The-Great-Niagara-Falls

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About the Collection

The history of the great falls of Niagara in the 19th century. When tackling this exhibition my goal was to show Niagara Falls and the great Falls for what it has been and the attraction it has brought, even throughout the 19th century and what it has done for the region of Niagara. Within the exhibition there are many pictures and postcards with images of the Falls, both Canadian side and American side to demonstrate how many people who would travel close or far to get a picture with the beautiful falls in the background. I included both winter and summer as the falls attract people in all seasons due to its beauty. I mention Horse Shoe Falls specifically in one of the photographs because this was the falls I remember going to growing up and was the one that stuck out the most in my mind and to me is the defining falls when thinking about Niagara Falls. As well I included photographs of people at the base of the falls because it is something I have not seen nor done and to see just how close people in the 19th century got to the falls blew my mind. I also included a couple articles, one talking about the history of the falls leading up to the 19th century because I wanted to show what attracted so many people back then to visit. As well I included at the very end an article about Niagara’s ruin which talks about how the falls were in talks of being turned into pipes and a power house that would leave the falls dry from water. I added this because the falls have turned into the main source of hydroelectric power for the region. I wanted to demonstrate how throughout history, we as people have tried to ruin so many beautiful attraction sites for our own benefits destroying them instead of leaving them for how they were meant to be and the great falls is just another example of human interference and nature. All these images and articles combined are significant to Niagara’s history because it brought such a large attraction to Niagara Region and within the region there are so many more attractions that people were able to go to. Due to this more businesses opened around the falls due to more and more people coming to Niagara which increased the economy in the region. Today if you go to Niagara there are so many places to go to like the casinos which is the largest casinos in Canada, restaurants, and all the little attractions (wax museum, go-kart, arcades and more) all built within walking distance of the falls. The falls were significant in the 19th century because this was a time where tourism was just starting to increase due to the railroads being built which meant people from far away could now hop on a train and be taken to Niagara. The railroads increased the number of people visiting which led to more people staying and living in the Niagara Region. It was not just Americans and Canadians who travelled far to see The Great Falls but European’s started to come over just to see one of nature’s secret mysteries. Another note to add to the expansion of people in Niagara Region, during the war of 1812, several battles were fought in the vicinity of Niagara Falls which added to the popularity of the area after the war and by 1821 there were more enhancements for tourist at Niagara Falls. Apart from the tourist attractions, festivals and special events that bring in millions of tourists and their money, the falls have been and continue to be one of Canada’s most beautiful sceneries and a massive attraction to people all throughout history and it was not until the 19th century where more people were able to visit and even still today one of Canada’s main attraction sites, The Niagara Falls.