A Bridge to Freedom "There was now but 'one wide river to cross'..." In the 1800s, Western New York was one of the main ending points of the Underground Railroad. This "railroad" was a secret system of people and places that helped . . . — — Map (db m93027) HM
After the Schoellkopf Power Station
No. 3 collapsed in 1956, the New York
Power Authority oversaw the
construction of a new power plant
in Lewiston, New York.
Construction on the Niagara Power
Project began in 1958 and was finished
in . . . — — Map (db m162038) HM
Since 1848 many bridges have spanned the Niagara Gorge below Niagara Falls. The design and construction of these bridges was necessary for the economic development of the Niagara Falls area. The demand for safe and convenient crossings was easily . . . — — Map (db m72386) HM
World Famous Hotel
On This Site CA. 1825-1945.
African American Staff Guided
Underground Railroad Freedom
Seekers To Canada From Here.
— — Map (db m179172) HM
Thundering Water and Natural Beauty A destination to explorers and tourists for more than 170 years. This natural geologic wonder was created over many centuries by the erosion of the shaley substratum located behind the Bridal Veil Falls. As . . . — — Map (db m139981) HM
This elevator was constructed by the commissioners of the State Reservation at Niagara Falls A.D. 1924 to replace the ancient Biddle Stairway. Alphonso T. Clearwater Pres. Paul A. Schoellkopf Ansley Wilcox Robert W. DeForest Robert H. . . . — — Map (db m140066) HM
The Whirlpool Rapids provided the ideal location for daredevils to pursue their riskly feats during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They challenged these raging waters by swimming, riding in barrels, and navigating boats through them; some . . . — — Map (db m74415) HM
Tuscarora
Beaver Clan
Founder of the
Indian Defense League of America
"The one message I wish to leave with my people
everywhere is to work for unity.... We speak
different languages, but we are of one blood . . . — — Map (db m197350) HM
Over 10,000 people contributed to
the work that made the Niagara
Power Project a stunning piece
of engineering and the largest
hydroelectric power plant built in
the Western World up
to that time.
The New York Power
Authority . . . — — Map (db m162040) HM
Welcome to Devil's Hole State Park! Steeped in History and surrounded by natural beauty, this park has something for everyone. Overlooking the Devil's Hole Rapids, this facility has picnic areas, scenic overlooks, hiking trails, and is one of the . . . — — Map (db m74792) HM
The wide point of the river at this spot is called the "Eddy Basin".
If you look over the edge you will see an extensive shelf of Whirlpool Sandstone at river level. This was covered by water prior to the large water diversions for . . . — — Map (db m74477) HM
The spot where you are standing is near the current northern boundary of North Tonawanda. Two hundred years ago this site was consumed by virgin forest and inhabited by cougars and wolves; its freshwaters teeming with aquatic life. It was this . . . — — Map (db m220663) HM
On Dec. 16, 1864, local police officer D.H. Thomas arrested two Confederate spies nearby after their attempt to derail passenger train south of here. — — Map (db m223987) HM
Great Lakes Seaway Trail. New York State French and Indian War Commemoration 250 years. Securing Military and Commercial Goods. Fort Schlosser was built to protect the upper portage landing and was used as a storehouse for military and . . . — — Map (db m72889) HM
Gad Pierce Tavern. Site of 1807 tavern built by Gad Pierce. US Militia delayed a British and Indian attack here on Dec 20, 1813 and escaped thru back door. Tavern rebuilt after war. — — Map (db m70968) HM
Goat Island is made up of dolostone bedrock covered with glacial deposits. For thousands of years, these deposits lay under deep lake and river waters. About 3,500 years ago, the water level of the Upper Niagara began to drop, eventually exposing . . . — — Map (db m74166) HM
Goat Island's plants grow so well because of the constant moisture in the atmosphere and the deep, rich soil. the moisture protects the plants from late spring frosts, and the soil allows for greater root penetration and nutrition.
In the . . . — — Map (db m75969) HM
Gorge Trail 4·Great Gorge Railway.(1.1mi, 1.8km) The Niagara Gorge Trail System is made up of a series of trail sections located in and along the Niagara River Gorge. Two of these trails are located along the top: the Niagara Gorge Rim Trail . . . — — Map (db m82800) HM
Height, Sight, and Flight.
