Niagara Falls has attracted awe, ambition and a fair share of madness for centuries. Here’s the story of the Falls in a nutshell — perfect reading before your visit.
Carved by the Ice Age
Around 12,000 years ago, retreating glaciers released the waters of the upper Great Lakes over the Niagara Escarpment. The waterfall then slowly ate its way upstream, carving the Niagara Gorge. Today the Falls are roughly 11 km south of where they began. More in Niagara Falls facts.
Indigenous Peoples
The Niagara region is the traditional territory of Indigenous nations including the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe peoples. The name “Niagara” is generally believed to come from an Iroquoian word often translated as “the strait” or “neck of land.” The river was a major route for travel and trade long before Europeans arrived.
Explorers & Early Tourists
- 1678 — French missionary Louis Hennepin wrote one of the first European descriptions of the Falls (wildly exaggerating their height).
- Early 1800s — Niagara becomes a fashionable destination; stories of celebrity honeymoons start the “Honeymoon Capital” legend. See our honeymoon guide.
- 1812–1814 — the War of 1812 is fought along the Niagara frontier, including the Battle of Queenston Heights and Lundy’s Lane.
- 1846 — the first Maid of the Mist boat begins operating.
Saving the Falls: the Parks
By the mid-1800s the Falls were surrounded by mills and tacky tourist traps charging to see the view. A “Free Niagara” movement led to the Niagara Reservation in New York (1885, now Niagara Falls State Park — the oldest state park in the U.S.) and the creation of what is now Niagara Parks in Ontario. Visit today: State Park guide.
The Power of Niagara
In the 1890s, Niagara became a birthplace of long-distance alternating-current power, using technology associated with Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse. Canadian plants followed — including the 1905 station you can now tour. Power Station & Tunnel guide.
Daredevils & Stunts
- 1859 — Charles Blondin crossed the gorge on a tightrope, later on stilts, blindfolded, and carrying his manager on his back.
- 1901 — Annie Edson Taylor went over the Horseshoe Falls in a wooden barrel on her 63rd birthday and survived.
- 1960 — Roger Woodward, aged seven, survived going over the Falls in only a life jacket — the “Miracle at Niagara.”
- 2012 — Nik Wallenda walked a wire directly over the Horseshoe Falls, broadcast live worldwide.
Stunting is illegal today, with large fines — and many who tried did not survive.
Niagara in Pop Culture
From the 1953 film noir Niagara to Superman II and countless movies and TV shows, the Falls have long been a symbol of romance, danger and spectacle.
See History Today
- Niagara Parks Power Station
- Fort George in Niagara-on-the-Lake
- Queenston Heights & Brock’s Monument on the Niagara Parkway
- The boat tours — a tradition since 1846