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Historical setting
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 engrossing story. The legend from Native American Indians tells of Lelawala, a gorgeous maiden affianced by her father to an Indian warrior she loathed. She opted to sacrifice herself to the Thunder God He-No instead of marrying a man she did not love. The history 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 sanctuary behind the Falls.
You probably already know that tourism is the areas 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 railways began publicising the area as a vacation spot. It wasn't hard given the history to glamorize Niagara Falls as an idealistic honeymoon destination.
The touristry industry enjoyed a second boom immediately after World War One. It was the motorcar that offered 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 instance that Niagara Falls was found man has been seeking 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 sawmill with a minor man made channel. The major evolution came in 1883 when Nikola Tesla formulated the three-phase system of alternating current power transmission. This technology made it possible to transport electrical energy over long distances. Today Niagara Falls supplies about 4.4GW of power to the encircling areas of both the United States and Canada.
Conservation efforts
Once Europeans started to settle in the Niagara Falls area it was quickly targeted by developers and enterprisers alike as a way to take in 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 raw beauty of the region. As luck would have it a group of concerned citizens led by noted artist Frederick Church forged the Free Niagara crusade. This governance was successful in convincing the general community that Conservation 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 endeavor to slow down the consuming development in the area. The Canadians followed suit in the same year with the Queen Victoria Niagara Falls Park. Both administrations have been hugely successful at conserving the area and limiting growth so that future generations will be able to enjoy this natural wonder.
Niagara has so very much to offer. From a robust chronicle of romance and adventure to a real natural wonder. If your shopping for a vacation to the vicinity, I’m certain you’ll be able to discover enough to do. I have numbered various sound 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 leave 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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