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I wrote this Viewpoint
because I felt compelled to clarify some of the uninformed statements made about hotel and motel in niagara falls canada. With any luck you'll find some
useful information to put to good use.
Historical setting
While the moniker “Niagara” is alleged to come from an Iroquois word “Onguiaahra”, or “The Strait”, I have noticed the folklore to be a more spellbinding story. The fable from Native American Indians tells of Lelawala, a gorgeous maiden affianced by her father to an Indian warrior she despised. She opted to sacrifice herself to the Thunder God He-No instead of espousing 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 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 railroads began publicising the area as a holiday spot. It wasn't hard given the history to glamourize Niagara Falls as an ideal honeymoon destination.
The touristry industry enjoyed another boom immediately after World War One. It was the motorcar that rendered a much need boost to the industry. Travel to the area got much easier and was one of the best vacation destinations that New Yorkers could drive their shiny new autos to.
Almost from the time that Niagara Falls was found man has been seeking to rule the monumental 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 modest man made canal. The major evolution came in 1883 when Nikola Tesla invented the three-phase system of alternating current power transmission. This technology made it possible to transport electrical energy over long distances. Today Niagara Falls will bring about 4.4GW of power to the surrounding areas of both the United States and Canada.
Preservation efforts
Once Europeans began to settle in the Niagara Falls area it was quickly targeted by developers and enterprisers alike as a way to score a speedy fortune. Unlike today most of the land in the area was privately owned and was easily acquired for growth. This came at a price to the natural beauty of the area. Luckily a group of concerned citizens led by noted artist Frederick Church organized the Free Niagara effort. This organisation was successful in convincing the general public that Preservation of the area was in its best interest.
In 1885 the Niagara Reservation State Park, engaged by New York State, started buying land from developers in an campaign to retard the overwhelming development in the area. The Canadians followed suit in the same year with the Queen Victoria Niagara Falls Park. Both governances have been staggeringly successful at keeping up the area and limiting growth so that succeeding generations will be able to enjoy this natural wonderment.
Niagara has so very much to offer. From a rich history of romance and adventure to a real natural wonder. If your deliberating a vacation to the region, I’m sure you’ll be able to find enough to do. I have numbered a few good books at the closing of this article or you can visit Amazon for a overall list of books on Niagara Falls. Please remember to depart the area as nice as you found 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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