Horseshoe Falls, U.S.A.

The description reads "(13) Tireless Niagara - Horseshoe Falls, from above, - U.S.A."

Horseshoe Falls from Above, U.S.A.

The description reads "(39) Tireless Niagara - Horseshoe Falls from above - U.S.A.". The reverse states "We are standing on the Canadian side of the river, looking S.E. across the enormous curve of the Horseshoe toward the Dufferin Islands on the Canadian side. 'This is close enough. The time will come undoubtedly when no man can reach this point, when the rocks on which we stand will break and crash into the gulf above which they hang. Table Rock one of the best known points about Niagara in the past, used to extend out over the river from the bank just behind us. It was originally very large but great masses, sometimes a hundred feet in length by fifty in width, have broken off at different periods, the last in 1883, until the whole rock is gone. Off to our left is the centre of the Horseshoe. It is easy to see that in that direction the water is going over in a solid mass, thousands of tons each second, to the river 150 feet below. While the amount of water passing over these rocks varies somewhat according to the height of the river. It has been estimated that the average amount is 12,000,000 cubic feet per minute, that is, about 375,000 tons...Since 1842 the whole contour of these falls has been worn away at the rate of about 2 1/10 ft. per year. In the centre of the Horseshoe where the bulk of the water passes, nearly five feet of rock are worn away each year. The falls have receded 100 feet within the memory of the men now living.' From Niagara Through the Stereoscope, with special 'keyed' maps, published by Underwood & Underwood"

Niagara Falls from Prospect Point to Horseshoe Falls

The description of the image reads "Magnificent outlook over Niagara, world's grandest waterfall, from Prospect Point to Horseshoe Falls". The side of the card is also stamped "By Royal Command to Their Imperial Majesties King George V and Queen Mary".

Horseshoe Falls from Below

The description below the image reads "No.66 Horseshoe Falls from below, Winter, Niagara".

Horseshoe Falls, Canada Side

The description of the image reads "29 Horseshoe Fall - Canada Side".

Below Horseshoe Falls, Niagara Falls, N.Y.

The description of the image reads "364 Below the Horseshoe Falls in Winter, Niagara Falls, N.Y."

Image of Niagara Falls n.d.

In 1818 Parkhurst Whitney built stairs leading to the river’s edge at Prospect Point. In 1825 Porter Brother replaced that staircase with a spiral one. In 1844 Whitney started a water powered incline railway there although the staircase was also used until 1890. In 1906 the water wheel was replaced by an electric power plant. There were lower buildings which included Shadow of the Rock which was a concession stand and also rented raincoats to the tourists. This was destroyed by fire and ice in 1892 and replaced by a chalet-style building in 1894-95. On July 6th, 1907 a cable on the incline railway broke. One person was killed and several sustained injuries. An elevator was constructed and it opened in January of 1910. It was condemned in 1954 when water entered the shaft, this was at the time of the collapse of Prospect Point which occurred at 4:50 pm. on July 28, 1954. This photograph was taken prior to 1954. Today the New York State Observation Tower stands at Prospect Point and The Maid of the Mist boat ride is available from the base of the tower. with information from: Niagara Falls Canada: a History by the Kiwanis Club of Stamford, Ontario

Niagara Falls Special Attractions - Postcards

Board with five postcards of Niagara Falls attractions. First postcard, Lincoln Beachey's Flight under Niagara Falls Bridge (copyright 1911 by Photo Specialty Co.). Second postcard, Calvery Walking Niagara Gorge on 3/4 in. cable. Third postcard, Burning Spring, Niagara Falls, Canada. Fourth postcard, Mrs. Anna Edson Taylor "Shot Horseshoe Falls (165 feet) October 24, 1901, and survived - a feat never before accomplished. Entered barrel one and one-half miles above the Falls. Was in barrel one hour and fifteen minutes. Had 32 pounds of air in barrel; 100 pounds weight on foot of barrel. Rescued six hundred yards below falls on Canadian shore". Fifth postcard, Burning Spring, Niagara Falls, Canada.

View of Falls from Steel Bridge, Niagara, U.S.A.

