Our Adventure to Niagara Falls Miss Adrienne Knowles’ 4 th grade class Chenango Bridge Elementary

New York State Learning Standards/Themes and Objectives Social Studies Standards #1 and #3 Themes include: Time, Continuity, and Change & People, Places and Environment Objectives: - Students will be able to locate Niagara Falls on a map. - Students will be able to identify important historical dates and share how the Falls were formed. - Students will be able to describe two ways in which the Falls are used.

We have arrived… We are finally here. We have traveled to the border of Canada, yet are still in the United States. As we are walking over to the edge, by the fence, we feel a mist of water spray upon our arms and faces. We look out to observe Niagara Falls. How’s the view?

I will be your Niagara Falls’ tour guide today… Niagara Falls is a set of enormous waterfalls which are located on the Niagara River, on the border between the United States and Canada. It consists of three separate waterfalls. The first called the Horseshoe Falls, also called the Canadian Falls, the American Falls, and the smallest of the three, the Bridal Veil Falls. The Horseshoe Falls, which are crescent shaped, lay in Ontario, Canada and the American falls lay in Niagara Falls, New York, where we are right now. Look at the maps. Can you find where Niagara Falls is located?

We will first discuss the history of the Falls: The name “Niagara” is said to originate from an Iroquois word “onguiaahra” meaning “The Strait.” The regions’ original inhabitants were the Ongiara, an Iroquois tribe. The Native American legend about the Falls goes like this: There was a young woman engaged by her father to a man she did not like. Rather than marrying him, she chose to sacrifice herself to her true love, the Thunder God. He lived in a cave behind the Horseshoe Falls. She paddled her canoe into the rapid current of the Niagara River and was swept over the falls. Her love, the Thunder God, caught her as she was falling over the edge of the falls. Together their spirits are said to live forever in the Thunder God’s sanctuary behind the Falls.

The Formation of the Falls : Niagara Falls was formed about 12,000 years ago. Glaciers moved north, allowing water from Lake Erie to flow over the Niagara Escarpment. The Niagara Escarpment is a ridge that extends in an arc across the northern Great Lakes region, from Wisconsin to New York. Erosion slowly pushed the waterfall about 7 miles upstream, forming the Niagara Gorge. Since erosion has slowed due to water-diversion projects built in the 1950s and 1960s, it will take about 30 years for the falls to recede the distance it once did in a year. The Horseshoe falls use to reduce about 3 feet per year. In 1954 a large section of the American Falls broke off, creating a huge rock slope, at the base of the Falls.

Here are some important dates of Niagara Falls’ historical background… 1678 – A Franciscan monk and Louis Hennepin, an explorer, became the first European explorer to stumble upon theFalls The first known effort to harness the water. Daniel Joncaire built a small canal above the Falls to power his sawmill Now, one of the most famous tourist attractions in Niagara Falls, the Maid of the Mist makes its first voyage as a ferry, charging a fee to transport people, cargo, and mail across the river, and then it becomes a sightseeing boat, like today, taking visitors close to the Horseshoe Falls. March For the first time in record history, the falls went dry due to strong westerly winds keeping water in Lake Erie and an ice jam that dammed the rivers water near Buffalo, New York. Interestingly, the townspeople explored the riverbed and the edge of the falls, finding artifacts from the War of July Charles Ellett, an engineer directs the first service bridge across the Niagara gore. Then seven years later, John Reobling completes another suspension bridge. This was first to be suspended by wire cables to carry the weight of a train, with two levels, one for carriage and the other for railway traffic. July 15, The Niagara Reservation State Park opens, bringing 750,000 visitor The Niagara Falls Bridge Commission completed the third current crossing of Niagara Falls with the Rainbow Bridge which carries vehicles and people, and is still in use today.

Now I will share Niagara Falls’ hydroelectric history… The Falls’ large volume of flow and its steep drop gives the river great power. In 1853, a water canal to use the waters of the upper river to power machinery in mills and factories was built below Niagara Falls. In 1896 the first large-scale hydroelectric facility was opened on the U.S. side. - Photo of the world's first commercial alternating current hydroelectric generators at the Edward Dean Adams Station, Niagara Falls. In 1950, the United States and Canada signed a treaty fixing the amount of water that could be used from the river for power generation. Then two major hydroelectric projects were built, one on the Canadian side and the other on the US side. Both are located about 4 miles below Niagara Falls, and are driven by water diverters just above the falls and passed on by underground conduits and canals. Much of the hydroelectricity is used by industries in the nearby cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario and Niagara Falls, New York.

“The Barrel Brigade” There is a group of “daredevils” from America’s past who challenged the Horseshoe Falls by taking a ride over them. Fifteen adventurers have faced the Falls since I will tell you some of their stories…. Annie Edson Tylor was the first women and the first person to go over the Falls in a barrel. She arrived at the falls in 1901 as a poor 63 year old widow. She thought the stunt would give her an opportunity to make some money. She faced the falls on October 24, 1901 in a barrel she made herself. She did survive but made no money. George Stathakis on July 4, 1930 went over in a wooden barrel and got caught behind the Falls for 14 hours. He didn’t have enough air to survive before he got rescued, and died. However, his 105 year old pet turtle that he took with him survived. Steven Trotter and Lori Martin on June 18, 1995 became the first woman and man to go over the Falls together in one single barrel. They survived with only small injuries. Here is a photo of Bobby Leach who went over the Falls on July 25, 1911 in his barrel and survived.

Let’s board the Maid of the Mist … (click here) The Maid of the Mist is a boat tour of Niagara Falls. The boat starts off at a calm part of the Niagara River and takes its passengers past the American and Bridal Veil Falls, then into the intense mist inside the curve of the Horseshoe Falls. The tour is available starting from either the United States side or the Canadian side of the river. Don’t forget to bring a poncho because you’re sure to get wet!

Here are some interesting facts I’d like to share with you… Horseshoe Falls is eroding upstream at a faster rate than the American Falls because of the greater volume of water passing over it. The water that runs over the falls comes from the Great Lakes and 90% of the water goes over the Horseshoe Falls. Today, the amount is controlled by the Canadian and American governments to slow erosion. Niagara Falls has been one of the most popular destinations for honeymooners in the world since promoters for the area helped institute “honeymooning” as a tradition in the mid-nineteenth century. Click below to find an interactive aerial photo that allows you to click on the Niagara Falls area to look at photos and learn more….

Explore On Your Own! Get a great view from different areas around Niagara Falls.

As we conclude our tour… I’d like you to remember that the Falls is not only known for its breath- taking beauty which attracts people from all over the United States and the World, but also provides us with a source of hydroelectric power. We also cannot forget its remarkable historical background. We are faced with the challenge to preserve this natural “wonder of the world.” I hope you enjoyed your tour today and please come back and visit again!

Follow-up Activity: Now that you have visited Niagara Falls you can make a post card to send back to your family or friends and share your experience with them. Tell them what you saw and learned. Be sure to create and design a front to your postcard relating to Niagara Falls and your experience.

Sources -"Niagara Falls (waterfall)," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia The History Channel.com -Online reference for Niagara Falls Information. -

Questions???