Niagara Falls, 160‐foot waterfall on the border of the United States and Canada, over which the Niagara River waters of Lake Erie flow into Lake Ontario. Niagara Falls was first seen by Europeans in the late seventeenth century. With the opening of the
Erie Canal in 1825, Niagara became America's most popular tourist destination. For the romantic “pilgrims” who visited Niagara before the
Civil War, it evoked the emotions of the sublime and symbolized the nation's grand destiny. Niagara's image as a national shrine was enhanced by the many artists who painted it, notably Frederick Church and his panoramic
Niagara of 1857. Though often depicted in a pristine state, Niagara Falls became increasingly desecrated by shops, sideshows, and factories. In response, Church, Frederick Law
Olmsted, and other prominent citizens succeeded in 1883 in securing legislation to establish the New York State Niagara Falls Reservation, one of the first parks to protect scenery. Although the park only pushed back the surrounding commercial and industrial activity, it did restore naturalness and free access to the falls.
From the Civil War to the 1930s, Niagara Falls enjoyed a great vogue as a honeymoon destination. Niagara also attracted performers, such as the celebrated jumper Sam Patch, and daredevils who went over the falls in barrels. In 1895, Niagara became a major source of cheap
hydroelectric power, and at the end of the twentieth century about one‐half of Niagara's water was diverted to drive turbines. Although no longer as important culturally as in the nineteenth century, Niagara continued to play a role in popular culture—as in the 1953 Marilyn
Monroe movie
Niagara and the 1980 film
Superman II, for example—and to epitomize America for many foreign tourists.
See also
Painting: To 1945;
Romantic Movement;
Tourism.
Bibliography
Elizabeth R. McKinsey , Niagara Falls: Icon of the American Sublime, 1985.
John F. Sears , Sacred Places: American Tourist Attractions in the Nineteenth Century, 1989.
John F. Sears
