How much do you think you know about Niagara Falls? Take the quiz
This quiz was in the Niagara Falls Review last week, but it is still worth trying. Here are some of the questions, and click through to read them all and see all of the options and answers…
- Rounded to the nearest thousand, what is the population of Niagara Falls?
- What anniversary is the Niagara Parks Commission’s School of Horticulture celebrating this year?
- What is Niagara Falls’ official flower?
- Which of these parks is the oldest?
- How many lights illuminate the falls each night?
- The first person to perform on a tightrope stretched across the Niagara River Gorge was
- Which one of these carmakers once had a glass plant in Niagara Falls?
Related posts:
- Wire walk across Niagara Gorge gets political support in the U.S. From 610 CKTB: A tightrope walker who wants to walk...
- Should experienced high-wire walker be allowed to cross the falls? From the Niagara Falls Review: Since he was a boy...
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Daredevil survived falls, but not orange peel
From the Niagara Falls Review:
After successfully going over the Horseshoe Falls in a barrel on Oct. 24, 1901, Annie Taylor, the first person to try such a stunt, reportedly said: “Nobody ought to ever do that again!”
For 10 years nobody did.
Then along came Bobby Leach. A native of Cornwall, England, he was a daredevil full of bravado and bravery who first stepped into the spotlight in Niagara Falls in 1906 when he parachuted into the Niagara River after jumping off the Upper Steel Arch Bridge, which was close to where the Rainbow Bridge is now.
Leach’s ultimate goal, however, was to become the second person, and the first man, to go over the Horseshoe Falls in a barrel. After many delays, frustrations and considerable expense, he was ready.
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- Bay City woman’s story as the first to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel told in new book From MLive.com: Annie Edson Taylor left her boarding house room...
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Should experienced high-wire walker be allowed to cross the falls?
From the Niagara Falls Review:
Since he was a boy Nik Wallenda has dreamed of walking over Niagara Falls on a tightrope.
“It’s just something I’ve wanted to do my entire life,” said Wallenda, 32, a U.S.-based highwire walker who hopes to do a 2,200-foot crossing of the Niagara River Gorge and Horseshoe Falls next summer.
That lifelong dream got a boost from lawmakers on the American side of the Niagara River on Wednesday when the New York State Assembly voted overwhelmingly, with just one dissenting member, to permit Wallenda to do the walk. Before that, the state Senate voted 62-0 to give him the OK.
But Wallenda needs more than just the support from Albany if he is to realize his dream. To cross into Canada, he would need the approval of the Niagara Parks Commission, an agency that has long been opposed to such endeavours.
Related posts:
- Wire walk across Niagara Gorge gets political support in the U.S. From 610 CKTB: A tightrope walker who wants to walk...
- Wallenda gets OK to cross the falls From the Buffalo News: The walk is on — at...
- State Parks Commissioner Outlines Niagara Falls State Park Improvement Plans From WKBW Channel 7 in Buffalo: New York State Parks,...
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Hafen to the rescue, again
From Niagara This Week:
A Niagara Falls helicopter pilot once again swooped into action after two New York State Parks Police officers were reported stranded in the Niagara River waters above the Horseshoe Falls.
The Niagara Parks Police Service received a call shortly before 6 a.m. on Saturday mroning, with reports that a New York State Parks Police vessel was in distress above the Horseshoe Falls. The officers had been responding to reports of another vessel in distress in the heavy fog, when they began to experience difficulties themselves. The NYSPP vessel had provided assistance to the private boater and then needed help themselves.
In the darkness, the NYSPP officers were unsure where they sat in relation ot the brink of the falls, and used emergency measures to keep the vessel in place until a possible rescue or until sunlight
Ruedi Hafen, owner of Niagara Helicopters, was called to the scene after attempts for a land rescue were unsuccessful.
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- State Parks Commissioner Outlines Niagara Falls State Park Improvement Plans From WKBW Channel 7 in Buffalo: New York State Parks,...
- Group puts Falls on list of most ‘playful cities’ From the Buffalo News: The City of Niagara Falls, which...
- Dedication to mark Falls park’s anniversary From the Buffalo News: The yearlong celebration of the 125th...
