North Towanda, NY to Fort Niagara, NY (I-190)
The Niagara Escarpment is a giant geological “step” down from the lands surrounding Lake Erie to the south to Lake Ontario to the north. In a relatively flat landscape this is clearly the defining geological feature for hundreds of miles. The Niagara River, only 36 miles long, flows north from Lake Erie, plunging over world-renowned Niagara Falls before cutting a gorge through the escarpment before entering Lake Ontario and forming the border between the United States and Canada. Upriver of the falls the river is enormous, wider at this point than the Mississippi River and weaving around numerous islands before the falls. This picture is at the southern tip of Goat Island above the falls, looking upriver towards Buffalo, NY, approximately 20 miles to the south.
Above the falls Goat Island splits the river, creating two large divisions rushing towards the falls. The view to the Canadian side shows how wide this part of the river is, lined with dense forest. Just before the falls on the Canadian side the river takes a sharp turn to the right, thus the Canadian hotel towers are just out of sight to the right in this picture.
The north branch of the river, dubbed the American Rapids, is much narrower and the buildings of downtown Niagara Falls, US, rise above the greenbelt.
This tourist map shows the area around the falls looking from the Canadian side looking upriver towards the United States side. The Buffalo, NY, metropolitan area is about 20 miles to the south. RV parking is in Parking Lot 3 at the far tip of Goat Island, so the Lunch Box got parked there and I walked north, crossing the American Rapids on the pedestrian bridge above the falls and heading to Prospect Point, where the observation tower stands. Again, this is a tourist map that just shows the points of interest, the large green area on the left is really downtown Niagara Falls (US) and industrial development beyond.
Passports are now required to visit Canada, and given that this particular traveler left his passport sitting on his desk back in Billings, my point of view will be confined to that seen from the American side of the falls…
Crossing the pedestrian bridge from Goat Island to downtown Niagara Falls, the view to my right is of the rapids.
To the left is the river rushing to the edge of the falls, a sharp demarcation between water and the far cliffs of Canada with the Canadian Sheraton Hotel rising to the right.
Walking along the north bank towards the observation tower, I get closer to the top of the falls and the view is more direct towards the hotel towers of Canada. The gray horizontal band of rock above the water is actually the cliffs of Canada on the other side of the river with the line of the water crisp as it glides over the top of the falls.
An observation tower juts out from downtown and gives the best views from the American side of the falls.
On the observation deck, the view to the north is of the gorge created by the river below the falls as it flows north about 20 miles to empty into Lake Ontario.
Standing on the observation deck I take a rare “selfie”, much to the ensuing amusement of my children and friends! The hotels of Canada are on the right, Niagara Falls on the left.
And, of course, the falls… American Falls is in the forefront, the tiny sliver of Luna Island creates Bridal Veil Falls just before the much larger Goat Island, and in the back is a portion of Horseshoe Falls.
The “Maid of the Mist” is a tourist boat (seen in the picture below on the river in the upper right at the base of Horseshoe Falls) that plies its trade below the falls, leaving from the bank at the bottom of the observation tower. The figures clad in the blue ponchos are people who are hiking to and from the boat through the mist created by the falling water.
A walkway follows the edge of the cliff on the American side back towards the pedestrian bridge to Goat Island and affords a closer view of the falls. You just have to imagine the sound of the water falling…
Just a stupendous sight!
The river continues flowing north through a narrow gorge for the next 15 miles as it carves a path through the Niagara Escarpment until it emerges on the coastal plain that surrounds Lake Ontario. There, at the point where the river flows into Lake Ontario, is Fort Niagara.
Old Fort Niagara
In 1678 the French explorer La Salle was the first European to establish a presence on the point where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario, originally named Fort Conti. Nine years later a more substantial structure was built and named Fort Denonville. Harsh conditions decimated the French and the post was abandoned in 1688. The French pursued their interest in treating with the local natives (who were members of the highly sophisticated Iroquois Nation) and in 1726 the natives agreed that the French could restore a position on the point. The fort was deliberately built to look like a large chateau rather than a fort in order to avoid alarming the natives. Large earthen walls were later built across the point from Lake Ontario to the Niagara River to defend the land approaches from the east. The French occupied the fort until it fell to the British in 1759 during the French and Indian War. The British held onto the fort until 1796 when American forces took control, only to lose it during the War of 1812 for a brief period. Ownership of the fort was ceded to the United States by England at the conclusion of the war and the site remained part of a United States military installation until after the Civil War. After the Civil War the military abandoned the use of masonry forts and a newer military installation was built outside the earthen ramparts of the old fort. The new campus-like military fort was used for the next one hundred years for troop training, a POW camp during WWII, and missile defense. In 1949 the Old Fort Niagara Association took over operation of the old fort as a park and museum.
