May 30, 2008
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Fort Niagara: The oldest fort along the Niagara River
Posted By Powell, Kathleen
Fort Niagara today stands at the mouth of the Niagara River and Lake Ontario on a windswept plain – a stark reminder of the past need to protect the waterways from enemy attack along vital shipping lanes on the Great Lakes.
The fort was built between 1678 and 1759, originally by the French – when that part of North American was under French dominion. The oldest surviving structure in the fort is the building known as the French Castle, a large stone building that dominates the landscape and was built in 1726. During the French and Indian War, the British gained control of the fort in 1759 and retained control until the end of the American Revolution when it was ceded to the U.S. in Jay’s Treaty.
The British forces, having retaken Fort George in early December, planned an attack to take Fort Niagara and gain control of the shipping on the Upper Great Lakes. The attack was planned for Dec. 19, 1813, when the British launched an attack from the ravine at the McFarland House and landed 500 soldiers who marched from Youngstown. The soldiers surprised the American pickets in the village and obtained the password for the Fort. This British force succeeded in taking the fort unawares and capturing it without a shot. The British and native forces then proceeded to burn or destroy most of the farms and villages along the Niagara River as far as Buffalo. (more…)
May 29, 2008
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Niagara’s Fury already a hit online – at least in Azerbaijan
Posted By JENNIFER PELLEGRINI
Ruslan Nuryiev has never been to Niagara Falls. So how did a 24-year-old economist living in Baku, Azerbaijan come to create the Facebook fansite for Niagara’s Fury?
Why would someone who lives 9,100 kilometres away from the thundering waterfall be interested in creating a fansite dedicated to it on a social networking webpage?
The first step in finding out: Sending a message to Nuryiev.
It’s a Hail Mary of sorts. As per usual on Facebook, you can’t see Nuryiev’s profile unless you’re his friend.
Then this troubling thought: Does this guy speak English? There’s the distinct possibility questions sent to him in English might appear as gobbledegook to someone halfway around the globe. (more…)
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High-tech artist brings falls ride to life
Posted By RAY SPITERI
He started with a simulation film made almost entirely from “stuff” found at a hardware store.
He’s now part of an accomplished animation company giving life to large-format attractions using top-of-the-line computer technology and 360-degree digital cameras.
Yas Takata and his California-based computer graphics imaging employer Blur Studio have been in town as part of a creative team putting the finishing touches on Niagara’s Fury, which could open as early as Friday pending final inspections.
The Niagara Parks Commission’s $7-million, six-minute thrill ride and eight-minute pre-show movie at Table Rock is all part of a $38-million expansion of the more than 80-year-old facility. (more…)
May 28, 2008
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Niagara needs a tourism ambassador too
Posted By Larocque, Corey
How’s Niagara Falls supposed to compete with Hello Kitty?
Earlier this month, Japan’s tourism ministry named Hello Kitty, a cartoon character, its “tourism ambassador” to China and Hong Kong, a market Niagara has also been eager to tap.
For anyone without nine-year-old daughters, Hello Kitty is a wildly popular white kitten who lives in London and says “you can never have too many friends.” Her simple round white face and black whiskers and the bow in her hair make her the epitome of “aww-shucks” cute. Her image adorns T-shirts, backpacks and pencil cases around the world.
Hello Kitty will appear on Japanese promotional materials and do advertising to promote the Land of the Rising Sun, sort of like what Ronald McDonald does for the Golden Arches.
Tourism ambassadors seem to be a popular trend lately. The same week Japan appointed Hello Kitty, Toronto named comedian Russell Peters its new “global ambassador” for tourism. At the press conference to announce the appointment, he unloaded a sample of the edgy humour that is supposed to make people think Toronto is cutting edge. (more…)
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A Springlicious lineup featuring food, music and wine
Posted By KRISTY WALLACE
Downtown merchants hope that for three days this weekend, Queen Street will recapture some of its old magic.
No longer known as a place of excitement and energy these days, that is expected to change starting Friday when Springlicious brings food, art and concerts to Niagara’s downtown.
Organizers are optimistic the first Springlicious festival could bring in as many as 30,000 visitors over the weekend, said Shane Sargant, executive director of Celebrate Old Downtown. That group created the festival to help boost Queen Street businesses. The aim is to also bring Niagara residents to the downtown core. (more…)
May 27, 2008
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Niagara’s Fury delayed by inspection
Niagara Parks Commission spokesman Tony Baldinelli said Monday it might be Friday before the Transportation Safety Standards Association signs off on the attraction, allowing people to ride.
“We’re really at their mercy,” he said.
Niagara’s Fury was expected to open at the start of the Memorial Day weekend, but construction delays pushed things back. Last Friday, Niagara Parks Chairman Jim Williams said he hoped the attraction would open Tuesday or Wednesday, noting delays on projects such as this are common. (more…)
May 26, 2008
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‘Disappointing’ weekend
Some in tourism sector estimate Memorial Day crowds down as much as 12 per cent
Posted By JENNIFER PELLEGRINI
Who says travellers are sticking close to home this summer?
