Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between of Ontario, Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, which straddles the international border of the two countries. The smaller American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls lie within the United States.
During the 19th century, tourism became popular, and by the mid-century, it was the area’s main industry. Theodosia Burr Alston, daughter of Vice President Aaron Burr, and her husband Joseph Alston were the first recorded couple to honeymoon there in 1801. Napoleon Bonaparte’s brother Jérôme visited with his bride in the early 19th century. In 1843, Frederick Douglass visited Niagara Falls and wrote a brief account of the experience. After the First World War, tourism boomed as automobiles made getting to the falls much easier. Today there are many hotels, restaurants and tourism related establishments, majority of them on the Canadian side, providing easy access to the Falls visitor center via Bus and a rail car for easy descent and ascent. Many boat rides and close up tour of the Falls experience are provided.
The story of Niagara Falls in the 20th century is largely that of efforts to harness the energy of the falls for hydroelectric power, and to control the development on both sides that threaten the area’s natural beauty. To preserve Niagara Falls’ natural beauty, a 1950 treaty signed by the U.S. and Canada limited water usage by the power plants. The treaty allows higher summertime diversion at night when tourists are fewer and during the winter months when there are even fewer tourists.
The cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, and Niagara Falls, New York, United States, are connected by two international bridges. The Rainbow Bridge, just downriver from the falls, affords the closest view of the falls and is open to non-commercial vehicle traffic and pedestrians. The Whirlpool Rapids Bridge lies one mile (1.6 km) north of the Rainbow Bridge and is the oldest bridge over the Niagara River.
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