Daily Archive for August 9th, 2006

Maid of the Mist - History

Published
by
Graham
on August 9, 2006
in Niagara Falls Attractions and Niagara Falls History
. 0 Comments

Maid of the Mist logo

This is not going to be an exhaustive report on the history of the Maid of the Mist. For that, I would encourage you to visit the Official Maid of the Mist web site. This is just a quick timeline of some important events that have happened in its history.

Other than the Falls themselves, Maid of the Mist is the longest-running attraction around. It all started in 1846 with a single steamboat that acted as a ferry across the river. After a suspension bridge was built in 1848, the focus turned to tourism and in 1854 a second boat was built.

In 1861, W.O. Buchanon (the owner) needed money and so he sold the boat. However he had to get it downriver to Queenston. This unbelievable trip through the rapids and whirlpool only took 17 minutes, but it has lived on through the years. As I’ve previously covered, the IMAX movie Niagara: Miracles, Myths and Magic has a very dramatic recreation of this trip (visit the previous posting for screenshots from the DVD).

It wasn’t until 1885 that the Maid of the Mist resumed operations. A second boat was built in 1892.

In 1955, a fire sparked by a welder’s torch set the boats on fire and they were destroyed. Later that summer and in 1956 modern boats were built and launched that could carry 100 people. You can read my previous posting (from the Niagara Falls Review) about the fire.

In 1960, the Maid of the Mist II rescued Roger Woodward from the river after he went over the Horseshoe Falls and lived. This too is recreated in the IMAX movie Niagara: Miracles, Myths and Magic (visit the previous posting for screenshots from the DVD).

In 1972 Maid of the Mist III arrived. It could carry up to 100 passengers. It was no longer used after 1983.

In 1976 Maid of the Mist IV arrived. It could carry up to 250 passengers. It was no longer used after 1997.

In 1983 Maid of the Mist V arrived. It can carry up to 300 passengers.

In 1990 Maid of the Mist VI arrived. It can carry up to 600 passengers.

In 1996 the Maid of the Mist celebrated their 150th anniversary.

In 1997 Maid of the Mist VII arrived. It can carry up to 600 passengers.

Famous Passengers include (partial list):

  • Marilyn Monroe
  • Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson
  • Princess Diana
  • President Carter and his wife Rosalyn

Read more of our series on Maid of the Mist, or learn more from other sites:

Maid of the Mist - The Ride

Published
by
Graham
on August 9, 2006
in Niagara Falls Attractions and Niagara Falls Scenery
. 3 Comments

Maid of the Mist logo

On Thursday, August 3, 2006 I went on the Maid of the Mist with my wife, a couple of friends, and my two sons. I know that I’ve been on it before, but it was so long ago I have no recollection of it at all. I’m glad I went, as it is an unbelievable way to see the Falls!

The Maid of the Mist has a nice plaza/courtyard area at the bottom of Clifton Hill. There are snacks and souvenirs available. Of course there are also the ticket booths for the ride. I had arranged beforehand for some tickets, but I still had to stand in line to pick them up. There was a steady flow of people, but I didn’t really have to wait at all for my tickets. We then headed down the ramp to the elevators. There were a lot of people in line, but everything moved pretty quickly. There were 3 elevators that were taking people up and down the gorge. On the way to the elevators, there was some photography equipment setup. They hurried people up against a green screen and took your picture and off you went.

The elevator ride down only takes a minute, and then there is a long walk to the boat ramp. There is a lot of walking, but it is all ramps, so it is definitely wheelchair accessible. We got our free raincoat, used the restrooms, and then boarded the boat.

The Maid of the Mist VII is a very large boat that holds 600 people. We were going to go to the upper level, but there were too many people, so we stayed below. They don’t wait to fill the boat. The boats run every 15 minutes or so, and they try to keep on that schedule. Once it’s time, off they go as they have to be gone before the other boat(s) come back.

The view of the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls are fantastic. There isn’t much mist that is generated from them, so you get close to them and can get some great pictures. You get a good look at the rocks at the bottom of the Falls, and see how close the people are when they go on the Cave of the Winds walk.

One thing I’ve noticed before from looking at the Falls from Table Rock, is that there are a lot of seagulls. But they’ve always been around, so it’s hard to avoid them.

As you come up on the Horseshoe Falls, you get a great view of the water going over the edge at Terrapin Point. You really get a sense of the volume of water that is going over the Falls every minute.

As you get close to the Horseshoe Falls, the mist gets quite intense, essentially becoming a rain. The raincoats do a good job of keeping you dry. I took my 2-year-old son to the front of the boat. Neither of us had our hoods on, and our hair got soaked. It was great!

The boat stays in generally the same place for several minutes right near the base of the Horseshoe Falls. I ran up the stairs to see what the view was like from the top. You felt like you could reach out and touch the water falling. Fantastic!

After a few minutes the boat turns around and heads back to the dock for another load of visitors. Unloading was quick, but the wait for the elevator back up was fairly lengthy. It took us 15-20 minutes or so to finally get up to the gift shop, and then we were on our way back home.

If you’ve come to Niagara Falls to see the Falls, then you have to go on Maid of the Mist. It is reasonably priced and gets you a view you just can’t get any other way.

Read more of our series on Maid of the Mist, or learn more from other sites:

Maid of the Mist - Observations

Published
by
Graham
on August 9, 2006
in Niagara Falls Attractions
. 0 Comments

Maid of the Mist logo

We went on a day when it was overcast. In fact, as we left the plaza/courtyard area, it started to rain. Even with the overcast skies, it was still fantastic. However, I’m sure it is even more spectacular on a nice clear day.

When you get your tickets for the ride, they also give you a commemorative Maid of the Mist postcard for each person in your group. It’s a nice touch.

I was amazed at the number of people that were going for a ride. The people just kept coming, and the boats seemed to be coming and going. This was on a Thursday afternoon. I would imagine they are even busier on the weekends.

As I mentioned, they took pictures of us, but no one ever did mention them again. They give you a little ticket so you can go buy it if you want, but they didn’t promote it at all. We didn’t buy it, but I did see somebody else’s, and they look excellent. The green screen is replaced with a great shot of the Falls. The end result is excellent quality.

Be prepared to get wet! I took my camera with me and took as many pictures as I could. I even put my camera in a clear plastic bag hoping that I could get a few shots in the mist, but they didn’t turn out that well. If I go again I might spurge and buy a water-proof disposable camera.

The Maid of the Mist store has all sorts of things that you can buy with their logo on it. Outside the store is a restaurant/cafe area. When you are back up to street level, there is also a glass-blowing area where you can watch glass products being made, and purchase others. And of course there are ice cream and other snack booths.

I link to a couple of sections of the Maid of the Mist web site below. The site is very well done and has a lot of excellent information.

Read more of our series on Maid of the Mist, or learn more from other sites: