Posts Tagged ‘American Falls’

Amazon.com Review
Sometimes a place can be as good a subject for a “biography” as a person–and Niagara Falls turns out to be such a place. Fortunately, it found its ideal biographer in Canadian historian Pierre Berton, who chronicles its colorful history with a storyteller’s verve. Niagara Falls was a sort of laboratory and breeding ground for a wide variety of American phenomena: carnivals and theme parks, destination tourism, industrialization based on cheap hydroelectric power, and the conservation movement, among others. Berton weaves all this together in a readable, well-paced book rich with anecdotes, memorable characters, and nicely crafted language.
–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
The first Europeans to see Niagara Falls were struck with an awe akin to terror, but with the passage of a couple of centuries the site came to be regarded as the ultimate symbol of God’s creative power. Eve (more…)

As one of the Seven Wonders of the World – not to mention the honeymoon capital of North America – Niagara Falls is indisputably one of this continent’s most important tourist destinations. For the millions of visitors – year-in, year-out – and for residents of the area, author Hans Tammemagi’s Exploring Niagara turns a wide-angle lens on one of the most diverse and fascinating corners of Canada and in so doing opens our eyes to the fact that as wondrous as it is, there is a great deal more to the Niagara region than the Falls. Covering both sides of the Canada-U.S. border, and all within about a 30-minute drive of the Falls, the book unveils more than 50 tours and day trips to and through places of interest in the Niagara region. Descriptions of the trips themselves – varying from under an hour to several days – detail the historical and geographical highlights of each destination, and offer up a variety, suggesting tours that can be taken by car, by bicycle, or on foo (more…)

Once a place sacred to the Iroquois, Niagara Falls has been exploited by profiteers, protected by preservationists, harnessed for mechanical power, and reincarnated into the honeymoon capital of the world. Niagara Falls: An Intimate Portrait, the companion to the PBS television program, celebrates the history of the falls and examines human progress – and human folly – on a grand scale. Fifteen million people are lured to Niagara each year by the sheer power and majesty of the water. You’ll meet some of them: Maid of the Mist captains, wedding chapel ministers, honeymooners of all nationalities, light-show engineers, and thrill seeking daredevils. You’ll also learn about the early explorers; the warriors who fought bloody battles for control of the falls; the first bridge builders and hydroelectric engineers; and the movie stars and tightrope walkers who attracted an awestruck public.Through color photographs and archival images, interviews  with people who work at the fal (more…)

WP Robot

It’s been a colder spring but the flowers are finally showing up everywhere. In our garden you’ll find Bee Balm’s and Black Eyed Suzans bring some wonderful colour to Niagara.

5 Niagara Falls Facts

1. The height of the American Falls is 176 feet (53.6 m) while the height of the Canadian Falls is 167 feet (50.9 m). However, the American Falls has rock at the bottom making the actual waterfall 70 feet (21.3 m). The falls at Niagara Falls are not the highest in the world. The Angel Falls in Canaima National Park, Venezuela is the highest waterfall in the world at 3212 ft (979 m). It just doesn’t have the amount of water that Niagara Falls has and of course the proximity to population.

2. There are three falls at Niagara. Most people think of two, the American Falls and the Canadian or Horseshoe Falls. But the Bridal Veil Falls at 50 feet (15.2 m) wide is the third falls at Niagara Falls.

3. The amount of water that goes over the Canadian/Horseshoe Falls every second is 600,000 gallons (2,271,247 L). The amount that goes over the American and Bridal Veil Falls (combined) is 150,000 gallons (567,812 L) a second.

4. Lake Erie (above the falls) is 326 feet (99 m) higher than Lake Ontario which is below the falls.

5. Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes and it’s also the freshwater lake that covers the greatest surface area in the world. Lake Superior covers over 82,000 km of land and there’s enough water in the lake to fill all the other Great Lakes plus three more the size of Lake Erie. The Great Lakes is the largest freshwater system in the world, or nearly 20% of the world supply.