Publisher's Synopsis
Niagara Falls Ontario is located along the Niagara Gorge on the western bank of the Niagara River, which flows from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. The Niagara River flows over Niagara Falls at this location and creates a natural spectacle that attracts millions of tourists each year. Niagara Falls is about 130 kilometers (81 miles) by road from Toronto, which is across Lake Ontario to the north.Tourism started in the early nineteenth century. The falls became known as a natural wonder, due in part to paintings by prominent American artists such as Albert Bierstadt. Niagara Falls is the self-proclaimed "honeymoon capital of the world."With a plentiful and inexpensive source of hydroelectric power from the waterfalls, many electro-chemical and electro-metallurgical industries located there in the early to mid-20th century.By 1792-94, a village grew up near Fort Chippawa on Chippawa Creek near the end of the new portage road from Queenston. In 1793, the creek was renamed the Welland River. The village was largely destroyed 1812-14 when the British and American forces fought for control of the Welland River. Portage traffic revived after the war and continued until Chippawa became an outlet for the original Welland Canal from 1829 to 1833. The first horse-powered railway in Upper Canada was built to Niagara Falls in 1837-39. Precipitated by the opening of the Welland Canal in 1829, by the 1840s, Chippawa was a thriving town. A wide variety of business establishments were located around Cummington Square. Chippawa amalgamated with the City of Niagara Falls in 1970.
