Niagara Falls facts for kids
Niagara Falls is a famous group of three large waterfalls on the Niagara River. They are located on the border between the United States and Canada. The three waterfalls are: the Horseshoe Falls (also called the Canadian Falls), the American Falls, and the smaller Bridal Veil Falls. Goat Island separates the American Falls and the Horseshoe Falls. Luna Island separates the Bridal Veil Falls from the other two waterfalls.
Niagara Falls was formed about 10,000 years ago. This happened when huge glaciers from the last ice age melted. The water from the newly formed Great Lakes carved a path through the Niagara Escarpment on its way to the Atlantic Ocean.
Even though Niagara Falls is not super tall, it is very wide. It is probably the most popular waterfall in the world. The Horseshoe Falls is the biggest of the three. It got its name because it looks like a horseshoe! Many people visit Niagara Falls on holiday in Canada because it is a very popular tourist spot.
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Facts About the Falls
The Horseshoe Falls drops about 57 meters (188 feet). The American Falls is a bit different. Its height changes between 21 and 30 meters (70 to 100 feet) because of giant rocks at its bottom. The Horseshoe Falls is about 790 meters (2,590 feet) wide. The American Falls is 320 meters (1,050 feet) wide. The total distance across all the falls from the American side to the Canadian side is about 1,039 meters (3,409 feet).
A lot of water flows over the falls! The most water ever recorded going over Horseshoe Falls was 6,400 cubic meters (226,000 cubic feet) per second. On average, about 2,400 cubic meters (85,000 cubic feet) of water flows per second each year. More water flows in late spring or early summer because of the water level in Lake Erie.
During summer, at least 2,800 cubic meters (99,000 cubic feet) of water flows over the falls every second. About 90% of this water goes over the Horseshoe Falls. The rest is sent to power plants that make electricity. This is done using a special dam with gates upstream from the Horseshoe Falls. At night, the water flow is cut in half. In winter, when fewer tourists visit, the flow stays at a minimum of 1,400 cubic meters (49,000 cubic feet) per second.
The water flowing over Niagara Falls looks green. This is because about 60 tons of dissolved salts and "rock flour" are carried by the river every minute. Rock flour is very finely ground rock that makes the water look cloudy and green.
How Niagara Falls Was Made
Niagara Falls was formed by the Wisconsin glaciation about 10,000 years ago. This was the last big ice age. The same powerful ice also created the North American Great Lakes and the Niagara River. A huge sheet of ice moved through the area. It dug out some river channels to form lakes and blocked others with rock and dirt. Scientists believe there was an old valley, called St. David's Buried Gorge, that was covered by this glacial dirt.
When the ice melted, the water from the upper Great Lakes flowed into the Niagara River. This river followed the new shape of the land across the Niagara Escarpment. Over time, the river cut a deep gorge through the cliff. The rock layers did not wear away evenly.
The top layer of rock was made of strong limestone and dolostone. This hard rock wore away slowly. Below this hard layer, about two-thirds of the cliff was made of softer rock called shale. This shale also had some thin limestone layers and old fossils. The river slowly wore away the soft shale underneath the hard top layer. This caused the hard caprock to break off in large pieces. This process happened many times, creating the waterfalls we see today.
Even deeper, hidden under the river, is another layer of shale and fine sandstone. All these rock layers were formed in an ancient sea. Their different features come from changing conditions in that sea long ago.
About 10,900 years ago, Niagara Falls was located between present-day Queenston, Ontario, and Lewiston, New York. But the falls have moved about 6.8 miles (11 kilometers) south because of erosion. Erosion is when rock and soil are worn away by water or wind. The Horseshoe Falls, which is about 2,600 feet (790 meters) wide, has also changed its shape. It started as a small arch, then became a horseshoe bend, and now it's a giant V shape.
Just upstream from the falls, Goat Island splits the Niagara River. This separates the Horseshoe Falls (mostly in Canada) from the American and Bridal Veil Falls (in the United States). Engineers have worked to slow down the erosion of the falls.
Today, the falls erode about 30 centimeters (1 foot) per year. This is much slower than the old average of 0.91 meters (3 feet) per year. Scientists predict that in about 50,000 years, Niagara Falls will have eroded all the way back to Lake Erie and will no longer exist.
A Look Back in Time
People have different ideas about where the name "Niagara" came from. Some say it comes from the name of a local Native American group called the Niagagarega people. Others say it comes from an Iroquois town called Onguiaahra, which means "point of land cut in two."
