New York State Museum 



INTRODUCTION —NIAGARA FALLS 



AND 



HOW TO SEE THEM 1 



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 which 

 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. 2 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 Lmiverse does not afford its Parallel". 3 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 



1 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. 



2 Porter, Peter A. Goat island. 16th an. rep't comr's state reservation, 

 1900. 



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

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