Each year between 100 million and one billion birds die by collision with human-built structures. The danger of colliding with windows has increased for birds with the spread of urbanization and the decline of . . . — — Map (db m77044) HM
Near this spot stood Father Louis Hennepin Franciscan Missionary and Chronicler of La Salle's Expedition 1678 - 9 He was the first to preach the gospel on the Niagara frontier and the first white man who saw and described the falls of Niagara. . . . — — Map (db m8957) HM
Portage Road, constructed on an old Indian trail,
was used to transport goods around the falls from
the Lewiston Landing to Fort Schlosser on the
upper river. It held the key to governing the
entire Great Lakes area and the . . . — — Map (db m54345) HM
Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church Complex has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010 by the United States Department of the Interior — — Map (db m134518) HM
In honor of the soldiers, sailors & marines who made the supreme sacrifice in the World War, 1917 - 1919.
[plaque above]
Dedicated to World War II Veterans. Presented by Dudley Donnelly Woman's Relief Corps. No. 115, auxiliary to the . . . — — Map (db m77109) WM
Hereabout in May, 1679
Robert Cavelier de La Salle
Built the Griffon, "of sixty
tons burthen," the first vessel
to sail the Upper Lakes.
—————
Erected by Niagara Frontier Historical Society . . . — — Map (db m57137) HM
Lake Ontario receives the outflow from all of the other Great Lakes. The rich soils around Lake Ontario and the temperate climate provide an extended growing season for orchards and vineyards. Water that enters the Lake Ontario basin remains there . . . — — Map (db m139976) HM
Located between the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls, this island was named in the 19th century for the beautiful moonlit rainbows visitors could see here on nights when the moon is full or near full. Caused by the mist from the falls, these . . . — — Map (db m87899) HM
In memory of all Americans in the armed forces who sacrificed their lives in a time of need to preserve the freedom of this great nation.
The American Legion, Department of New York, Niagara County Committee, October 11, 1986.
Korean . . . — — Map (db m78993) WM
(front)
One crowded hour of glory
is worth an age without a name
World War II
T. Sgt. Bernard P. Bell
Co. I, 142nd Inf. Regt.
36th Inf. Division
Vietnam
2nd Lt. John Paul Bobo
Co. I, 3rd Battalion
9th . . . — — Map (db m77088) WM
[centerpiece][front] The names you see enshrined here are not those of timid men but rather those who gave [right side] their lives for freedom ★ "It is foolish and wrong [rear] to mourn the men who died rather we should thank God that such . . . — — Map (db m86660) WM
The Important Bird Area (IBA) program began in Europe around 1985. The United States and Canada entered into the program in 1996. Since then, over 2,000 areas have been identified in both countries with 127 of them located in New York State as of . . . — — Map (db m75639) HM
The Niagara Gorge and the power of the Niagara River were essential to the rise of Niagara Falls industry in the late 19th century. Machines and turbines could be run cheaply and efficiently utilizing the vast amounts of hydropower produced here. . . . — — Map (db m79883) HM
Towards the end of the Ice Age, melt water from retreating glaciers filled in deep depressions, forming the Great Lakes. These lakes drained north over the Niagara Escarpment, and the Niagara River eroded the gorge to its present location. Today, . . . — — Map (db m74672) HM
The Niagara River Corridor Important Bird Area (IBA) was identified as globally significant by the National Audubon Society in 1996. IBAs identify, protect, and conserve a network of sites essential for sustaining naturally occurring bird . . . — — Map (db m140072) HM
Origins Of Niagara Falls State Park
The scenery of Niagara Falls State Park was not always reserved as such. In a
different time, it was a boisterous industrial landscape powered by moving
water. As early as the mid-1700s, French . . . — — Map (db m220656) HM
In 1805, New York State sold the land around the falls, and mills and other businesses that used the Niagara river for power were established. These industries provided the local community with needed services, helping the area to prosper. When the . . . — — Map (db m75345) HM
On June 12, 2012, before thousands of spectators gathered here at Terrapin Point and millions watching around the world, famed aerialist Nik Wallenda stepped onto a 2 inch thick steel cable, walked 1500 feet across Niagara Falls and the Niagara . . . — — Map (db m75177) HM
Nikola Tesla 1856 1943 Inventor of Alternating Current Induction Motor Members of the working group through whose efforts this statue was erected and dedicated July 23, 1976 Niagara Frontier State Park & Recreation Committee Staff H. Emmet . . . — — Map (db m140313) HM
He Transformed the Planet in 1896 and It Started Right Here in Niagara Falls, NY
In 1884, Nikola Tesla, a 28-year old Serbian immigrant, came to the United States
with a dream of engineering the production of alternating current (AC) . . . — — Map (db m220652) HM
Oakwood Cemetery has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014 by the United States Department of the Interior — — Map (db m98514) HM
Here stood one of a line of
blockhouses built 1764 by
Montresor to protect the
Army of Bradstreet from
Indian massacres on march — — Map (db m54363) HM
Built by French 1750, 100 ft. westward in Fort Little Niagara's barracks which they burned in 1759. To it British built in 1761, the Stedman House (where that master of the portage lived until U.S. occupation in 1796), which in 1808, became . . . — — Map (db m70254) HM
Original stepping stone from
Buffalo Avenue home of Judge Augustus Porter
Judge Porter purchased Goat Island and adjoining islands from State of New York
in 1814. Island re-purchased by the state in 1885.
