Niagara: A History of the Falls

by Pierre Berton

Recounts the exploits of engineers, daredevils, photographers, industrialists, and honeymooners who have been drawn to Niagara Falls' treacherous beauty

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Canada, American History, Travel, Geography

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

From narrative histories and popular culture, to picture and coffee table books to anthologies, to stories for children to readable, historical works for youth, many of his books are now Canadian classics.

Born in 1920 and raised in the Yukon, Pierre Berton worked in Klondike mining camps during his university years. He spent four years in the army, rising from private to captain/instructor at the Royal Military College in Kingston. He spent his early newspaper career in Vancouver, where at 21 he was the youngest city editor on any Canadian daily. He wrote columns for and was editor of Maclean's magazine, appeared on CBC's public affairs program "Close-Up" and was a permanent fixture on "Front Page Challenge" for 39 years. He was a columnist and editor for the Toronto Star, and a writer and host of a series of CBC programs.

Pierre Berton has received over 30 literary awards including the Governor-General's Award for Creative Non-Fiction (three times), the Stephen Leacock Medal of Humour, and the Gabrielle Leger National Heritage Award. He received two Nellies for his work in broadcasting, two National Newspaper awards, and the National History Society's first award for "distinguished achievement in popularizing Canadian history." For his immense contribution to Canadian literature and history, he has been awarded more than a dozen honourary degrees, is a member of the Newsman's Hall of Fame and a Companion of the Order of Canada.

Reviews

[Mikey B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Page 74 (my book)

[Charles] Dickens passed "ten memorable days… on that Enchanted Ground!” He…wandered to and fro, observing the cataract from every angle and vantage point and at every hour. “To have Niagara before me, lighted by the sun and by the moon, red in the day’s decline, and grey as evening slowly fell upon it; to look upon it every day, and wake up in the night and hear its ceaseless voice; this was enough.”

Niagara Falls is probably the most visited tourist attraction in North America. – and it has been for centuries!!



When you go there its teeming with tourists from across the globe. My daughter just visited and even in covid-19 days she reported that it was definitely not empty.



"Niagara by Frederic Church 1857
National Gallery of Art Washington DC

Pierre Berton gives us the full treatment in his book - from pre-European days, then the arrival of the first French explorers who came with Indian guides to this overwhelming spectacle. He also provides us with the geological history – the Falls are in a constant state of flux as paintings and photographs illustrate. The American Falls have huge dolomite boulders that keep toppling and crashing downwards; on the Canadian Horseshoe Falls there use to be a lookout called Table Rock that no longer exists.

He also describes the various performers who tight-roped across the mighty rapids and of course those who barrel rolled over the Horseshoe Falls. The first was Annie Taylor who at the age of sixty-three rode in a barrel over the Falls and was scooped up before heading into the rapids. There were others over the years who went over the Falls or through the roaring rapids and the huge whirlpool some distance from the Falls. Once in this whirlpool one would be tossed about relentlessly. Not all survived.

Pierre Berton provides the electrical energy history of the Falls. He is a very adept author at providing colourful portraits of the many personalities involved in Niagara on both the Canadian and American side of the Fall. There was Nikola Tesla (eclectic inventor and electrical engineer), Frederic Church (artist), Robert Moses (entrepreneur and builder extraordinaire and supremely arrogant) and many more. The electrical output produced by the Falls made possible the lighting of the eastern seaboard, but also made it possible for dubious chemical companies who used this electricity and dumped their hazardous leftovers into what came to be known as Love Canal on the American side of Niagara. This led to Lois Gibbs and the grass-roots organization of her community activists to ask for a clean-up and compensation for the dangerous waste products that affected the health of all who lived in the vicinity.

We get a full scope of both the Canadian and American sides of the Falls. I can personally attest to the beauty of Goat Island (New York Falls State Park) as being a remarkably peaceful oasis between the American Falls and the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side. It was a pleasure to meander on these trails and take in the views.

Pierre Berton covers many of the trials and tribulations of Niagara Falls over the centuries. He was in his seventies when he wrote this book and, sometimes he can come off as somewhat chauvinistic. Nevertheless, an entertaining book.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

In many ways, Niagara Falls is a tourist trap.