Nearly half of America’s 50 states were represented in the Niagara Parks Commission’s parking lot at Table Rock Sunday afternoon. Throngs of people strolled along the walkway adjacent to the falls, lazed in the park, dined in cafes in the park and on Clifton Hill, speaking in languages that would be a United Nations’ translator’s dream: Japanese, Chinese, South Asian, French, Spanish, German, Italian and ones of Eastern European origin. British and Australian accents were also heard.
But tourism operators like Tim Parker, general manager of Ripley’s Believe it or Not!, Ripley’s Moving Theatre and the Louis Toussauds Wax Works said the attractions are down about 10 per cent over a wet Memorial Day weekend last year.
“I’m a little disappointed. I thought if anything I’d make my mark (Memorial Day weekend),” Parker said late Sunday afternoon. “But I expect we’ll be down about 10, maybe 12 per cent. And I expect we’ll be down between five and 10 per cent for the season, but I hope we’ll at least break even.” (more…)
May 24, 2008
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Big Becky’s a little slow; Tunnel drill could be three years behind schedule
Posted By COREY LAROCQUE
Big Becky has passed the two two-kilometre point in the Niagara Tunnel Project, but is so far behind that Ontario Power Generation and Strabag AG are reviewing the cost of the $630-million project and its schedule.
A review was one of the items announced in OPG’s quarterly report covering the first three months of this year.
“The Niagara tunnel is progressing slower than planned. The drilling conditions have been challenging,” president and chief executive officer Jim Hankinson said Friday. (more…)
May 23, 2008
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Niagara’s Fury is set to open … soon
Posted By JENNIFER PELLEGRINI
Typical for any forecast made months in advance, Niagara’s Fury is still expected to blow into Niagara in May.
Maybe just a few days later than expected.
“We’re attempting to open on Saturday, but there are still some minor problems we have to work out before we can have it open,” said Niagara Parks Commission chairman Jim Williams Thursday.
“We’re still waiting for some of the equipment to make it through the border.”
“At the very latest, I’d say it would be Tuesday or Wednesday,” Williams said.
Niagara’s Fury – the $7-million attraction included as part of a $38-million overhaul at Table Rock – was slated to have its so-called “soft opening” Saturday.
But with a few bugs yet to be worked out, Williams said it’s better to put off the opening by a few days than open before it’s ready.
“Because it’s a brand new attraction, there are always speed bumps along the way,” Williams said. “It’s one of those things that we’re anxious to open, but we don’t want it to open until it’s absolutely perfect.”
Parks Commission general manager John Kernahan said the delay “isn’t for lack of effort.”
“These guys are working 96 hours a week and nobody wants to open it until it’s just right,” Kernahan said.
He recalled the opening of Legends on the Niagara golf course, which was slated to open in the fall of 2001 but didn’t fully open until the following spring. Kernahan said with the buzz surrounding Niagara’s Fury, rushing things would be a mistake.
“We you create an expectation like we have for Niagara’s Fury,” he said, “you wait until it’s absolutely perfect.”
The delay won’t impact the opening celebrations for the renovations at Table Rock, they said. Those are still expected to take place June 22.
Article ID# 1039117
© 2008 , Osprey Media. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Niagara Falls Review articles reprinted with permission by the authority of Joe Wallace, City Editor of the Niagara Falls Review.
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Constructing Fort George
Posted By Powell, Kathleen
As a result of Jay’s Treaty signed in 1794, British outposts on what is today the U.S. side of the Niagara River were evacuated and left to the Americans.
Jay’s Treaty effectively resolved issues left over from the American Revolution, establishing the boundary of Upper Canada as the centre point of the Niagara River. After the surrender of these posts, the British built a series of new forts along the river, including Fort St. Joseph, Fort Malden and Fort George.
The location of Fort George was chosen carefully, located on the west bank of the Niagara River just over a kilometre from Lake Ontario adjacent to the town of Newark (now Niagara-on-the-Lake). This site was chosen to be away from the mouth of the Niagara River, protecting the fort from the heavy guns just across the river at Fort Niagara.
The first Fort George, completed in 1799, consisted of six small bastions faced with framed timber and plank and connected with a line of cedar picketing 12 feet tall. Circling the fort was a shallow, dry ditch.
The solid earth bastions were floored with planks to provide a durable place for the heavy cannon. All along, the parapets were pierced with gun embrasures. Originally, two roads led into the fort with both protected by a triangular outer defence called a redan.
Within the walls of the fort were five barracks, a small blockhouse, a stone powder magazine, officers’ quarters, a kitchen, hospital, guardhouse and storehouse.
Most of the original fort was destroyed by U.S. artillery fire at the Battle of Fort George in May 1813. The fort was retaken later that year.
The fort was occupied into the 1820s when the British abandoned it in favour of a more defensible position at Fort Mississauga, also in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Fort George was rebuilt as a historic site in the 1930s.
- For more information about the War of 1812, check out my blog at www.niagarafallsreview.ca
Kathleen Powell is manager, City of Niagara Falls Museums
Article ID# 1039118
© 2008 , Osprey Media. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Niagara Falls Review articles reprinted with permission by the authority of Joe Wallace, City Editor of the Niagara Falls Review.
