Do you know how Niagara Falls formed and became the Honeymoon Capital?

“Niagara Falls is known as the “Honeymoon Capital of the World”, going back to 1801 since then thousands of people have gotten married here throughout the last over 200 years, come and experience this Natural Wonder.

Niagara Falls is internationally known through many popular movies filmed in the area, some include: “Niagara” in 1953 which led to Marilyn Monroe’s successful career. In 1980 “Superman II” starring Christopher Reeves and Margot Kidder was taped at the famous Table Rock area. The producer of the 2006 movie “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” shot footage of the Falls on the American Side and computer generated the ship going over the waterfalls in the movie.”

FACTS & HISTORY

Here are some quick facts about the Falls: the American Falls height is 190 feet (58m), width is 1060 feet (320m), and uses 10% of the total volume of water flow. The Horseshoe Falls is 185 feet (56m) in height; width is 2200 feet (675m) and uses 90% of the total volume of water flow. The maximum water flow over the Falls is seen during the day when visitors are viewing (100,000 gallons of water per second); to conserve water and hydroelectricity the Power Plant is able to control the flow of the Falls to only 50,000 gallons of water per second at night.

The last glaciers melted away from the Niagara area about 12,000 years ago. Huge torrents of water released from the upper Great Lakes by the melting ice channeled along what became the Niagara River and poured over the edge of the Niagara Escarpment at what is now Lewiston, NY. This was the beginning of the Niagara Falls. Today, 12,000 years later since the Falls was formed it has moved more than seven miles upstream from Lewiston, NY. In the process of moving, they carved out the Niagara Gorge which is a seven mile canyon.

The present rate of erosion has been slowed by the diversion of water upstream from the generation of electricity. The shape of today’s Niagara Falls is now maintained by the regulation of water flow over specific portions of the cliff, but these human-caused effects will not be permanent. The Falls of Niagara are constantly changing, providing a living example of the geological processes that formed them.

One of the first explores to pass through the Niagara area were the French and among them was Father Louis Hennepin, a Recollect Priest. Father Hennepin visited the region in December 1678 and was overwhelmed by the size and the magnificence of the Falls. He later returned to France in 1683 and 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. The Europeans were taking control of North America at the same time the French gradually occupied the middle of the continent from Northeastern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.

In the early 1700’s the British was interested in taking over the area and in 1726 built Fort Niagara, a heavily fortifies stone chateau were in 1750s the “French and Indian Wars” were fought, one of the bloodiest battles fought in many parts of the Northeast. The British gained control of the Niagara region on 1759 when the French surrendered Fort Niagara after a two week siege.

The War of 1812 had a disastrous effect on the region. Battle after battle raged across the Niagara Frontier. Villagers and settlements on both sides of the border were burned to the ground. The war ended in 1815 where villagers were re-established and began to grow. Niagara is a fertile land, with a temperate climate suitable for the cultivation of many crops and farms were started across the region.

The Niagara Region became a busy center for shipping and commerce by water and by rail. Niagara’s new accessibility also encouraged a growing tourist trade, travelers that came to visit for the specific purpose of seeing the Falls. Hotels and tourist attractions sprang up. Many more challenges faced the area over the years but eventually gained its popularity as a tourist destination.”

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