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State Parks Commissioner Outlines Niagara Falls State Park Improvement Plans
From WKBW Channel 7 in Buffalo:
New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner Rose Harvey on Tuesday outlined a three-part plan to ensure that Niagara Falls State Park offers a welcoming and attractive visitor experience that matches the natural beauty of the Niagara River falls and gorge.
“Governor Cuomo’s administration is fully committed to revitalizing New York’s economy, and Niagara Falls State Park is a critical part of the economic future of Western New York,” Harvey said. “The facilities at Niagara Falls State Park need to match the expectations of 8 million visitors coming from around the globe each year to see the iconic falls. State Parks staff takes great pride in the park and we will dedicate ourselves to improving and enhancing the facilities that complement the falls.”
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- Schumer: Falls State Park a top priority From WIVB Channel 4 in Buffalo: Senator Charles Schumer is...
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Floral Clock vs. Love Canal…we win that one…
From Tim Denis on 610 CKTB (his “View From the Drive Thru” commentary):
Americans and Canadians have a lot in common but we do some things very differently. There are many examples of the US doing a much better job of preserving their history than Canada but one example of how the Canadian Government was way ahead of our neighbors is right in our own backyard…or front yard if you happen to live in the Falls. Back in the late 1800s both the Ontario and New York State governments were faced with a question of what to do about the Niagara River and Niagara Falls itself. Their reactions could not have been any different. The Americans decided to exploit the industrial possibilities of the river…they built roads and encouraged factories to make use of the waterway and the cheap power. The result is what you see across the river. Highways and smokestacks. The Ontario government created the Niagara Parks Commission in 1885.
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Woman dies after being swept over Niagara Falls
From the Toronto Star:
Authorities say they’ve recovered the body of a woman who appeared to be swimming in the Niagara River before being swept over the brink of Niagara Falls.
Officials say tourists on the Canadian side of the river reported seeing the woman in the water above the falls around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
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36 Hours in Niagara Falls
From the New York Times:
At Niagara Falls, the United States is the poor relation and Canada is king. Nature gave Canada the wide-angle view of the majestic waterfall that straddles the border between the two countries, and the Canadians’ commercial bet on tourism landed most of the visitor comforts on their side of the Niagara River. American reliance on industry, however, ended in Rust Belt ruin. Yet the story isn’t so simple. Casinos, high-rise hotels and hucksterish come-ons have so proliferated in Niagara Falls, Ontario, that it risks feeling like a tired amusement park. Meanwhile, in Niagara Falls, New York, the visitor who ventures inside the shabby, underfinanced state park is surprised to discover vestiges of something like a natural landscape. The party is in Canada. The real feel of the river, in all its awesome power, is more accessible in the United States. Hop back and forth to get the best of both Niagaras and see for yourself.
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Maid of the Mist’s future uncertain
From Buffalo Business First:
The 2011 season for the Maid of the Mist Steamboat Corp. began Wednesday morning.
But the bigger question is whether this will be the last year that the Niagara Falls, N.Y.-based company will be permitted to run its boats from the U.S. and Canadian shores of the lower Niagara River.
At issue is a 2008 renewal that the Maid of the Mist Steamboat Corp. signed with the Niagara Parks Commission to continue to pick up and drop off passengers on the Canadian side of the Niagara River. Potential competitors cried foul over what they perceived as a no-bid process that saw the pact renewed.
The issue morphed into a political hot button in Niagara Falls, Ont., with the parks commission ultimately deciding to withdraw the deal and put the tour-boat operations out to bid. The bids were issued last fall, and 18 firms including Maid of the Mist Steamboat Corp. are believed to have responded. The parks commission has declined to formally identify any of the bidders.
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Boat tour evaluations being done in secret
From the Niagara Falls Review:
The Niagara Parks Commission is giving ‘top secret’ status to the proposals submitted for one of the most important business deals the agency will make. Bids to run boat tours on the Niagara River are under lock and key and being evaluated at a secret location by a team whose identities aren’t being released, said chairwoman Fay Booker.
“They are moving along as anticipated. They are on schedule. They have not encountered any specific problems,” Booker told The Niagara Falls Review.
Picking a company to run boat tours on the Niagara River — a move that could lead to a replacement for the famous Maid of the Mist — has been one of the most scrutinized decisions the government agency has ever faced.
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- Competition for boat tour operator evolving, NPC says From the Niagara Falls Review: The Niagara Parks Commission will...
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