Niagara Falls - Fort Niagara State Park

Before leaving the park, I visited the remains of the former Schoellkopf Power Plant. Built between 1905 to 1924, it was the largest hydroelectric power station in the world. Unfortunately, in 1956, leakage through cracks behind a back wall turned into a catastrophic collapse, destroying two-thirds of the plant. Of the crew on duty, one died and about 40 escaped within minutes of destruction.

The damage was so extensive that rebuilding was not financially feasible. The disaster paved the way for the 1957 Act of Congress that shifted private power ownership to the government. The last remaining building was demolished a few years later and all that is left today is a stone wall that runs from the river level to the top edge of the gorge. Viewing is accessible to visitors via a lift.

Northbound, I passed the Michigan Central Railway Bridge. Opened in 1925, it replaced an earlier cantilever bridge and remained in service until 2001. Following its closure, barriers were installed to stop illegal crossings. Adjacent to it is the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge. Opened in 1897, the double-decker bridge has a vehicular lane on the lower deck and rail lane on the upper deck. The bridge replaced an earlier one that was regarded as the world’s first railway suspension bridge and was used by abolitionists to help slaves escape to freedom in Canada. Both are arched bridges which were the new designs for railway bridges at the time of construction.

The Whirlpool Rapids begin below the Whirlpool Bridge, tumbling forcefully for the next mile (1.6km) into the Niagara Whirlpool, before the river takes a sharp right turn and flows towards Ontario Lake. It was also here that in 1876, Maria Spelterini became the only female to tightrope walk across the gorge.

Travelling adjacent to the river, I made my way to Fort Niagara State Park and finished my journey at Fort Niagara. The fort’s location was the site of Fort Conti (c. 1678), the first fort built by the French, which was then replaced with Fort Denonville (c. 1687) and then once again with Fort Niagara (c. 1726). Of the few buildings remaining, one of them is the grand two-storey Maison à Mâchicoulis, now referred to as French Castle. Built in 1726, it is located at the northern-edge of the fort and was used as a meeting venue for fur trading and negotiations between the French and Native Americans. The Castle is the oldest original building on the Great Lakes.

Following a 19-day siege during the 1759 Battle of Niagara, the fort fell to the British, then to the Americans in 1796, then back to the British and then for the final time back to the United States. The fort was used to train troops for the 1898 Spanish-American War and WW1, then served as a prisoner-of-war camp during WW2 and after the war as temporary housing for returning veterans. Deactivated by the US Army in 1963, the fort was one of the longest serving military bases in the US. Today, it is a museum and the site of 18th century battle re-enactments. I take a final tour into the dark side of the fort, where the story of a headless ghost soldier rises from a well on full moon nights, looking for his wayward head.

This is the end of my Niagara Falls travels. Beginning in Canada and ending in the US, I enjoyed travelling along the Niagara River, was awed by the powerful Niagara Falls, appreciated Frank Lloyd Wright’s prairie homes, visited colonial forts and pondered at the courage of the many daredevils who looked for fame and fortune.



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