From the Toronto Star:
On Sept. 8, 1827, a crowd estimated at more than 10,000 crammed both sides of Niagara Falls to see a hot new tourist attraction.
A baffed-out old schooner called The Michigan was being sent over the cataract with a cargo of live animals, advertised as ferocious panthers, wildcats and wolves. Actually, the ferocious animals turned out to be two bears, a buffalo, two foxes, a raccoon, an eagle, a dog and 15 honking geese.
But a good time was had by all – except maybe for the dead animals, and the lone goose that survived the ordeal. The errant goose was recaptured below the falls, only – so the story goes – to grace the celebratory banquet of the three hoteliers (two from the Canadian side, one from the American) who, in a sterling example of cross-border economic co-operation, had cooked up this business improvement scheme.
The plunge of the deadly ark was the first-ever daredevil stunt over the falls, inaugurating the tradition of high-wire acts and shooting the brink in barrels and tires.
Related posts
- A rusty Falls icon turns 90...
- Falls icon towers above rest because of the view: Niagara landmarks...
- Niagara Falls combines sublime with the surreal...
- Lundy’s Lane site has longtime tourism association...
- Taming the Falls...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
0 Responses to “From sublime icon to camp spectacle”
Leave a Reply