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I wrote this Commentary
because many people were confused about romantic getaways in niagara falls ontario. Hopefully you'll find some
useful information to put to good use.
Historical background
While the name “Niagara” is alleged to come from an Iroquois phrase “Onguiaahra”, or “The Strait”, I have noticed the folklore to be a more exciting story. The legend from Native American Indians tells of Lelawala, a gorgeous maiden affianced by her father to an Indian warrior she hated. She opted to sacrifice herself to the Thunder God He-No instead of marrying 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 eternally in the Thunder God’s sanctuary behind the Falls.
You most likely already know that tourism is the regions primary source of income. This really commenced 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 publicizing the area as a vacation 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 provided a much need boost to the industry. Travel to the area went 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 discovered man has been seeking to rule the monumental water flow as an endless 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 minor man made canal. The major development came in 1883 when Nikola Tesla devised the three-phase system of alternating current power transmission. This engineering made it possible to transfer electrical energy over long distances. Today Niagara Falls provides close to 4.4GW of power to the encircling 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 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 cost to the natural beauty of the region. As luck would have it a group of worried citizens directed by noted artist Frederick Church organised the Free Niagara crusade. This establishment was successful in convincing the general public 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 effort to slow down the overpowering development in the area. The Canadians followed suit in the same year with the Queen Victoria Niagara Falls Park. Each organisations have been staggeringly successful at preserving the area and confining development so that future generations will be able to enjoy this natural wonder.
Niagara has so much to offer. From a robust chronicle of romance and adventure to a major natural wonder. If your considering a vacation to the metropolitan area, I’m certain you’ll be able to find plenty to do. I have numbered various good books at the end of this article or you can visit Amazon for a full list of books on Niagara Falls. Please remember to depart the area as nice 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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