Presented to the Niagara Frontier . . . — — Map (db m220655) HM
District Description: The structures comprising Park Place Historic District illustrate architecture from four periods of residential development spanning a nearly 100-year period in Niagara Falls, New York. 1. Mid-19th Century Workman's . . . — — Map (db m80142) HM
Pastimes and Parkways An Evolving Relationship Parkway Predecessors Before the widespread use of automobiles ushered in the development of parkways, horse and carriage rides were a popular leisure activity of the upper class. This influenced . . . — — Map (db m160507) HM
An Indian Trail used
before white men settled in
America. Highway for French
fur trade. Later improved by
British as Military Road. — — Map (db m54359) HM
Following the Footsteps of the Famous
Along this very road Native Americans, explorers, traders, and soldiers passed for centuries to get around the Niagara Falls and Gorge. Merchants cashed in on trade goods, troops fought for safe . . . — — Map (db m54365) HM
Ice from Lake Erie flows over the falls and jams up the gorge below. An ice bridge is an accumulation of ice, which has frozen solid from shore to shore, and under which the river still flows.
In the past, the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls . . . — — Map (db m93036)
Untroubled Waters is an installation designed to honor the first international treaty between the United States and Canada to govern, protect and sustain precious boundary waters. It is positioned in Centennial Circle – established in . . . — — Map (db m140039) HM
With the faith and courage of their forefathers who made
possible the freedom of these
United States
The Boy Scouts of America
Dedicate this copy of the
Statue of Liberty as a Pledge
of everlasting Fidelity and . . . — — Map (db m80143) HM
To the engineers, financiers, scientists whose genius, courage and industry made possible here the birth of hydro electric power and created the first five thousand horse power water turbines directly connected to alternating current generators and . . . — — Map (db m160495) HM
“It is further agreed that the waters herein defined as boundary waters flowing across the boundary shall not be polluted on either side to the injury of health or property on the other.” Widely regarded as the first . . . — — Map (db m140032) HM
The public accessed the Whirlpool Rapids via a rickety stairway at an old saw mill that was purchased by John M. Buttery in the 1850s. When the site became a popular tourist destination, Buttery abandoned the mill and built a safer stairway into the . . . — — Map (db m75205) HM
Erected in 1902, this was originally the Library, one of over 2,500 public libraries donated by Andrew Carnegie to communities across America. This great man donated over $350 million of his fortune to various causes incl. this at Niagara. Renovated . . . — — Map (db m86558) HM
About 700 years ago, Niagara Falls separated into three distinct falls, the American Falls, the Bridal Veil Falls, and the Horseshoe Falls. As time passed, the water tumbling over the cliff edge eroded the soft layer of shale beneath the tougher . . . — — Map (db m139979) HM
The first international bridge built near the falls was known as the Upper Suspension or New Suspension Bridge. When it was opened in 1869 with a 1,260-foot (384-meter) span, it was the longest suspension bridge ever constructed. The bridge was . . . — — Map (db m71524) HM
The first people to see Niagara Falls were probably nomadic hunters and gatherers who left behind evidence of their short-term camps and work areas in the form of tools and weapons. The Neutrals, known for their peaceful nature, followed, building . . . — — Map (db m77043) HM
Early European Visitors The Niagara River, with its mighty falls and rapids, was well known by Native Americans. Word of its majesty reached European explorers and soldiers who came to North America. Despite their mission, explorers and . . . — — Map (db m72940) HM
The Great Gorge Route (1895-1935) once offered spectacular trolley rides through the Niagara Gorge. Initially, the route ran from Niagara Falls to Lewiston, NY. After the Lewiston-Queenston Suspension Bridge opened in 1899, however, the line . . . — — Map (db m75312) HM
The Grounds of this Canal were donated by the Heirs of the late Hon. Augustus Porter & Gen. Peter B. Porter. 1852. In pursuance of their original design for Hydraulic purposes the work was commenced in 1853 by a Company which failed & the Title . . . — — Map (db m93039) HM
On display is a 30-foot long section of the Ice Boom. Each winter, The Ice Boom is installed to minimize ice flow into hydropower intakes in the Niagara River. Thus, it substantially reduces losses in power generation in all but the most severe . . . — — Map (db m139990) HM
In 1980, Lt. Col. Matt Urban, Aug. 25, 1919 [-] March 4, 1995, the most combat decorated World War II soldier, received the Congressional Medal of Honor, three silver stars, five bronze stars, purple heart with 7 oak leaf clusters, from President . . . — — Map (db m77108) WM
The Niagara Falls Power Company, Schoellkopf Power Generating Station 3A, located to the north of this site, constructed 1905-1914, razed 1956. Thirteen horizontal shaft generators producing 130,000 horsepower The Niagara Falls Power Company, . . . — — Map (db m160491) HM
The Niagara Portage. For thousands of years the seven-mile-long Niagara Portage linked Lake Ontario to Lake Erie by providing travelers with a land route around Niagara Falls. The portage trail ran from the Upper Landing, 1.5 miles above the falls . . . — — Map (db m87918) HM
In 1915, Peter A. Porter calls the Old Stone Chimney, "the oldest masonry in the State of New York, west of Albany," with the exception of the French Castle at Old Fort Niagara.
