The Foundation of Niagara Falls

The foundation of Niagara Falls was a very important step in forming the Niagara Region as it is today.
Before all the attractions, the museums, the hotels and the water parks, The city of Niagara Falls was really just a small blend of several villages and towns that sprung up in places when ever and where ever people needed to have easy access to travel and trade.



Most of the earliest settlers to come to the area now known as Niagara Falls were loyalists to the united Empire. These were people who supported British rule in America at a time when The U.S was fighting it’s own revolutionary war and trying to sever it’s ties with Brittan, were beginning to flee in fear that they would persecuted for their beliefs and began settling in various parts of Canada.With the Niagara River serving as a great natural border between the two countries, settlers began coming to the Canadian side to form communities.

Due to the rapids and the falls of the Niagara River, the British had used a portage road for transporting goods to bypass them which was located on the American side of the river. Due to the revolutionary war, they were forced to relocate this road to the Canadian side giving more reason for communities to spring up along the river.The lower portion of the portage ended at the mouth of Chippawa Creek and soon became a small settlement known as Chippawa. Chippawa grew considerably until the war of 1812.

During this time period, other small towns and villages sprung up in areas such as Lundy’s lane, where the famous battle of Lundy’s lane in 1812 occurred and in places like where the Whirlpool bridge now stands. These small settlements arose due to things such as the construction of the railway through Niagara and the construction of the bridge connecting Canada and the US. One of these towns was called Elgin and many people began to move there for it’s great location.Eventually, Elgin merged with the town Clifton which was located in the area where the famous Clifton Hill now stands. This new larger town became Retained the name of Clifton.

In the year 1881, The town of Clifton changed it’s name to the Town of Niagara Falls.

In 1904, the Town of Niagara falls amalgamated with Village that changed their name from Drummondville to the Village of Niagara Falls in 1882, and became known as the City of Niagara Falls.

After the foundation of Niagara Falls, the City quickly grew due to the new hydro electricity generation plants built on the Niagara river, a new railroad connecting the Niagara Region with the rest of Canada and a new bridge to the USA making trade and travel very easy between the two countries at the Niagara Falls crossing.

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