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I wrote this Viewpoint
because I felt something must be said about niagara falls canada tourism. I hope you'll find some
useful information to put to good use.
Historical backdrop
While the moniker “Niagara” is alleged to come from an Iroquois word “Onguiaahra”, or “The Strait”, I have found the folklore to be a more riveting story. The legend 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 marrying 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 always in the Thunder God’s sanctuary behind the Falls.
You most likely already know that tourism is the regions principal source of income. This really commenced during the early 1900's and even Napoleon's brother Jérôme Bonaparte visited with his bride. After our country's Civil War the railroads began publicizing the area as a holiday spot. It wasn't hard given the history to glamorise Niagara Falls as an ideal honeymoon destination.
The touristry industry enjoyed another boom immediately after World War One. It was the automobile that supplied 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 autos to.
Almost from the instance that Niagara Falls was discovered man has been attempting to harness the massive water flow as an perpetual supply of energy. The first successful endeavor to use the falls as an energy source was documented in 1759 when Daniel Joncairs powered his lumbermill with a little man made canal. The major evolution came in 1883 when Nikola Tesla invented the three-phase system of alternating current power transmission. This engineering science made it possible to transmit electrical energy over long distances. Today Niagara Falls furnishes about 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 enterprisers alike as a way to produce a fast fortune. Unlike today most of the land in the area was privately owned and was easily acquired for development. This came at a toll to the innate beauty of the area. Luckily a group of worried citizens led by noted artist Frederick Church forged the Free Niagara effort. This establishment was successful in convincing the general community 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 movement to slow down the overwhelming development in the region. The Canadians followed suit in the same year with the Queen Victoria Niagara Falls Park. Both organisations have been hugely successful at maintaining the area and curbing growth so that the next generations will be able to enjoy this natural wonder.
Niagara has so much to offer. From a robust story 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 locate enough to do. I have named various sound 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 leave 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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