From the Niagara Falls Review:
After successfully going over the Horseshoe Falls in a barrel on Oct. 24, 1901, Annie Taylor, the first person to try such a stunt, reportedly said: “Nobody ought to ever do that again!”
For 10 years nobody did.
Then along came Bobby Leach. A native of Cornwall, England, he was a daredevil full of bravado and bravery who first stepped into the spotlight in Niagara Falls in 1906 when he parachuted into the Niagara River after jumping off the Upper Steel Arch Bridge, which was close to where the Rainbow Bridge is now.
Leach’s ultimate goal, however, was to become the second person, and the first man, to go over the Horseshoe Falls in a barrel. After many delays, frustrations and considerable expense, he was ready.