to enjoy this natural wonderment.
Niagara has so much to offer. From a robust account of romance and adventure to a real natural wonder. If your taking a vacation to the vicinity, I’m certain you’ll be able to locate enough to do. I have named many dependable books at the closing of this article or you can visit Amazon for a total list of books on Niagara Falls. Please don't forget to depart the area as decent 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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