Many Europeans described Niagara Falls for the first time. The French explorer Samuel de Champlain visited the area in 1604. His group told him about the amazing waterfalls. The Belgian missionary Louis Hennepin saw and described the falls in 1677. This helped Europeans learn about the falls. Some believe other French missionaries, like Paul Ragueneau or Jean de Brébeuf, might have visited even earlier.
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In 1762, Captain Thomas Davies, a British Army officer and artist, painted the first eyewitness picture of the falls.
During the 1800s, visiting Niagara Falls became very popular. By the middle of the century, tourism was the main business in the area. Theodosia Burr Alston, daughter of Vice President Aaron Burr, and her husband were the first couple recorded to honeymoon there in 1801. Even Napoleon Bonaparte's brother, Jérôme, visited with his wife.
In 1837, a rebel supply ship called the Caroline was burned and sent over the falls. In March 1848, the falls stopped flowing for about 40 hours because of a huge ice blockage! Waterwheels stopped, and factories had no power.
Later, people needed to cross the Niagara River more easily. So, a footbridge was built, then a suspension bridge. In 1855, John A. Roebling built a new suspension bridge. After the American Civil War, the New York Central Railroad made Niagara Falls a popular spot for honeymoons. As more trains came, the bridge was replaced with a steel one in 1886. The first steel arch bridge near the falls was finished in 1897. This is now called the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge. It carries cars and trains between Canada and the U.S.A.
Around 1840, an English chemist named Hugh Lee Pattinson took the earliest known photograph of the falls. It was a daguerreotype, an early type of photo.
After the First World War, tourism grew even more because cars made it easier to get to the falls. In the 20th century, a big focus was on using the falls' energy to make hydroelectric power. People also worked to control building on both sides of the falls to protect their natural beauty.
In 1941, the Rainbow Bridge was finished. It connects the two countries and allows both people walking and cars to cross.
In June 1969, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built a temporary dam on the American Falls. This was to clear rocks from the bottom of the falls that had fallen over time. They wanted to clean up the rocks and fix any weak spots to stop more erosion. The dam sent the water to the Canadian side. It was 600 feet (183 meters) long and made of almost 30,000 tons of rock. The engineers finished the project in November, and the water flow was brought back on November 25, 1969.
Before the late 1900s, a part of the Horseshoe Falls was in the United States. In 1955, the area near Terrapin Rocks was filled in, creating Terrapin Point. In the early 1980s, more land was filled in, and walls were built to move the water away from Terrapin Point. This changed the Horseshoe Falls, making it shorter on the U.S. side. Now, most sources say that most of the Horseshoe Falls is in Canada.
History of Freezing Over
The river and falls have only completely frozen over once, on March 29, 1848, due to a huge ice jam. While the falls often get icy in winter, the river and falls usually do not freeze solid. Some years known for heavy ice at the falls include 1885, 1902, 1906, 1911, 1932, 1936, 2014, and 2017. In 1912, much of the American Falls froze, but water still flowed over the other two falls.
Power and Travel
Hydroelectric Power
The huge energy of Niagara Falls has always been seen as a way to make power. The first known attempt to use the water's power was in 1759. Daniel Joncaire built a small canal above the falls to power his sawmill. Later, others bought the area and made the canal bigger to power their mills. In 1881, the first power station that made electricity from the river was built. The water fell 86 feet (26 meters) and created electricity to run machines and light up streets.
The most powerful hydroelectric stations on the Niagara River are the Sir Adam Beck 1 and 2 on the Canadian side. On the American side, there are the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant and the Lewiston Pump Generating Plant. Together, these stations can produce about 4.4 gigawatts of power. That's enough to power many homes and businesses!
In 2005, a big project called the Niagara Tunnel Project started. It built a new, very long tunnel, 12.7 meters (42 feet) wide and 10.2 kilometers (6.3 miles) long. This tunnel helps to get more water from the Niagara River to make even more electricity. It officially started working in 2013. This tunnel helps power about 160,000 homes.
Transport
Ships can get around Niagara Falls by using the Welland Canal. This canal was improved in the 1950s and became part of the Saint Lawrence Seaway. While this canal changed water traffic, other businesses in the Niagara River valley grew because of the cheap electricity from the river. However, since the 1970s, the area's economy has slowed down.
The cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario (Canada) and Niagara Falls, New York (United States) are connected by two international bridges. The Rainbow Bridge is just downstream from the falls. It offers the closest view of the falls and is open to cars and people walking. The Whirlpool Rapids Bridge is about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) north of the Rainbow Bridge. It is the oldest bridge over the Niagara River. The nearby Niagara Falls International Airport and Buffalo Niagara International Airport are named after the waterfall. Many local businesses and even an asteroid are also named after Niagara Falls!
