Maid of the Mist, Niagara, U.S.A.

The description of the image is "(6) Majestically Grand - the Falls from the 'Maid of the Mist,' Niagara, U.S.A.". The reverse of the image reads "You are on the deck of the small but sturdy little steamer that runs along near the foot of the falls. At this moment you are pretty nearly mid-stream, looking south. The American shore are up over your left shoulder. That tall, dark cliff at the extreme left of what you see is Goat Island. The people up there outlined against the sky look like dolls and no wonder; they are more than 160 feet above your head. Some of them are looking off over the unspeakable grandeurs of the Horseshoe Fall there at the right; some are without doubt looking down at the very boat and remarking that the passengers look like dolls. It is an awesome experience to go so near that never-ceasing downpour of waters from the sky. The air is full of the roar and iridescent spray, and it seems as if the boat must be drawn in under the overwhelming floods never to rise again. Yet, curiously enough, the river right around the boat is not so madly excited as you might expect. It seems more like some great creature, dazed, bewildered, stunned by some incredible experience and not yet quite aware of what has happened. (When it gets down into the Whirlpool Rapids, two miles below here, it is dramatically alive to its situation!) The gigantic curve of the cliffs, reaching in up-stream straight ahead, makes a contour line of over 3000 feet before it comes up against the Canadian banks on the west (right). Geologists say that the Falls ages ago must have been at least seven miles farther down the river (behind you) and have gradually won their way back. Even now the curve of the Horseshoe is worn away from two to four feet in a year. No wonder; 12, 000, 000 cubic feet of water (about 375, 000 tons) sweep over the rocks in one minute, and the same the next minute and the next and the next. See Niagara through the Stereoscope, with special maps locating all the landmarks about the Falls.

Maid of the Mist, Niagara Falls, U.S.A.

The image is described as "(5) 'Maid of the Mist' - Nymph of the mighty cataract, Niagara Falls, U.S.A.".

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 Stereo Cards collection, 1885-1903, n.d.

This collection contains 40 stereo cards of Niagara Falls and the Niagara River. Images include Niagara Falls in winter (the ice bridge); Prospect Point; the Whirlpool Rapids and the Whirlpool; the Upper River rapids; the Maid of the Mist; and Dixon crossing the Niagara River on a tightrope below the Great Cantilever Bridge. Twenty of the cards were published by Underwood & Underwood. The remaining cards are from various publishers including Keystone View Company, American Stereoscopic, Griffith & Griffith, H.C. White Company, E. & H.T. Anthony & Company, and Realistic Travels Publisher. George E. Curtis and Geo. Barker are listed as photographers on a few of the cards.

American Falls, U.S.A.

The description of the image is "(4) Majestic Niagara, rolling in ceaseless roar - American Falls from below - U.S.A.". The reverse of the image reads "Majestically Grand - the Falls, from the "Maid of the Mist," Niagara, U.S.A."

Steel Bridge View

The description reads "(1) General view of the Falls from the New Steel Bridge - 'Maid of the Mist' at landing - Niagara, U.S.A.". The reverse reads similar "General view from Suspension Bridge, Niagara Falls, U.S.A.".

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 Handbill Collection, 1838-1886, n.d. (non-inclusive)

According to legend, the Burning Springs were discovered by early natives in the Niagara Peninsula. Bridgewater Mills was built on the site of the spring. During the excavation of the factory; workmen uncovered the spring. Samuel Street and Thomas Clark recognized the potential of this as a tourist attraction so they built a wooden shelter over the spring. The spring was covered with a barrel with a pipe protruding from it. This became the first tourist attraction at Niagara. The Cave of the Winds was a cavern located behind the Bridal Veil Fall. It was originally named the Aeolus Cave. In 1920, a sudden rock fall from the ceiling killed 3 tourists. The cave was destroyed in 1955 as it was deemed dangerous. The captain of the Maid of the Mist was usually a farmer who owned the land where the ship docked. In 1846, the first steam powered Maid of the Mist was launched. By 1848, the first suspension bridge was built over the gorge and the main purpose of the Maid of the Mist was no longer to carry people who needed to travel, but now the focus was on people who wanted to view the Falls at close range. Source: http://www.niagarafrontier.com/burningsprings.html http://www.niagarafrontier.com/winds.html http://reservationsystems.com/niagara_daredevils/maid_of_the_mist.html

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.