﻿New 
  York 
  State 
  Museum 
  

  

  INTRODUCTION 
  —NIAGARA 
  FALLS 
  

  

  AND 
  

  

  HOW 
  TO 
  SEE 
  THEMi 
  

  

  The 
  falls 
  of 
  Niagara 
  have 
  been 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  world 
  for 
  more 
  than 
  

   200 
  years. 
  Who 
  the 
  first 
  white 
  man 
  was 
  that 
  saw 
  the 
  great 
  catar- 
  

   acts 
  is 
  not 
  known, 
  but 
  the 
  first 
  to 
  leave 
  a 
  description 
  -was 
  the 
  

   French 
  missionary, 
  Father 
  Louis 
  Hennepin, 
  who, 
  in 
  company 
  with 
  

   La 
  Salle, 
  visited 
  the 
  falls 
  in 
  1678. 
  He 
  was 
  the 
  first 
  white 
  man 
  to 
  

   use 
  the 
  name, 
  Niagara, 
  for 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  the 
  falls, 
  a 
  name 
  wdiich 
  

   had 
  been 
  applied 
  by 
  the 
  Neuter 
  Indians, 
  who 
  occupied 
  the 
  territory 
  

   on 
  both 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  prior 
  to 
  the 
  year 
  1651, 
  when 
  they 
  were 
  

   conquered 
  by 
  the 
  Senecas, 
  who 
  after 
  that 
  occupied 
  and 
  possessed 
  

   the 
  territory.^ 
  In 
  the 
  native 
  language 
  the 
  name 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  signify 
  

   " 
  the 
  thunder 
  of 
  the 
  waters 
  ". 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  sight 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  cataracts 
  must 
  have 
  made 
  a 
  powerful 
  

   impression 
  on 
  Father 
  Hennepin, 
  unprepared 
  as 
  he 
  was 
  by 
  previous 
  

   descriptions 
  save 
  those 
  given 
  him 
  by 
  his 
  Indian 
  allies 
  and 
  guides. 
  

   He 
  speaks 
  of 
  the 
  falls 
  as 
  " 
  a 
  vast 
  and 
  prodigious 
  Cadence 
  of 
  Water 
  

   which 
  falls 
  down 
  after 
  a 
  surprizing 
  and 
  astonishing 
  manner, 
  inso- 
  

   much 
  that 
  the 
  Universe 
  does 
  not 
  afTord 
  its 
  Parallel".^ 
  He 
  con- 
  

   sidered 
  the 
  falls 
  " 
  above 
  Six 
  hundred 
  foot 
  high 
  ", 
  and 
  adds 
  that 
  

   '' 
  the 
  Waters 
  which 
  fall 
  from 
  this 
  horrible 
  Precipice, 
  do 
  foam 
  and 
  

   boyl 
  after 
  the 
  most 
  hideous 
  manner 
  imaginable, 
  making 
  an 
  out- 
  

   rageous 
  Noise, 
  more 
  terrible 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  Thunder, 
  for 
  when 
  the 
  

  

  ^Niagara 
  falls 
  are 
  reached 
  from 
  Buffalo 
  by 
  train 
  or 
  electric 
  cars, 
  both 
  

   of 
  which 
  run 
  at 
  frequent 
  intervals. 
  A 
  direct 
  line 
  of 
  railway 
  runs 
  from 
  

   Rochester 
  to 
  the 
  falls 
  by 
  way 
  of 
  Lockport. 
  Direct 
  railway 
  connection 
  

   with 
  western 
  cities 
  is 
  obtained 
  by 
  way 
  of 
  Suspension 
  bridge, 
  while 
  from 
  

   Toronto 
  and 
  other 
  cities 
  north 
  of 
  Lake 
  Ontario 
  the 
  falls 
  may 
  be 
  reached 
  

   by 
  train 
  direct, 
  or 
  by 
  boat 
  to 
  Lewiston 
  or 
  Queenston, 
  and 
  thence 
  by 
  train 
  

   or 
  electric 
  road 
  to 
  Niagara. 
  All 
  electric 
  cars 
  on 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  side 
  run 
  

   to 
  or 
  past 
  Prospect 
  park, 
  and 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  pass 
  the 
  railway 
  stations. 
  

   The 
  railway 
  stations 
  are 
  within 
  walking 
  distance 
  of 
  the 
  falls. 
  

  

  'Porter, 
  Peter 
  A. 
  Goat 
  island. 
  i6th 
  an. 
  rep't 
  comr's 
  state 
  reservation, 
  

   1900. 
  

  

  'A 
  new 
  discovery 
  of 
  a 
  vast 
  country 
  in 
  America. 
  1698. 
  p. 
  29. 
  Reprinted 
  

   in 
  part 
  in 
  special 
  report 
  N. 
  Y. 
  state 
  survey 
  for 
  1879. 
  

  

  