First Europeans In Niagara Falls
A number of historical reports say that the first European to visit the Falls was a Jesuit Priest by the name of Father Louis Hennepin in 1678, however many believe the first European visitor appeared at the Falls a number of years prior to that.
Etienne Brule arrived in Niagara in 1626. He was one of many missionaries that came to visit the Neutral Indians along the Niagara. While he was that close, it’s hard to believe he wouldn’t have at least seen the Falls.
Rene-Robert Chevalier and Sieur de La Salle, french explorers were known to have briefly visited the Falls in 1666. In 1678, La Salle and his party established an outpost on the Chippawa Creek where it joined the Niagara River. They spent a whole afternoon at the Falls in December of 1678. At that time Father Hennepin, drew a picture of the Falls. That same picture appears in a book published in 1699.
So, although some may believe Hennepin was the first to visit, because of the picture he drew, he was actually just the first European that had visited it, drew a picture and wrote a story about the Falls. More than likely the first to visit would have been Brule.
Niagara Historic Background
The Niagara region's original inhabitants were the Ongiara, an Iroquois tribe named the Neutrals by French explorers, who found them helpful in mediating disputes with other tribes. The name "Niagara" is said to originate from an Iroquois word meaning "thunder of waters".
Iroquois legend tells of Lelawala, a beautiful maid given by her father to a brave she hated. Rather than marry, Lelawala chose to sacrifice herself to her one and only true love He-No, the Thunder God, who lived in a cave behind the Horseshoe Falls. She paddled her canoe into the swift current of the Niagara River and was swept over the Falls. He-No caught her as she fell, and together their spirits are said to live forever in the Thunder God's kingdom behind the Falls. |
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There is some confusion over which European gave the first written, eyewitness account of the Falls. Samuel de Champlain was in the area as early as 1604. Some of his party reported to him on the incredible waterfalls, and he wrote the reports in his journals but probably never actually saw them for himself. Others credit Finnish-Swedish naturalist Pehr Kalm with the description, written during an exploration of the area early in the 18th century.
However, it's generally agreed that Father Louis Hennepin saw and described the Falls in 1677, after exploring the area with explorer Rene Robert Cavelier and Sieur de la Salle, and that he wasthe one that brought them to the world's attention. Hennepin was also the first to describe the Saint Anthony Falls in Minnesota. He alse claimed that he traveled the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico, however that was discredited and it cast some doubt on the truth of his writings and sketches of Niagara Falls. There is a county in Minnesota named after Father Hennepin.
In the 1800's tourism became popular, and was the area's main industry by mid-century. Napoleon's brother visited with his bride in the early 19th century. There was a large demand for a way over the Niagara River, so in 1848 they built a footbridge and then Charles Ellet's Niagara Suspension Bridge. In 1855 German-American John Augustus Roebling's Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge was built then in 1886 Leffert Buck replaced Roebling's wood and stone bridge with the mostly steel bridge that carries trains over the Niagara River even today.
In 1897 the first steel archway bridge near the Falls was completed. Today it is known as the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge, it is the bridge that runs between Canada and the U.S. just below the Falls. The Rainbow Bridge was built in 1941 by the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission, it carries both foot and vehicle traffic.
After World War One, tourism took off again. Automobiles made getting to the Falls a lot easier. In 20th century Niagara Falls, the main goal has been to gather the power of the falls to turn it into energy and to control the rapid development on both the Canadian and American sides that threatens the area's natural beauty.
U.S. or Canadian Falls?
Who owns the Falls?
Ownership of the Falls is divided between Canada and the USA. All of Horseshoe Falls is located in Canada. The American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls are located in the U.S. American Falls is also known as Rainbow Falls.
Horseshoe Falls is 53 meters or 173 feet to the base, and is 670 meters or 2200 feet wide. The Niagara River flows at a rate of about 21 miles per hour to the crest . Horseshoe Falls also has the majority of the water flowing to it.
American Falls is about 56 meters or 182 feet high, but the rocks at the bottom of both American and Bridal Veil Falls shortens that to about 21 meters or 70 feet. The top of American Falls is around 290 meters or 950 feet wide.
To the south of American Falls is Bridal Veil Falls, it is separated from American Falls by a small strip of land known as Luna Island. Bridal Veil is approximately 17 meters or 56 feet wide.