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| TRAVEL INFORMATION |
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| USEFUL LINKS |
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It wasn't until after the war of 1812 that Niagara Falls started to become a tourist destination. At that time there was only 3 hotels in Niagara Falls and the owners of these hotels were the first of several people to perform a documented stunt over the Falls. The stunt was performed to draw attention to the area and to encourage travellers to visit Niagara Falls.
On September 8, 1827 William Forsyth, John Brown, and General Parkhurst Whitney, all hotel owners, purchased a schooner named "Michigan" and sent it over the Falls decorated as a pirate ship. They had also placed several animals on board including a buffalo, 2 small bears, 2 raccoons, a dog and a goose. The 2 bears, which were loose on the schooner, jumped off into the rapids where they swam to Goat Island. The only animal to survive the fall was the goose. This particular stunt drew in a crowd of 10,000.
Many other daredevils performed for an audience including Jean Francois Gravelot. “The Great Blondin”, as he was often referred to as, walked across the falls by tight rope on June 30, 1859. The tight rope stretched from what is now Prospect Park in Niagara Falls New York to what is now Oakes Garden in Niagara Falls Ontario. The walk took approximately 20 minutes to complete. Blondin completed 8 more tight rope crossings in the summer of 1859. One of these crossings had Blondin carry his manager Harry Colcord on his back. Blondin returned in the summer of 1960 to tightrope yet again over the river. On September 8, 1960 Blondin completed his final tight rope crossing of the Niagara River.
The most recent Niagara Daredevil stunt occurred on October 22, 2003. Kirk Raymond Jones went over the Horseshoe Falls unaided and survived. Miraculously he was not hurt, which made him the first human in recorded history to intentionally go over the Falls unaided. Kirk Jones entered the water about 100 yards upstream where he swam into the current and 8 seconds later he was plunging over the Falls. He was treated for minor bumps and bruises at a local hospital. Kirk Jones was fined $2300 and banned from entering Canada for life.
There has only been one other person known to have survived a plunge over the Horseshoe Falls without the use of safety devices or any other contraptions. In a 1960 boating accident, a 7 year old boy wearing a life jacket was thrown into the water.
Those interested in the history of the Niagara Falls Daredevils will enjoy The Imax Theatre and The Ripley's Believe it or Not! Museum. The Imax Theatre have a daredevil museum and show films about the history of Niagara Falls and the amazing daredevils that want to conquer the falls. Visit the Ripley's Believe it or Not! Museum to see some authentic artifacts and actual film footage of Niagara Falls Daredevils.
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