And yet.


There is something primal about the falls. If you go to the Grand Canyon or Monument Valley, you see the beauty of nature. If you go up the Hudson River Valley, you learn why there was a Hudson River School and you realize that the East Coast has scenic nature to rival the West, it just looks different.

Niagara Falls, in particular Horseshoe Falls, is different.

When I went there, it was over a very crowded weekened. The sheer mass of humanity seemed to rival Disney World. There was some house called Frankenstien (which looked corny from the outside), and there was some type of avairy (which looked cool from the outside).

Then I saw the FALLS.

I don't mean the Jounrey Behind the Falls, which is something everyone should do. I mean I saw the Falls from what is, incorrectly it seems, Table Rock. When you watch the Falls, truly watch them with your camera dangling by your side; your ears closed to everything but the water's roar - when you do that, you realize -

Nature's one big momma!

The Falls enable the view even when surronded by hunderds of people aboard the Maid of the Mist to see and hear only them. Even though you're on a big boat, it's just you and them. You can see the power, glory, anger, and beauty of nature.

The Falls can kill you and won't care.

Nature will outlast everything while destorying it at the same time. And that's okay, because she looks good doing it.

How does one play homage to this?

Not by heart shaped hot tubs that's for sure.

Pierre Berton, however, can. He presents a history of the Falls from the geological birth to Love Canal. Berton's first chapter is about the birth of the Falls and is a prose love poem. He makes geology sexy.

Berton gives the stories of the hucksters, daredevils, business men , actvists, and inventors who live, work, performed, and in some cases, died at the Falls. The reader learns about the two famous tightrope walkers (who sound really crazy, to be honest), that the first person to go over the Falls in a barrel was a 60 plus year old woman, who never really got a fortune out of her fame, and that those Canucks could be lawless in thier own way.

With all these stories, Berton uses a wonderful writing style. He makes electricity, well, electric, if you'll pardon the pun.

It is the perfect history of the Falls. I hope he gets knighted.

[Elizabeth Licata · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book about Niagara Falls. If it's not in here, you don't need to know it.

[Bill Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

A terrific book . . . my favorite of all the recent volumes I've read on New York history. Berton's picture of America's first natural wonder tells the whole strange story, from the earliest explorers to the horrors of Love Canal. Characters along the way include daredevils, swindlers, artists like Godfrey Frankenstein and his enormous panorama, Wild Bill Hickock, Nikola Tesla, and many others. I'm convinced that Niagara in the 1870s would make a great setting for a premium TV series, with dueling interests trying to exploit the falls while launching attacks on each other. Along the way, he never loses sight of the majesty of the falls, evoking the power they have exercised over remarkable men and women in the centuries the cataracts have been part of recorded history. I can't imagine a better guide book to take along when I visit later this year.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a model of what popular history should be: Informative, enthralling, dramatic, funny, and intensely moving. (You will know when you get to that part, involving an improbable survival; it is astonishing.)

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pierre Berton has put together a thorough history of the Niagara Falls from the daredevils who shaped the commercial aspect to the power generation that fuels large swaths of the US and Canada. This book starts out with the unique geological features and then dives into the rise of canals and trains that brought people to the Falls. From tight rope walkers to people going over in barrels and museums all caused a stir. This book looks at ferry and bridge development. The last quarter focuses on power generation and the build out of public parks under Robert Moses and others. If you have an interest in Niagara Falls then this is a great book.

[Curtis Anthony Bozif · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun mix of science and folklore. Never new how instrumental the falls at Niagara were to making electricity the ubiquitous source of energy it is today.

[Coleen Dailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having gone to the Falls several times on family vacations as a child, I remember the kitschy museums, the Cave of the Winds, the beautifully lit falls at night and the souvenir books that told the stories of the daredevils and the rescues. I have been there three times as an adult and tried to do things with my children that we did when we were kids. The falls have changed a lot - not so much physically in appearance but in the things around the falls on both sides. I also have visited Fort Niagara which I wish had been mentioned a bit more in the book. This has always been a thrilling place to visit and I would recommend this book to anyone who is planning a trip or to anyone who has been there and wishes to remember where they have been.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starting in primeval Earth and the actual formation of the falls and reaching to roughly now, this history of the famous falls starts slow and dry, but as soon as people start settling the area it gets interesting.

