Niagara: A History of the Falls

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.