Main entry:

Berton, Pierre, 1920-2004, author.

Title & Author:

Niagara : a history of the Falls / Pierre Berton.

Publication:

New York : Kodansha International, 1997.
©1992

Description:

xii, 371 pages, 24 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Notes:
Originally published: Toronto : McClelland & Stewart, 1992.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 343-355) and index.
Ice and water -- A prodigious cadence -- "The most awful scene" -- Augustus Porter's sylvan bower -- William Forsyth's folly -- The jumper and the hermit -- "That enchanted ground" -- The father of geology -- Spanning the gorge -- John Roebling's bridge -- Miss Bird "does" Niagara -- Frankenstein's monster -- Mr. Church's masterpiece -- The Prince of Manila -- Farini the Great -- Farini the flirt -- The legacy of Niagara -- Into the maelstrom -- The cave of the forty thieves -- Private greed -- A ramble on Goat Island -- Saving Niagara from itself -- Casimir Gzowski to the rescue -- Harnessing the waters -- Tesla -- The golden age -- Utopian dreams -- Arthur Midleigh's folly -- The ice bridge -- Annie -- Fame and fortune or instant death -- Aftermath -- The Canadian connection -- The people's power -- The second Battle of Niagara -- The red-headed hero -- The soaring ambitions of Adam Beck -- The riverman's return -- The richest man in Canada -- The end of the honeymoon -- Young red's last ride -- The witch's end of fairyland -- The park man -- The river takes over -- The fighting Tuscarora -- The miracle -- Blackout -- Drying up the falls -- Love Canal makes the news -- The mother instinct -- The long crusade of Lois Gibbs -- Taking hostages -- Afterword.

Summary:

"Niagara Falls has always been more than just a natural wonder. The sublime beauty and awesome power of the great cataract have made it a magnet for statesmen and stuntmen, poets and poseurs, ordinary sightseers and exceptional visionaries. This book traces the history of the Falls and those drawn to it: industrialists who come to harness its power, movie stars who come to garner publicity, photographers who come to test new techniques, and honeymooners who come to start new lives. As Pierre Berton shows, the history of the Falls is a chronicle filled with exceptional characters: Charles Blondin, the French daredevil who crossed the Falls on a high wire; John Roebling, the engineer who spanned the Niagara gorge before he built the Brooklyn Bridge; Henry Perky, the inventor of shredded wheat; and Robert Moses, the 'Power Broker' himself."--Jacket.

ISBN:

1568361548 (hc ; alk. paper)
9781568361543 (hc ; alk. paper)
038565930X
9780385659307

Subject:

Niagara Falls (N.Y. and Ont.) History.
Watervallen.
Niagara, Chutes du (N.Y. et Ont.) Histoire.
North America Niagara Falls.

Form/genre:

History.

Holdings:

Location: Library main canada 196795
Call No.: ID F127.N8 B47 1997 CAN; ID:98-B1653
Status: Available