Everything You Need to Know about Niagara Falls

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 at8:37 am by Wanda

Niagara Falls are enormously famous for many reasons but how much do you really know about them?

What is (or are) Niagara Falls?

They are huge waterfalls on the Niagara River. They are situated between Ontario in Canada and New York and straddle the Canadian / U.S.A. international border. The falls are made up of two major sections which are separated by Goat Island. The two sections are:

Horseshoe Falls: the larger part of the falls. The main part of this is on the Canadian side. The drop on these is around 173 feet.
American Falls: on the American side. Because there are giant boulders at the base of these falls, the drop varies from 70 – 100 feet.

Viewpoints on the American side are usually over or behind the falls but the falls themselves face directly toward the Canadian shore.

How were they formed?

At the end of the last ice age, glaciers receded and formed the Great Lakes. On its’ way to the Atlantic Ocean, this new body of water cut its’ way through the Niagara Escarpment.

What’s so special about Niagara Falls?

The falls are not enormously high but they are exceptionally wide. Horseshoe Falls are around 2,600 feet wide and the American Falls are around 1,060 feet wide.

How much water goes over the falls?

When the falls are in their highest flow in Spring or early Summer, over 6 million cubic feet of water falls over the crest every minute! On an average day, it’s nearly 4 million cubic feet of water per minute. That’s a huge amount of water. No wonder Niagara Falls is the most powerful waterfall in America.

Doesn’t all that water erode the rock?

Yes! At one time, Niagara Falls was between where Queenston, Ontario is now and Lewiston in New York. However, the crest of the waterfall has been eroded so much over the years that the waterfalls have actually retreated around 6.8 miles south.

The Horseshoe Falls were originally a small arch shape. Erosion changed them to a horseshoe and now they are like a huge upside down V. Modern engineering has helped to slow down this erosion to preserve the Falls.

Why are they called Niagara Falls?

There are different theories but one of the most popular is that the name came from local people in the late 1600’s who were called the ‘Niagagarega’.

The force of the water must be incredibly powerful…

It is! The first person known to try and harness that power was Daniel Joncaire in 1759. He created a small river above the falls and used its’ power to run his sawmill. Here are a few interesting facts about the power of Niagara Falls:

Augustus and Peter Porter bought the American Falls in 1805 from the New York state government and made the original canal larger to provide power for their gristmill and tannery.
The Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power and Mining Company was chartered In 1853. They built the canals which would be used to generate electricity.
In 1881, the first hydroelectric generating station was built. The water fell 86 feet and generated direct current electricity to run machinery in local mills and provide light for some of the streets in the village.
Nikola Tesla invented the three-phase system of alternating current power transmission. This was a huge breakthrough as it allowed electricity to be transferred distantly. A memorial was built to Tesla at Niagara Falls.
In 1883, the Niagara Falls Power Company, asked George Westinghouse to design a system to generate alternating current (AC). Thus, the first AC power generating and transmission plant in the world was built. by Westinghouse, Nikola Tesla and L.L. Nunn. This was able to transmit AC for two miles with a tiny loss of less than 5%.
By 1896, they were given money by J.P. Morgan, John Jacob Astor IV and the Vanderbilts which allowed them to build huge conduits underground. These led to turbines that were able to generate almost 100,000 horsepower. This enables them to send hydro electric power from Niagara Falls to Buffalo, which was 20 miles away.
A disastrous landslide in 1956 cut the production of power and put thousands of jobs at risk. Therefore, in 1957, Congress passed the Niagara Redevelopment Act. This gave the New York Power Authority the means to develop the huge potential of Niagara’s hydroelectric power.
In 1961, Niagara Falls was the largest hydropower facility in the Western world. It is still the biggest producer of electricity in New York State, generating 2.4 million kilowatts of power.

Are there any bridges over the Falls?

Surprisingly, yes! Tourism became popular during the mid 1700’s and in 1848 a footbride was built over them. This was replaced by two suspension bridges. In 1886, one of the wooden and stone bridges was replaced with a steel one that takes trains across Niagara Falls today.

Has anyone ever really gone over Niagara Falls in a barrel?

Yes! The first person to do this was a 63 year old schoolteacher from Michigan called Annie Edson Taylor. She went over the falls in a barrel in 1901. Since then, 14 other people have gone over the falls on purpose. Some have been ok but others have drowned or suffered terrible injuries. It is now illegal to attempt to go over the falls and anyone trying to do so faces criminal charges and a large fine.

What about tightrope walkers?

The famous tightrope walker, Blondin, crossed the falls in 1859 but the wire didn’t cross the waterfall. It crossed the smaller gorge at Rainbow Bridge.

Death of Captain Webb

Captain Matthew Webb was the first man to ever swim the English Channel. In 1883, he tried to swim the rapids down river from Niagara Falls but sadly drowned during the attempt.

Houdini at Niagara

In 1922, the famous escapologist Harry Houdini and his co-star, Jane Connelly were involved in a dangerous stunt for the film ‘The Man From Beyond’. There were no camera tricks and they did not wear safety harnesses. They were terrifyingly close to the edge and were almost swept over. You can see a YouTube clip of this here.

Marilyn at Niagara

In 1953, the Marilyn Monroe film, Niagara, created a huge surge in tourists flocking to the falls, especially honeymooners!

David Copperfield

In 1990, the illusionist David Copperfield appeared to travel over Horseshoe Falls. You can watch it here.

If you’re ever in New York or Ontario, don’t forget to book a trip to one of the many viewing platforms or why not take a helicopter trip over Niagara Falls for an amazing experience! And if you are intend spending some time at the falls Click Here for the Best Niagara Falls Hotel Deals!