You shall enjoy all these amazing Niagara Falls facts as you’re about to discover that the Falls is not only a city but a personification of a natural wonder. Niagara Falls is a combined name for three waterfalls that lies between New York and Ontario, a Canadian province. These three waterfalls are Horseshoe Falls, American Falls, and Bridal Veil Falls. Of these, horseshoe waterfalls are considered to be the most powerful fall as also measured by its fast flow rate. All these waterfalls combined to form a height of 165 feet vertically.
Niagara Falls Facts For Kids
Niagara falls have long been accepted for romantic getaways, and it has too much to offer its visitors including resort-hotels as well as its spectacular scenery.
These falls usually connect two American lakes; lake Ontario in the north and Lake Erie in the south. Therefore, they are claimed equally by their respective countries.
The falls are believed to have been flowing for about 12,000 years ago, but the fact of the case is that they are not stationery, they are moving towards south up the Niagara River, gradually grinding away at the rocks.
The length of the Niagara River is 35 miles and the water drops about 170 feet including the rocks at the base of the falls. The falls may not be as high but it is extremely wide with more than 150,000 gallons of water flowing per second from the edge.
These falls were stopped couple of times in the past; first was in 1869 when an iceberg blocked the stream of water and the second occurred hundred years later in 1969, when the American falls was deliberately stopped for several months. The purpose was to remove some rocks at the base but the project seemed expensive and later unfeasible.
Clovis people were the first human inhabitants settled in Niagara Falls near the ice age. This was the time when falls were beginning to form slowly with the melting of ice.
Niagara Falls drew the attention of its tourists and began functioning commercially in 1820s. It goes without saying that many people had visited before 1820s but the falls had not become much of tourist attraction then. It was only when ferries and paved road were built, the westerners began visiting too often. These falls are nature’s embodiment of beauty and elegance where people would come and spend the whole day on the Great Gorge. If you’re lucky enough you may also come across few stunt performers entertaining the visitors. But it happens once in a while.
Not only does Niagara Falls facilitate people, but there is an ice bridge which was formed due to large chunks of slush and ice made their way from Erie, and then topples over Niagara Falls. It is called Ice Bridge because the Niagara River flows underneath the surface of the ice. The depth of the bridge is 50 feet while it extends over a mile. However, if the winters are not too cold, Ice Bridge does not form. Since 1840s, the bridge has become a popular attraction for visitors where people come and involve with sporting activity and merchants would sell their wares. Having said that however, these activities are done with complete caution because no one knows precisely as to how long the bridge would last. One such unfortunate incident took place in 1912 when the Ice Bridge broke up and the three visitors fell in the river and died.
Sam Patch was one of the first stunt performers who had tried to jump into the Niagara River without falling in the falls. Jean Francois, however, was the popular early performer and was known by the name of ‘Blondin’. Sometimes these stunts are successful while sometimes deadly.