The Portage
Rivers are great for easily moving people and . . . — — Map (db m96612) HM
Here, the upper Niagara River divides into two channels. To the left of the river becomes the American Rapids. To the right, the other 90% becomes the Horseshoe Rapids. In the distance are Grand Island and Navy Island, the two largest islands in the . . . — — Map (db m87915) HM
Millions of people have been drawn to the falls over the years; some dreamed of harnessing the waters for power to run mills, factories, and power plants.
In 1757, Daniel Joncaire built a sawmill along the upper Niagara River to cut lumber for . . . — — Map (db m74315) HM
The American Rapids begin at the upstream end of Goat Island. From there, they drop about 50 feet (15 meters) in elevation to the brink of the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. Although no more than a few feet deep, these swift rapids are . . . — — Map (db m87887) HM
The construction of larger and more efficient electric generating stations at Niagara made the original Adams Plant obsolete. It has been demolished. The main entrance to this first powerhouse with the legended Indian Medallion by Frederick . . . — — Map (db m140063) HM
The Red Coach Inn was built in 1923 by William Schoelkopf and Charles Peabody, modeled after the Old Bell Inn in Finedon, England. This structure, built in the 1920s, had been used over its history as a garge, residence, dining room and office . . . — — Map (db m180429) HM
Founder of the Free Niagara Movement, he helped to preserve Niagara Falls in its natural beauty for the world and make it the first state park in the U.S. in 1885. — — Map (db m87900) HM
These picturesque islands have also been known as the "Moss Islands" because fine growths of moss once covered their rocks. The smooth surfaces of the rocks and the great number of potholes are clues that these islands were once submerged . . . — — Map (db m75986) HM
To The River A new stairway with incredible scenery These new stairs leading to the Great Gorge Railway Trail at the river's edge were completed in 2012 by expert trail builders hired by the New York Power Authority and New York State . . . — — Map (db m93028) HM
(panel 1)
10th New York Cavalry
Lt. Edward S. Hawes killed at Upperville, Va. June 21, 1863
John Barr killed at Sulphur Springs, Va. Aug. 1862
Robert Burns wounded at Brandy Station, Va. Died Niag. Falls 1867
Sylvester Cesbrough . . . — — Map (db m75180) WM
United States Custom House has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 by the United States Department of the Interior — — Map (db m159971) HM
Welcome to Schoellkopf Power Station No.3 On this site once stood Schoellkopf Power Station No. 3 (Schoellkopf 3). Built by the Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power and Manufacturing Company (NFHPMC), at the time of its completion in 1924, it was the . . . — — Map (db m160448) HM
Established in 1928, Whirlpool State Park's 109 acres support a variety of flora and fauna and provide opportunities for cycling, fishing, hiking bird watching, and picnicking. Approximately three miles of hiking trails include a rim trail with many . . . — — Map (db m74797) HM
The violent waters of the Whirlpool Rapids flow into the Eddy Basin before entering the Whirlpool.
A major change took place here about 7,000 years ago, when water volume was low. The connection between Lake Huron and Lake Erie was cut off and . . . — — Map (db m74798) HM
Whitney Mansion Built c. 1837 has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior This structure has been recorded by the Historic American Buildings Survey of the United Stated . . . — — Map (db m93050) HM
This is the original arch entrance to the Adams Station, the world's first hydroelectric power plant. Electric power, its transmission in commercial quantities to remote distances, the design and building of the first large electrical equipment- . . . — — Map (db m74275) HM