The stuff about Tesla, how the place has been a tourist trap since nearly day one and the history of people who have performed stunts over or going down the falls are fascinating.

The stuff about Love Canal, while interesting, is deeply depressing.

An interesting overview of one of the most amazing places in the USA.

[Janet Sketchley · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much research, woven into a very readable book.

[Tom James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone who visits Canada just HAS to visit Niagara Falls. Those of us who have grown up in southern Ontario don't always appreciate it, but there are few places like it elsewhere in the world. Berton begins with the prehistoric beginnings during the ice age, jumps ahead to the impression it made on the early European explorers, and then the narrative slows right down as we progress through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. From an awesome phenomenon to be feared, to a wonder that inspires awe, the Falls has been the centre of tourism, showmanship, adventure, industry, and science. One cannot help but be impressed by Berton's breadth and depth of research into the many ways in which we shaped Niagara and Niagara shaped us. From high-wire stuntmen to electrical engineers who lit up southern Ontario and New York state, from the artists who tried to capture the beauty of the Falls to the Love Canal disaster that threatened the lives of the residents, this book gives us a slice of life centred around this wonderful place.

[Jus · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Niagara A History of the Falls” by Pierre Berton. A nonfiction about the history of the falls and those drawn to it: industrialists who harnessed its power, movie stars, magnet for statesmen, stuntmen, poets, poseurs, ordinary sightseers and exceptional visionaries.

Great to learn about the history and engineering side of Niagara Falls before you go and visit. (Just finished this book after my visit to Niagara Falls, get goosebumps just reminiscing.) There was many power plants on Niagara River to make electricity, the use of Power Arch and Nikola Tesla. Includes black and white photos and posters. Definitely worth the read!

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I visited Niagara Falls, Ontario for this first time this year. I found it to be a very odd place with an IHOP or two on every block near the falls. This book painted a very compelling story about the development around the falls. I have a whole new appreciation for the area despite many of my unflattering perceptions being confirmed. While the pre-colonial history was only vaguely explored, the settler history of the area makes for a wild ride. I would totally recommend this book to any interested in history. It’s written in a style that’s easy to read making it accessible to a wide audience.

[Steve Courson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked up a signed 1st edition for $10 from a used bookstore. Living 20 minutes away from the Falls didn’t mean I knew anything about them. I’ve never even stepped foot on Goat Island - but I will now! This book is well written. If you’re looking for THE historical story in flowing prose, this is your book. Excellent read.

[Marc Chénier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew a lot about the Falls when concerning people riding the falls in barrels or walking tightropes over the rapids. What I didn't know was all the tragedy involved around the Falls like the collapsed bridge, the landlides and especially "Love Canal". Another great book from Pierre Berton.

Next hardcover: "1967: The Last Good Year" by Pierre Berton (1997)

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! More than you ever wanted to know. The chapter on Love Canal will turn your stomach. A tale of greed, greed, greed, & more greed. Would have liked some more detailed maps or perhaps overlays so you could figure out exactly where all the bridges & power plants were. It is very dense so take your time…

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent history of Niagara Falls! Ultimately I didn't finish it, because the 20th century was less interesting to me, but I was absolutely fascinated by the descriptions of its discovery and all of the good and bad things that surrounded it throughout the 19th century. Very well researched, well written, and truly fascinating.

[Jordan Grieve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was going to be dry and very difficult to read but it turned out to be great. Fascinating, interesting and well written, I think I know everything there is to know about Niagara now.

[Hilary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book! Obviously the writing is fantastic and the way the book is structured is so well done. I felt like I was reading short stories that all tied into one another. Now I need to go back to the falls and look at things differently.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I struggle with non-fiction and this one took me a good long while to finish - it was a Niagara of a book but Breton adds the juicy details in his history of the falls. You get all of the info plus the background to the background stories. Loved it.