Visiting Niagara Falls
Most visitors come in the summer. Niagara Falls is beautiful both during the day and at night. From the Canadian side, bright lights shine on both sides of the falls for several hours after dark. In 2007, about 20 million people visited. By 2009, this number was expected to reach over 28 million tourists each year.
The oldest and most famous tourist attraction at Niagara Falls is the Maid of the Mist boat cruise. It's named after an old Native American story. This boat has been taking passengers into the rapids right below the falls since 1846. You can take a boat from docks on both sides of the falls. The Maid of the Mist operates from the American side, and Hornblower Cruises operates from the Canadian side.
American Side
From the U.S. side, you can see the American Falls from walkways along Prospect Point Park. This park also has the Prospect Point Observation Tower and a boat dock for the Maid of the Mist. Goat Island offers more great views of the falls. You can reach it by walking or driving over a bridge above the American Falls.
From Goat Island, you can take an elevator down to the Cave of the Winds. This lets you walk to a spot right beneath Bridal Veil Falls! Also on Goat Island are the Three Sisters Islands and the Power Portal. Here, you can see a large statue of Nikola Tesla. He was an inventor whose ideas helped make it possible to use the falls' power. There's also a walking path that gives you views of the rapids, the Niagara River, the gorge, and all the falls. Most of these attractions are inside the Niagara Falls State Park.
The Niagara Scenic Trolley offers guided tours along the American Falls and around Goat Island. You can also get amazing views of the falls from a helicopter. The Niagara Gorge Discovery Center teaches you about the natural and local history of Niagara Falls and the Niagara Gorge. There is also a casino and hotel in Niagara Falls, New York, run by the Seneca Indian tribe. The Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel is in the building that used to be the Niagara Falls Convention Center.
Canadian Side
On the Canadian side, Queen Victoria Park has beautiful gardens. It also has platforms where you can see both the American and Horseshoe Falls. There are underground walkways that lead to observation rooms. These rooms make it feel like you are inside the falling water! The observation deck of the nearby Skylon Tower offers the highest view of the falls. From there, you can even see as far as Toronto on a clear day. Along with the Tower Hotel, it is one of two towers in Canada with a view of the falls.
Along the Niagara River, the Niagara River Recreational Trail is 35 miles (56 kilometers) long. It runs from Fort Erie to Fort George and includes many historical sites from the War of 1812.
The Whirlpool Aero Car was built in 1916. It's a cable car that takes passengers over the Niagara Whirlpool on the Canadian side. The Journey Behind the Falls is an observation platform and a series of tunnels near the bottom of the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side.
There are two casinos on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls: the Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort and Casino Niagara.
Panoramic Views
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Images for kids
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Canadian Horseshoe Falls at right
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Niagara Escarpment (in red). Niagara Falls is center-right between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.
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Damage from wind and ice on Goat Island, 1903
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American Falls diverted during erosion control efforts in 1969
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Horseshoe Falls, 1869
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American Falls frozen over with people on the ice, 1911
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Aerial photograph of Niagara Falls, 1931
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Hand-colored picture of the (double-decked) Niagara Suspension Bridge, around 1856
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Niagara Cantilever Bridge, around 1895
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The Rainbow Bridge, the first bridge downstream from the falls
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The Welland Canal connects Lake Ontario and Lake Erie through a series of eight locks, allowing ships to bypass the 51 meter (167 feet) high Niagara Falls
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Bobby Leach and his barrel after his trip over Niagara Falls, (1911 photo)
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Annie Edson Taylor posing with her wooden barrel (1901)
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Blondin carrying his manager, Harry Colcord, on a tightrope
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Advertisement for a trip to Niagara Falls from Massachusetts, 1895
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Prospect Point Observation Tower (also known as the Niagara Falls Observation Tower)
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Skylon Tower as seen from a helicopter on the Canadian side
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The opening title from the movie trailer of the 1953 film Niagara.
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José María Heredia y Heredia plaque at Table Rock
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A General View of the Falls of Niagara by Alvan Fisher, 1820
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Distant View of Niagara Falls by Thomas Cole, 1830
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Niagara Fälle. Les chûtes du Niagara. Niagara Falls by Karl Bodmer, around 1832
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Voute sous la Chute du Niagara – Niagara Falls, around 1841
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Niagara by Frederic Edwin Church, 1857
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Niagara by Louis Rémy Mignot, around 1866
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Falls of Niagara from Below by Albert Bierstadt, 1869
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Niagara Falls, around 1880
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See also
In Spanish: Cataratas del Niágara para niños
