Cedar Island (Niagara River) facts for kids

Cedar Island from ground level

Aerial view of Cedar Island. The island's north end is located just in front of the drop, at the end of the rainbow.

Cedar Island was once a small, long island in the Niagara River, close to the Canadian side. It was located right across from the Table Rock viewing area, very near the edge of the famous Horseshoe Falls. This island was not lived on by people.

The Story of Cedar Island

Cedar Island has an interesting past, showing how nature and human activity can change a place.

Early Days on the Island

In 1804, a person named Isaac Swayze settled on Cedar Island. He built a simple wooden house there. For many years, the island stayed mostly undeveloped. This was because it was hard to build anything else on it.

Nature's Impact: Erosion

By 1857, the strong currents of the Niagara River had a big effect on Cedar Island. The powerful water caused a lot of erosion. This meant the island slowly wore away. Its size shrank quite a bit, becoming only about two acres.

An Observation Tower

Later in 1857, a man named Samuel Street took over the lease for Cedar Island. He decided to build something special there. He put up a fifty-foot-tall wooden observation tower. This tower was built on top of a house. It likely offered amazing views of the Niagara Falls area.

The Island Disappears

In 1905, a company called the Canadian Niagara Power Company started a big project. They began building a power plant on Cedar Island. This plant was designed to create electricity using the force of the water. It later became known as the William Birch Power Station.

To build this large power station, a lot of land was added to the area. This process is called "land filling." Because of all this new land, Cedar Island itself slowly disappeared. It became part of the land where the power station now stands. So, the original Cedar Island no longer exists as a separate island. Its remnants are now under the power plant.