Niagara Falls Fun - Clifton Hill, Niagara Falls Canada

Source: buffalonews.com

Tightrope walker gets OK to cross Niagara Falls
June 22, 2011, 3:47 PM

ALBANY — The walk is on — at least as far state legislators are concerned.

It may be rare for the Legislature to OK something that legitimately can be called death-defying, but final approval was given Wednesday permitting a member of the legendary Flying Wallendas to cross Niagara Falls on a tightrope.

More than 150 years after the “Great Blondin” first walked across the gorge on a tightwire, Nik Wallenda has gotten legislative approval to bypass a longtime state ban on stunts at the Falls to become the first person to try to legally walk a tightrope over the river since 1910.

The measure, which passed the Senate last week and was approved today by the Assembly, says a permit specifically for Wallenda is good for one year, though lawmakers say believe he could make the walk this fall as part of his new Discovery Channel show “Life on a Wire.”(…more)

Harry Houdini’s 137th birthday has been marked by todays Google Doodle
March 24, 2011

The Google Doodle features a vaudeville style banner of the escape artist holding a chain around his neck.

The Hungarian-born magician and illusionist found fame with his sensational escape acts, some of which included stunts and movies set in Niagara Falls!

The Man From Beyond
Below is a harrowing scene from the 1922 movie “The Man From Beyond” which features Harry Houdini coming perilously close to the edge of Niagara Falls in a rescue attempt.

Here is some very rare footage of Harry Houdini suspended 40 feet in the air, escaping from a straight jacket, in front of Niagara Falls.

James Randi straight jacket escape over Niagara Falls
Related to this, here is a video of James Randi, the famous escape artist doing his straight jacket escape while being suspended over Niagara Falls.

The Houdini Magical Hall of Fame – Niagara Falls, Canada
Houdini was also honored with a museum in Niagara Falls by enthusiast: Sidney Radner. In 1968 The Houdini Magical Hall of Fame was opened on Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. At its opening, this museum contained the majority of Houdini’s personal collection of magic paraphernalia. One of Houdini’s death wishes was that his entire collection be given to his brother Theodore (also known as the magician Hardeen) and burned upon Theodore’s death. Against his wishes, forty years after Houdini’s death, the items were taken from storage and sold. Radner and his partner purchased the items and renovated a former meat-packing plant on Clifton Hill, Ontario, Canada, to house the museum. The Hall of Fame was moved in 1972 to its final location on the top of Clifton Hill. Séances were held every year at the museum on October 31, the anniversary of Houdini’s death. A fire destroyed the museum on April 30, 1995. (Source: Wikipedia)

Below is a video tour on the late Houdini Magical Hall of Fame in Niagara Falls, Canada. Shot in 1992.

Magician Tom Interval visited the Museum in 81′ and 85′ and posted his photos here:
Photo gallery of the Houdini Magical Hall of Fame

Courtesy of Tom Interval - http://www.intervalmagic.com

Flickr Album of Dry Niagara Falls by wbryan:

Dewatering American Falls- 1969 Source: Niagara Frontier

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) – Buffalo District was tasked with the dewatering of the American Falls project in 1969.

The Albert Elia Construction Company of Niagara Falls, New York was awarded a $445,412 contract to build and remove a 600 foot (183m) cofferdam from the mainland to the head of Goat Island in order to divert the water from the American channel. In addition, they were required to clean the surface of the river bed, scale loose rock from the face of the Falls, and install a water spray system. (more…)

Collapse of the Honeymoon Bridge, January 27th, 1938

from the Niagara Falls Review

Clark Bernat is three days into his new job as manager of Niagara Falls History Museums and he’s being tugged in five different directions.

He has staff to meet. Exhibitions to plan. An expansion to oversee.

Most of all, he has a whole new chunk of history to digest. After nine years managing the Niagara Historical Society & Museum in Niagara-on-the-Lake, he’s discovering a “different buzz” in Niagara Falls.

“It’s light years from Niagara-on- the-Lake, but that’s not a good or bad thing,” says the 36-year-old St. Catharines resident. “It’s just a different thing. What I’m excited about is that there’s a vibrancy to it.”

For Bernat, it means going from a laid back, historical community to a city where history competes for tourism dollars with ferris wheels and beluga whales. Niagara-on-the-Lake seems to shut down after 9 p.m. — Niagara Falls is just waking up.

And yet, few cities in Canada — Niagara-on-the-Lake included — have such a wealth of history to share. From the Battle of Lundy’s Lane to the litany of wirewalkers, he plans to put it all front and centre. (more…)

from the Niagara Falls Review

The area around Niagara Falls was to be preserved as “a mecca of peace” for the “millions of overworked and tired humanity” to enjoy, according to John Langmuir, the second chairman of the Niagara Parks Commission.

A century and a quarter after it was created, the parks commission is still meeting that objective, said historian Sherman Zavitz, who quoted Langmuir’s vision during a walking tour of Queen Victoria Park Sunday. (more…)

“He thought about that for a while before he wrote those lines,” Zavitz said.

Sunday’s tour was one of the events marking this year’s 125th anniversary of the Niagara Parks Commission’s creation in 1885. Zavitz will lead a second free tour Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., leaving from the parks police station.

Oldest State Park in the Nation Continues to Marvel

by New York State Office of Parks & Recreation

NIAGARA FALLS, NY (07/15/2010)(readMedia)– The nation’s oldest state park, Niagara Falls State Park, celebrated its 125th Anniversary with a concert by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra on Goat Island and the dedication of a restored pocket park.

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner Carol Ash was on hand to praise the park as a worldwide destination. “Today marks the 125th anniversary of when this park became the land of the people of New York State. For generations, people have come from all over the world not just to visit this incredible park, but to experience it. The breathtaking views, the thunderous crash of the falls, and the drenching mists of the gorge make this place like no other in the world.” (more…)

From The Tonawanda News

NIAGARA FALLS — Roger Woodward still remembers how bored and lonely he was that day, July 9, 1960, until a family friend invited him for a boat ride on the upper Niagara River.

Seven years old then, he didn’t even know where he was going, but he was sure it would be a good time.

Roger’s sister, Deanne, was celebrating her 17th birthday and James Honeycutt, 42, a family friend, thought the Woodward children would enjoy an outing in his 12-foot aluminum boat with the 71⁄2 horsepower motor. (more…)

from the Niagara Falls Review

It’s only their temporary home, but the Niagara Falls History Museum is now officially open inside the Armoury on Victoria Avenue.

Mayor Ted Salci said a great deal of work went into moving their collection from their building on Ferry Street to allow for the new construction and renovations, but he couldn’t think of a better place to have their artifacts displayed than at the Armoury, which was built in 1911. (more…)

from the Niagara Falls Review

It will cost the Niagara Parks Commission at least $8 million to preserve the historic hydro plants it inherited from Ontario Power Generation and Canadian Niagara Power in the past few years just to halt their deteriorating condition.

There were “no big surprises” in a recent report on what it will take to preserve the Toronto Power station just above the Horseshoe Falls, its gatehouse upriver, and the Canadian Niagara Power station on the west side of the Niagara Parkway, said parks commission engineering director Nick Murphy. (more…)