[Darla Ebert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative and detailed. Parts were tedious but over-all interesting

[Asiya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but could be difficult to read at times.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining! A good way to learn the history of the Falls

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Niagara: A History of the Falls by Pierre Berton
Posted on February 21, 2013 by Kathryn Edit

Niagara: A History of the Falls by Pierre Berton

When I was a child in West Virginia, during the mid to late 1960s we would take family vacations to Niagara Falls. I loved the falls themselves, even though I could see them but imperfectly (I wore glasses), I loved the tourist traps on Clifton Hill on the Canadian side, I loved the stories of the daredevils and tragedies on the river, I was dragged along as my father (an industrial engineer) saw what seemed to be all the turbines in all the hydro-electrical plants, and the one time I got out of yet another hydro-electrical plant tour I ended up on a tour of formal gardens on the Canadian side, which I found boring (not having a sense of smell). This wonderful book was published in 1992, and explains how the Falls and their environs got to the state in which I saw them.

The book begins with the geological processes that formed the Falls, and moves to the discovery of the Falls, their exploitation by the tourist industry, the advent of the daredevils, the development of the park along the Canadian side from the Falls to Lake Ontario, the development of hydro-electrical plants (plants were being built, hoping that a method would be found to transmit the electricity; a method was found, thanks to Tesla), the development of industry, of industrial wastes, and of the way these wastes were disposed of (enter Love Canal, within the Niagara Falls, New York city limits), and the falls today (circa 1992).

I found that the book covers all possible bases concerning the Falls. I did return to the Falls with my husband in 2007, and we enjoyed the educational New York side of the river more than the tourist trap / gardens Canadian side of the river (alas, Clifton Hill had lost its glamour for me). But the view of the Falls is still better from the Canadian side, and I now have a passport just in case I am in the area and wish to go to Canada to see the falls once again, to be captivated once again by the cascades of Niagara.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect preparation for my visit to the Falls!

[Gary Brecht · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this very entertaining history I learned about John Roebling, the engineer best known for his building of the Brooklyn Bridge. Mr. Roebling built the first successful suspension bridge to span the Niagara River. His designs made suspension bridges safer than earlier versions. I also leaned about the painter Frederick Church who became a famous American artist who painted glorious landscapes. His masterpiece was The Great Fall, Niagara, painted in 1856. The painting enjoyed a tour of Europe.

This history details the stuntmen (and women) who dared to challenge the falls and the deadly whirlpool further below. It describes the commercialization and industrialization of this place that once was a sacred site of Native Americans. This book is a must for anyone interested in the history of one of America’s most treasured natural features.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently saw the fall for the first time and can relate to the fascination they've held over the years. They are, in a word, mesmerizing. I heard a little bit about the history of the falls when I was there and wanted to know more so I purchased this history. It was interesting and covered a lot of disparate material which must have been difficult to organize. There were times when things were worded in a way that made the material difficult to understand and, since it was published in 2002, the information in the afterword about the area around the falls today is out of date. But, all in all, I enjoyed this book and it expanded my knowledge not only of this spectacular natural phenomenon but also about how man has reacted to it in ways both wise and foolish.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this after, late in life, making my first trip to Niagara Falls, which I highly recommend. If I could start each day riding the Maid of the Mist, I'd never run out of energy. This book, by a Canadian author with a lifelong interest in the twin American-Canadian falls, tells a good yarn of their discovery by white settlers, the barrel riding incidents, the famous tightrope walker who thrilled audiences, the power generation schemes and all the other essentials.

[Patrick]

Recently acquired at Orange County's newest used bookstore - A CASTLE OF BOOKS in Stanton. I have just started skimming this book, and it looks like a pretty good story.

(If you live in OC, go check this place out - after you get yourself a 2 for 1 or 1/2 off coupon from their ad in the OC Weekly, so you can get the best deal if you find something you like!)

[Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quite interesting history of the falls at the border of Canada and the US. I remember seeing them when I was young. Actually, I remember the topiary garden and labyrinth more than anything else. The author examines just about every aspect of the falls from the first explorations to the exploitation and hucksterism and then to the environmental destruction at Love's Canal.