The first humans arrived in Niagara Region almost
12,000 years ago, just in time to witness the birth of the Falls. The
land was different then, consisting of tundra and spruce forest.
It was a Jesuit father, Gabriel Lalemant, who first recorded the Iroquios
name for the river- Onguiaahra, meaning "the Strait". "Niagara"
is a simplification of the original.
The first explorers to pass through the Niagara area were French, and
among them was Father Louis Hennepin, a Recollect priest. Overwhelmed
by the size and magnificence of the Falls when visiting the region in
December 1678, upon his return to France in 1683, published an account
of his travels. This work was translated into a number of European languages,
and brought the existence of Niagara Falls to the attention of the "Old
World" for the first time.
Following the War of 1812, the region began the slow process of rebuilding
itself. Settlements and villages were established and began to grow, realizing
the potential of Niagara Falls as an attraction. A number of artists had
sketched and painted the Falls, Niagara became increasingly famous, and
the number of visitors to the area rose each year. Tourism travel to the
Falls began in the 1820s and within 50 years it had increased to become
the area's dominant industry.
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The Niagara Honeymoon Legend
Native American legend tells of Lelawala, a beautiful maid betrothed
by her father to a brave she despised. Rather than marry, Lelawala
chose to sacrifice herself to her true love He-No, the Thunder God,
who dwelled in a cave behind the Horseshoe Falls. She paddled her
canoe into the swift current of the Niagara River and was swept
over the brink. He-No caught her as she plummeted, and together
their spirits are said to live forever in the Thunder God's sanctuary
behind the Falls.
The earliest references to honeymooning in Niagara Falls date back
to 1801. The daughter of future U.S. Vice-President Aaron Burr,
Theodosia, and her new husband traveled to Niagara Falls a few months
before their marriage. Jerome Bonaparte (Napoleon's younger brother)
traveled to Niagara Falls about seven months after his marriage
in 1803.
In 1841, a popular song called "Niagara Falls" helped
institutionalize the customs of honeymooning in this location, and
made it vogue for honeymooners. Today, an estimated 50,000 honeymooners
start their marital bliss in Niagara Falls. |
The Birth of Niagara Falls
The Niagara is rather a young river, only 12,000 years old. The
Niagara Escarpment, which was created by erosion, is much older.
Two billion years ago it was buried under a blanket of ice. The
glaciers pressed down on the land during the last ice age and laid
down layers of sediment, and then the slow process of erosion of
ice and water ate at the surface of the escarpment
Approximately 500 years ago the river encountered an obstacle that
caused it to 'split into two channels’, thus Goat Island was
formed named after John Stedman whose goat herds froze to death
in the winter of 1780.
On the eastern part of the island, the American Falls took shape,
the Horseshoe Falls, is on the western side. Man has not been able
to completely control the flow of the water over the falls, even
modern engineers have tried. Much of the water today is fed through
underground channels and pipes to nearby hydro electric power stations. |
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