Niagara Falls - Horseshoe Falls

As I travelled along Niagara’s scenic parkway and followed the river, I arrived at Niagara Whirlpool, a natural whirlpool located in the Niagara Gorge. Formed about 4,200 years ago, the whirlpool is a result of the river’s rapid flow through the gorge, creating the turbulent swirls. It usually spins in a counterclockwise motion unless there’s more water in the river when the swirl reverses. Above the whirlpool is an antique cable car that’s been delighting visitors with a ride across the gorge since 1916. 

It was here in 1886 that Carlisle Graham made the first successful rapid crossing in a barrel. He improved on the design of the barrel and successfully crossed the rapid another five times. Other daredevils weren’t as fortunate. Captain Matthew Webb, a British sailor, was an accomplished swimmer known for being the first person to swim across the English Channel. Webb wanted to conquer Whirlpool Rapid but his 1883 attempt ended in his drowning, with his body washing ashore four days later.

As I crossed beneath Rainbow Bridge, I could hear the roaring thunder of Niagara Falls and 300m later I had my first view of the three falls that make up Niagara Falls. Across the river on the US side is the American Falls with the smaller Bridal Veil Falls beside it and, in the distance, I could see the mist rising in the air from the sheer force of Horseshoe Falls on Canada’s side. Collectively referred to as Niagara Falls, the three waterfalls are a result of Goat Island and Luna Island, splitting Niagara River as it flows from Lake Erie into Lake Ontario.

Reaching Horseshoe Falls, I was in awe of its force and power, as the river noisily gushed over the edge and I tried to imagine what it might have been like that one night in 1848 when the Falls went “dry” and the residents were woken from their sleep because of the silence. Imagine standing at the top of the gorge’s edge and seeing nothing but rocks and cliffs and only a trickle of water flowing. The residents were sure “the world was coming to an end” but in actuality a strong, southwest wind drove large chunks of ice across the mouth of Niagara River, plugging Lake Erie’s flow for two days. When it finally cleared, the Falls were back in business.

Horseshoe Falls is not the tallest nor the widest but it still ranks in the top 10 for its sheer volume, with a flow rate of 2,400 cubic meters per second, plunging 167 ft (51 m) into the river below. In the winter, half of the water is diverted for hydropower generation.

Niagara Falls has seen its fair share of daredevils, accidents and rescues so let me share some of the more incredible ones:

-Annie Edson Taylor was a 63-year-old woman with no previous daredevil experience, who in 1901 rode in a sealed barrel called Queen of the Mist over Horseshoe Falls. She was the first person to execute such a stunt and live to tell the tale.

-William “Red” Hill Sr. was a riverman, daredevil and rescuer. He challenged himself to travel in a steel barrel from the base of the falls, through the Whirlpool Rapids, across Niagara Whirlpool and finish in Queenston. The 9mi (14km) journey took him 5 hours to complete. William has also been credited with saving 28 lives during an ice bridge collapse, recovering 177 bodies from the river and rescuing 2 men off a barge (see next postcard). He was awarded several medals during his lifetime: two bravery medals during WWI, one when he was nine years old for saving his sister’s life from a burning house, and one for saving the lives of the two men from the barge.

-Roger Woodward was only seven years old when one day in 1960, following a boat ride that went awry, he plunged over the Horseshoe Falls and survived. The life vest he was wearing helped to swiftly bring him back to the surface and be rescued by a nearby tourist boat. Amazingly, he was uninjured, bar a slight concussion. At the same time, his 17-year-old sister was saved, just before the crest of the falls, when she reached with all her might and managed to grab a hold of her rescuer’s thumb. A second man joined in the rescue, helping to pull her to safety.

Finishing my Falls exploration, I am now moving onto Unity Island and crossing international borders. Best check I have my virtual passport in my pocket.



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