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I wrote this Editorial
because I felt compelled to clarify some of the uninformed statements made about niagara falls canada The Old Scow. I hope you'll find some
useful information to put to good use.
Historical background
While the moniker “Niagara” is told to come from an Iroquois word “Onguiaahra”, or “The Strait”, I have observed the folklore to be a more stimulating story. The legend from Native American Indians tells of Lelawala, a gorgeous maiden engaged by her father to an Indian warrior she hated. She opted to sacrifice herself to the Thunder God He-No instead of espousing a man she did not love. The tale says that she paddled her canoe over the falls and into He-No’s arms. Together their souls will live eternally in the Thunder God’s refuge behind the Falls.
You probably already know that tourism is the regions primary 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 hard given the history to glamourize Niagara Falls as an idealistic honeymoon destination.
The tourism industry savored a second boom immediately after World War One. It was the automobile that provided a much need boost to the industry. Travel to the area got 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 found man has been seeking to harness the massive water flow as an endless 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 modest man made canal. The major exploitation came in 1883 when Nikola Tesla devised the three-phase system of alternating current power transmission. This engineering made it possible to channel electrical energy over long distances. Today Niagara Falls provides approximately 4.4GW of power to the surrounding 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 entrepreneurs alike as a way to realize 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 natural beauty of the area. As luck would have it a group of worried citizens guided by noted artist Frederick Church organised the Free Niagara campaign. This administration was successful in convincing the general community that Conservation of the area was in its best interest.
In 1885 the Niagara Reservation State Park, chartered by New York State, set out buying land from developers in an endeavor 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 tremendously successful at upholding the area and restricting development so that succeeding generations will be able to enjoy this natural wonder.
Niagara has so much to offer. From a robust history of romance and adventure to a major natural wonder. If your taking a holiday to the metropolitan area, I’m certain you’ll be able to discover enough to do. I have numbered a few adept books at the conclusion of this article or you can visit Amazon for a entire list of books on Niagara Falls. Please remember 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
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