The description of the image reads "(4)-8972-General view of Falls from new steel bridge - Maid of the Mist at landing - Niagara, U.S.A." The reverse of the image includes the description, "We are standing on the new steel bridge over Niagara River, 190 feet above the water and looking a little west of south, up the river towards Lake Erie. The high cliff at the extreme left, on the American side, is Prospect Point, where a crowd is gathered at this moment to view the Falls that we see just beyond Prospect Point. That dark, tree-covered mass of rock beyond is Goat Island; and just this side of Goat Island we see a bit of its precipice has been cut off separate from the rest by the powerful current of the waters - the smaller portion is Luna Island, and the Luna Falls go pouring down between the two islands. The face of the precipice curves inward beneath the Luna Falls leaving behind the 160 foot sheet of water the unearthly hollow known as the Cave of the Winds. Beyond Goat Island we see the gigantic curve of the Horseshoe Falls, 3,010 feet long and 158 feet high, reaching around through the clouds of spray to the farther Canadian shore. (The boundary line between British and American territory is in mid-stream.) It has been estimated that every minute 375,000 tons of water pour over these Horseshoe Falls, and they are wearing away the cliffs, moving back up the stream at the rate of 2.4 feet per year. It was probably only about a thousand years ago that they took their plunge just about where we stand now. Down there below us, at the wharf is the Maid of the Mist at the American landing taking on passengers who have come down the steep bank by the inclined railway. Its course takes it through those clouds of spray almost to the very foot of both Falls, - waters falling from 167 feet overhead, and water surging at least as many feet deep under the staunch little vessel. See special 'keyed' maps of Niagara pub. by Underwood and Underwood, also the Niagara Book by Mark Twain, W.D. Howells and others."

Niagara Falls Photo Album, 1906

There are 20 black and white photos within the album and one smaller photo affixed to the front cover. The photos include: the rapids in the Niagara River, the American Falls, Prospect Point, the Suspension Bridge, the Horseshoe Falls, the Maid of the Mist, the Canadian Falls, a peach orchard, a Lake Erie harbour tug in the Erie Canal, barges and the bridge at Middlesport.

Niagara Falls Photo Album, 1906

One 18 cm. x 14 cm. soft cover photograph album. There is a label within the front cover which says “Photographs taken, finished and mounted by W.G. Moss, September 1906. To E.B. Nichols." There are 20 black and white photos within the album and one smaller photo affixed to the front cover. The photos include: the rapids in the Niagara River, the American Falls, Prospect Point, the Suspension Bridge, the Horseshoe Falls, the Maid of the Mist, the Canadian Falls, a peach orchard, a Lake Erie harbour tug in the Erie Canal, barges and the bridge at Middlesport. All of the photos are captioned in ink on the pages that the photos are affixed to and pages are divided by tissue guards.

One hundred glimpses of Niagara. --

Exhibiting the grandeur and mystery of the greatest natural wonder in the world. Illustrating the American and Horseshoe Falls from many points of view, the famous, Niagara Gorge, the Whirlpool, the Parks and Island and other scenes about Niagara, inlcuding a number of interesting winter scenes.

Canadian Niagara Power Company fonds

Power at the Falls: The first recorded harnessing of Niagara Falls power was in 1759 by Daniel Joncairs. On the American side of the Falls he dug a small ditch and drew water to turn a wheel which powered a sawmill. In 1805 brothers Augustus and Peter Porter expanded on Joncairs idea. They bought the American Falls from New York State at public auction. Using Joncairs old site they built a gristmill and tannery which stayed in business for twenty years. The next attempt at using the Falls came in 1860 when construction of the hydraulic canal began by the Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power and Manufacturing Co. The canal was complete in 1861 and brought water from the Niagara river, above the falls, to the mills below. By 1881 the Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power and Manufacturing Co. had a small generating station which provided some electricity to the village of Niagara Falls and the Mills. This lasted only four years and then the company sold its assets at public auction due to bankruptcy. Jacob Schoellkopf arrived at the Falls in 1877 with the purchase of the hydraulic canal land and water and power rights. In 1879 Schoellkopf teamed up with Charles Brush (of Euclid Ohio) and powered Brush’s generator and carbon arc lights with the power from his water turbines, to illuminate the Falls electrically for the first time. The year 1895 marked the opening of the Adam No. 1 generating station on the American side. The station was the beginnings of modern electrical utility operations. The design and operations of the generating station came from worldwide competitions held by panels of experts. Some who were involved in the project include; George Westinghouse, J. Pierpont Morgan, Lord Kelvin and Nikoli Tesla. The plants were operated by the Niagara Falls Power Company until 1961, when the Robert Moses Plant began operation in Lewiston, NY. The Adams plants were demolished that same year and the site used as a sewage treatment plant. The Canadian side of the Falls began generating their own power on January 1, 1905. This power came from the William Birch Rankine Power Station located 500 yards above the Horseshoe Falls. This power station provided the village of Fort Erie with its first electricity in 1907, using its two 10,000 electrical horsepower generators. Today 11 generators produce 100,000 horsepower (75 megawatts) and operate as part of the Niagara Mohawk and Fortis Incorporated Power Group.

The Horse Shoe Fall

The description on the reverse states "The Majesty and Beauty of Niagara. The Horse Shoe Fall." There is also a No. associated with the card, but the original printed number (5800_01) has been crossed out and replaced in ink with 5795.

Over the Falls : Annie Edson Taylor's story of her trip : how the Horseshoe Fall was conquered /

"June, 1902"-- title page.