Niagara Falls 



1785 quate. The whole account is so highly embellished that it is in striking 



Crevecouer contrast with the simple and really trustworthy narrative contained in the 

 letter quoted below. 



Crevecouer, Hector St. John de. Description of Niagara Falls 



in a letter to his son under date of July, 1 785. (Mag. Am. hist., Oct., 

 1878. Vol. II, pt. II, pp. 605-613.) 



Crevecouer's letter gives a " graphic description of the cataract as it 

 appeared in its primeval grandeur, undisturbed by the hand of man." It 

 is written in naive and winsome style. It gives the first account of the 

 descent on what is now the American side and a detailed description of 

 the descent on the Canadian side. Crevecouer and his companion appear 

 to have been the first persons to penetrate behind the Horseshoe Fall. By 

 Crevecouer's account they evidently " did " the Falls more thoroughly than 

 they are " done " by many a modern tourist. 



I must mention the perilous and dangerous descent we made 

 [on the American side]. We had provided a strong rope which 

 we attached to the trunk of a large tree about 40 or 50 yards 

 from the edge of the little [American] fall. The rocks are 

 nearly perpendicular, from the fissures of which grew a number 

 of shrubs and plants, which served to fix our feet upon whilst we 

 held firm by our hands on the rope. In this manner we decended 

 nearly 1 50 feet, not without having experienced the greatest 

 bodily fatigue, but also some fearful apprehensions. 



We were desirous of crossing the river Erie [the upper 

 Niagara] to the opposite shore, where we might see the Cataract 

 in the best situation. The general route is to return to the land- 

 ing place upon the river Niagara . . . [Lewiston], pass 

 the river and proceed by a road through thick woods until you 

 arrive at the Falls. We were saved this troublesome route by 

 Mr. Jones offering us one of the Military Batteaux, with six 

 soldiers, to put us and our horses over. . . . The river here 

 is about 3 miles wide, the waters very deep, which conceals in 

 some measure the rapidity of the current, which is so great that 

 we were obliged to pole up the river close in shore for near two 



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