One of the most dramatic and tragic events in the history of Niagara Falls took place 100 years ago Saturday.

Feb. 4, 1912, a Sunday, was a clear, windy and very cold day in Niagara Falls. Nevertheless, hundreds of people — both residents and tourists — were on hand that morning to view the gorgeous winter scenery around the falls and to take a walk on the ice bridge.

One of Niagara’s most spectacular winter creations, the ice bridge is essentially a suspended glacier, often of great thickness, that stretches across the gorge just below the Falls. Beginning in the 1880s, it became a popular winter playground. Local businessmen even set up concession shanties out on the ice where one could buy drinks, including whisky, hot dogs, souvenirs and get a tintype picture taken.

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On July 3, 1984, a Czech emigre by the name of Karel Soucek rode in a nine-foot barrel over the cataracts at Niagara Falls, and lived.

A few months later, on Jan. 19, 1985, a stunt he was performing in the Houston Astrodome malfunctioned and within a day he was dead, the victim of massive injuries.

I got to thinking about Soucek after reading that Nik Wallenda is still trying to get official permission to walk on a high wire above Niagara Falls. These fellows always come to Niagara Falls, don’t they?

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As one of the most famous and most visited places in the world, it’s only natural that the motion picture industry has been drawn to Niagara Falls a number of times.

One of those times came in mid-September 1979 when some scenes for Superman II were filmed here, providing visitors with an added attraction that rivalled the falls for attention.

Following its release in 1978, the first Superman film had become a huge success, so the sequel was eagerly awaited by million of fans. Both movies starred Christopher Reeve, who played the superhero, and Margot Kidder as Lois Lane who, along with the “mild mannered” Clark Kent (a.k.a. Superman), worked as a reporter for the Daily Planet. Lane was madly in love with Superman.

Early in the film, Lane and Kent were sent to Niagara Falls to do an investigative report.

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Anyway, yesterday I came across a video that the Museum of Northern History (housed in the Sir Harry Oakes Chateau) posted to YouTube. It is only a couple of minutes long, but talks a bit about Harry Oakes’ early years. You can see the video below, or on YouTube.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Once, when Jane A. Porter was visiting Europe in the late 19th century, someone asked her if she had ever seen Niagara Falls.

“Seen them?” she allegedly replied. “Why, I own them.”

She wasn’t kidding.

As an heir to the property bought by her grandfather, Augustus Porter, Jane Porter did indeed own the mighty cataracts—at least until 1885, when the family’s waterfront property was bought by New York State to form the nation’s first state park.

The Porter family’s other land holdings, worth millions of dollars even in 19th century money, were the focus of a series of lengthy court fights in the 1880s and ’90s.

At the end of it all, Jane Porter was declared mentally ill — a “lunatic,” in the terminology of the time — even though it’s far from clear that she was really insane by today’s standards, or indeed by any standards.

She seems to have been done out of her property by a greedy sister and a lawyer who supposedly was on her side but had a blatant conflict of interest.

The story was a sensation at the time, gaining coverage even in the New York Times.

But for a century, it was forgotten until it was unearthed in the basement of the Niagara County Courthouse.

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The Niagara Falls publicity stunt was born like this: It was September 1827.A group of hoteliers wanted to make a quick buck. So they sent an old lake schooner, filled with terrified animals, over the brink. The spectacle, as planned, drew thousands. Many of the animals died in the plunge.

It’s 184 years later, and we’re still grasping at ghoulish curiosities at Niagara.

Famed wire walker Nik Wallenda wants to cross the Horseshoe Falls on his tightrope, and debate over the planned escapade has dominated discussion on both sides of the famous falls for months.

The stunt, already given the go-ahead by Albany, now hinges on a decision by the Canadians. But whether Wallenda walks or not is beside the point.

Debate over the high-wire act is a distraction to the real problems that plague Niagara Falls. Blight, unemployment and a worn-out reputation for hucksterism overshadow a natural wonder that is still unique to the world.

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Tony Award-nominated composer-lyricist-librettist Michael John LaChiusa takes on an American icon in Queen of the Mist, starring Tony nominee Mary Testa as Anna Edson Taylor, the first person to survive the plunge over Niagara Falls. The Transport Group’s environmental staging begins performances Oct. 18 at The Gym at Judson Memorial Church…

Here’s how the show is billed: “Based on an astounding, outrageous, and haunting true story, Queen of the Mist stars two-time Tony nominee Mary Testa as Anna Edson Taylor, who, in 1901 at the age of 63, set out to be the first woman to shoot Niagara Falls — in a barrel of her own design. Navigating both the treacherous Falls and a fickle public with a ravenous appetite for sensationalism, this unconventional heroine vies for her legacy in a world clamoring with swindling managers, assassins, revolutionaries, moralizing family, anarchists, and activists. Convinced that there is greatness in her and determined not to live as ordinary, she sets out to battle her fear and tempt her fate. With a score that incorporates turn-of-the-century themes with signature LaChiusa elements, Queen of the Mist is the story of a single great fall, and how one woman risked death so that she could live.”

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His first time out, Malcolm Bunting kept thinking that it goes against all common sense and seamanship to go toward a waterfall of that size.

He did it anyway.

That was 36 years ago.

The giant waterfall was the Horseshoe Falls and his job was with the Maid of the Mist Steamboat Company.

“I had never carried passengers before and I kept thinking, ‘Oh my God, what am I doing here.’ Over the years you get used to it and it becomes routine,” said Cpt. Bunting.

The 63-year-old retired Wednesday night after making his final trip.

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It used to be that trading cards were the big thing. You coould (and I cans you still can) collect cards for almost anything. There were sports cards, TV show cards, movie cards, and more. Did you know there were also Niagara Falls cards?

At one point, I saw these cards at Canada Trading Company on Clifton Hill. This was a few years ago, so I have no idea if they still have them or not. The box of cards had the following information on them:

• 4 series
• Education Memory of your Business
• Made in Niagara
• Smarty Pants International Inc
• SmartyPantsInc. com (this domain isn’t for any Niagara-area company any more)
• (c) 2003

The 4 series were:

• Series 1 (red coloured cards) – Man Versus Nature
• Series 2 (purple) – History of Niagara
• Series 3 (yellow) – Stories Of Niagara
• Series 4 (green) –  Discovering Niagara

I can’t even remember how I got these pictures, but this is what the cards looked like.

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It takes a cool head, impeccable balance, and plenty of self-confidence to walk unaided across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. Unfortunately, for daredevil Nik Wallenda, it also requires formal permission from local bureaucrats.

The 32-year-old circus performer is bidding to become the first person in more than a century to perform the high-wire stunt, reviving a tradition of derring-do which stretches back to the destination’s golden era. But first, he needs a rubber stamp from Canada’s Niagara Parks Commission.

The article also has a nice history of the various daredevils over the years.

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