|
I wrote this Point of View
because I felt compelled to clarify some of the uninformed statements made about Niagara Falls Ontario What to do. With any luck you'll find some
useful information to put to good use.
Historical setting
While the moniker “Niagara” is supposed to come from an Iroquois word “Onguiaahra”, or “The Strait”, I have noticed the folklore to be a more appealing story. The fable from Native American Indians tells of Lelawala, a gorgeous maiden bespoken by her father to an Indian warrior she hated. She chose to sacrifice herself to the Thunder God He-No instead of wedding 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 forever in the Thunder God’s refuge behind the Falls.
You probably already know that tourism is the regions chief source of income. This really began during the early 1900's and even Napoleon's brother Jérôme Bonaparte visited with his bride. After this country's Civil War the railroads began advertising the area as a holiday spot. It wasn't difficult given the history to glamourize Niagara Falls as an ideal honeymoon destination.
The tourism industry savored another boom immediately after World War One. It was the motorcar that furnished a much need boost to the industry. Travel to the area became much easier and was one of the best holiday destinations that New Yorkers could drive their shiny new automobiles to.
Almost from the instance that Niagara Falls was discovered man has been trying to rule the massive water flow as an endless supply of energy. The first successful attempt to use the falls as an energy source was documented in 1759 when Daniel Joncairs powered his lumbermill with a minor man made channel. The major evolution came in 1883 when Nikola Tesla devised the three-phase system of alternating current power transmission. This applied science made it possible to transmit electricity over long distances. Today Niagara Falls supplies roughly 4.4GW of power to the encircling areas of both the United States and Canada.
Preservation efforts
Once Europeans commenced to settle in the Niagara Falls area it was promptly targeted by developers and entrepreneurs alike as a way to pull in a quick 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 natural beauty of the area. Fortunately a group of worried citizens led by noted artist Frederick Church forged the Free Niagara drive. 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, chartered by New York State, commenced purchasing land from developers in an attempt to slow down the overwhelming development in the area. The Canadians followed suit in the same year with the Queen Victoria Niagara Falls Park. Both organizations have been hugely successful at conserving the area and confining exploitation so that the next generations will be able to enjoy this natural wonder.
Niagara has so much to offer. From a deep chronicle of romance and adventure to a major natural wonder. If your deliberating a vacation to the metropolitan area, I’m certain you’ll be able to discover enough to do. I have named various adept books at the conclusion of this article or you can visit Amazon for a full list of books on Niagara Falls. Please don't forget to depart the area as decent as you discovered 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
|
