The Lower Landing

The Lower Landing. Northern terminus of the Niagara Porter, early bypass route around Niagara Falls. For early travelers coming up the Niagara River on their way from Lake Ontario to the other Great Lakes, this area - known as the Lower Landing - marked the beginning of the Niagara Portage, the shortest and most accessible route around Niagara Falls and the swirling waters of the Niagara Gorge. Created by Native peoples long before the arrival of Europeans, the Portage was adopted for use by the French, British, and American traders, soldiers, merchants, and travelers from the 17th century until the opening of the Erie and Welland Canals in the 1820s., Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, control of the Portage was seen as vital to early European trade and exploration efforts. This led to many conflicts between the French, the British, and the Native peoples - particularly the Seneca, westernmost nation of the Iroquois League. As a result of the early struggle for control of the Portage many blockhouses and forts were built, including Fort Niagara, seven miles to the north. During the British period, limestone quarried from the site provided building blocks for several structures at Fort niagara. In later years the site provided stone for buildings in Lewiston and nearby areas. As commerce developed on the British/Canadian shore of the river, following the American Revolution, the Lower Landing and the old Portage gradually fell into disuse as a transportation corridor., During the 1850s the area may have been an active path to freedom for African Americans escaping from slavery. By the early 1890s, the Great Gorge Railroad and its successors were bringing tourists from Niagara Falls to Lewiston. After the demise of the railroads the site continued to support local industry such as the Porter Fiber Bottle works. Later, with the era of Prohibition in the 1920s the area is said to have been an entry point for rum-runners bringing illegal liquor into the U.S., Finally, the property was acquired by the New York State Power Authority in the 1950s for use as a dump for spoils from construction of the New York State Power Project. Thanks to the efforts of numerous individuals a portion of the area was saved and designated as Lewiston State Park. Through the additional efforts of Senator Earl W. Bridges and Governor Nelson Rockefeller, the park was dedicated to the arts with the creation of Artpark in 1974.