Barbara Raue

Niagara Falls Ontario Book 2 in Colour Photos Barbara Raue

Niagara Falls Ontario is located along the Niagara Gorge on the western bank of the Niagara River which flows from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. The Niagara River flows over Niagara Falls at this location and creates a natural spectacle that attracts millions of tourists each year. In 1853 construction began to build an international suspension bridge over the Niagara Gorge. This brought work and prosperity to the north end of Stamford Township. A shanty-town development was erected to house workers at the base of the bridge. Over the years this became the Village of Elgin. Amalgamation of the Village of Elgin with the Town of Clifton was caused by the economic impact of the Great Western, Erie and Ontario Railways. The prosperous town boasted fifteen grocery stores and twenty saloons and hotels. Samuel Zimmerman, one of the founding fathers of the city, came from Pennsylvania in 1842 with lots of ambition, and some knowledge of construction. He rebuilt parts of the Welland Canal. Recognizing the importance of railroads, Zimmerman began building railway lines including the Great Western (now Canadian National) from Hamilton. Zimmerman's company played a role in building the Railway Suspension Bridge across the Niagara River Gorge. During Zimmerman's lifetime, there were four small communities within what is now Niagara Falls: Chippawa to the south, Clifton, Drummondville, and Stamford Village in the north. The majority of the early downtown businesses were located on the lower part of Bridge Street, Erie Avenue and River Road, with a few businesses on Clifton Avenue (now Zimmerman) and Park Street. At the turn of the century, retail activity slowly started to shift to Queen Street where to date some of these firms are still operating. The residences of Queen Street have given way to stores and offices that form the Downtown core we see today.