Approaching the Old Fort from the visitor center grounds, the fort rises from behind the large earthworks built by the French during the French and Indian War. The brick and concrete reinforcements were added during the Civil War in reaction to rising tensions with the British in Canada.
A 1758 French drawing of the fort shows the layout of the fort at the point of land (A), rising above the flat river dock area below (B). The massive earthen walls are shown in faded brown.
The excavation of the earth to build the berms left a deep trench all along the land side of the fort. While this looks like a moat, it was never actually filled with water, instead designed to make climbing the interior walls more difficult. A path rises towards the main gate with a drawbridge at entrance named the “Gate of the Five Nations”, again a nod by the French to the Iroquois.
As I approach the gate to my right is the fort wall, rising from the bottom of the moat, defended by a palisade of sharp poles designed to make assaulting the earth wall more difficult and easier to defend from above.
The main gate is defended by a drawbridge, operated from inside the gate block.
A pulley system operated the drawbridge.
The entrance was actually defended by two towers, the first block housing the drawbridge operation and the second housing cannon storage below and operating artillery above. The second tower, the South Redoubt, was built by the British in a design popular in England at the time, Roman arches topped by a Chinese-style roof. A space of about 100 feet separates the two towers, giving men in the redoubt ample time to fire down on any who might breach the drawbridge gate.
Once through the South Redoubt one is in the interior of the fort. Here are the views to my right (Provision Storehouse, Powder Magazine, River Gate), center (original French fort which looks like a house), and right (along the east casement with the North Redoubt in the far corner.)
The Provision Storehouse, built in 1762, contained storage, supplies, and a cooper who built barrels for the preservation and shipment of food. Over 7,000 barrels could be stored here, helping the fort survive the harsh winters of the area.
The massive river wall, built by the Americans due to rising tensions with the British in 1837, contained artillery batteries that directly face the British Fort Mississauga across the river.
As I move in a clockwise manner around the fort, the next complex is the 1726 command post. Just outside the post is the British Bake House, built in 1762. Bread was baked here until 1870, both in an outside oven and inside the kitchens.
Around the corner is the original French fort, built in 1726 to resemble a chateau and the oldest surviving structure in the eastern interior of the United States.
Designed to be strong yet not intimidate the native tribes, the walls are massive. The entrance opens into a foyer that contains a well, ensuring water during a siege. Massive arches run across the interior, supporting the weight of the three story stone structure.
A line of rooms open into a long interior hall running the length of the building. The first floor housed space for a chapel, kitchens and eating spaces, and housing for guards.
The raised deck provided sleeping space for the men off the floor. Individual grass-stuffed mattresses would have lined the raised deck.
Throughout the building massive doors provide security to the individual rooms.
The second floor, primarily providing housing for officers and administrative functions, was reached by two narrow spiral staircases, located on either side of the main door.
The stairs open onto a foyer similar to that on the first floor (without the well, of course!). Another massive arch helps support the weight of the third floor and roof.
The commandant and officers’ quarters are furnished as they would have been during the French occupation.
Leaving the headquarters building to my right across the interior plaza is the North Redoubt, companion to the South Redoubt and designed to guard the Lake Ontario side of the fort as well as the northeastern earth wall.
Turning I can see across the interior of the fort and the South Redoubt.
During the time that I visited there were a number of characters from the “living history” program explaining their particular historical point of view. In front of the Provision Storehouse is a cooper (builder of barrels) talking to two tourists and beyond him two British soldiers heading to their post.
There were very few European women on the frontier. A laundress gives the female point of view…
The contributions of the native guides were explained by a local Iroquois.
High on the earth fortifications a group of military men demonstrate how to fire a cannon.
As I leave the fort, a battery of cannon face the southeast approaches and the river stretches to the south.
This concludes my visit to the Niagara River valley and my attention now turns east as I head through central New York and turn north along the eastern shore of Lake Ontario.
Next Up: Central New York
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