Synopses & Reviews
Once a place sacred to the Iroquois, Niagara Falls over the last 200 years has been exploited by profiteers, protected by preservationists, harnessed for mechanical power, and reincarnated into the honeymoon capital of the world. Today fifteen million people travel to Niagara Falls from all over the globe each year to experience the sight and sound of 700,000 gallons of water crashing over the edge every second.
Paralleling a national PBS program, this book celebrates the Falls and examines human progress--and human folly--on a grand scale. Through pictures and words, it weaves together the contemporary Niagara story with the immense history of this legendary natural wonder. Niagara was the first great North American tourist destination, but by the mid-1800s it had become a place of carnival side shows and tacky amusments. Later, preservationists such as Frederick Law Olmstead made it the first publicly funded nature reserve, and engineers such as Westinghouse, Edison, and Tesla discovered how to use its energy for electricity.
These and other historical elements form the backdrop of the modern-day Niagara saga. Interviews with people who work at the falls today offer fascinating glimpses into the life behind the legend. Readers meet light show engineers, Maid of the Mist captains, wedding chapel ministers, and historians, who know all the great tales of tightrope walkers and people going over the falls in a barrel.
The book features stunning images of the falls in every season--from misty rainbows in springtime to fifty-foot ice "sculptures" in winter--and photos of contemporary wirewalkers, mist-drenched tourists, and honeymooners of all nationalities. Also included are remarkable archival images and newsreel stills that illuminate our past relationship with this amazing natural wonder.
See it on PBS [Use GPP version of logo]
Niagara Falls will air on PBS stations across the United States in May 2006
Synopsis
Once a place sacred to the Iroquois, Niagara Falls has been exploited by profiteers, protected by preservationists, harnessed for mechanical power, and reincarnated into the honeymoon capital of the world. Niagara Falls: An Intimate Portrait, the companion to the PBS television program, celebrates the history of the falls and examines human progress - and human folly - on a grand scale. Fifteen million people are lured to Niagara each year by the sheer power and majesty of the water. You'll meet some of them:
Maid of the Mist captains, wedding chapel ministers, honeymooners of all nationalities, light-show engineers, and thrill seeking daredevils. You'll also learn about the early explorers; the warriors who fought bloody battles for control of the falls; the first bridge builders and hydroelectric engineers; and the movie stars and tightrope walkers who attracted an awestruck public.
Through color photographs and archival images, interviews with people who work at the falls, and a detailed chronology of events, this book weaves together the contemporary and the historical to create an unforgettable, intimate portrait of Niagara Falls - a place entirely beyond the ordinary.
About the Author
John Grant is the executive producer of the
Niagara Falls PBS television program. His company, Driftwood Productions, produces travel and history programs for cable and public television. He is the author or coauthor of six books, including
Legendary Lighthouses and
West Point: The First 200 Years. He lives in State College, Pennsylvania.
Ray Jones is the author or coauthor of numerous books on travel and history, including the bestselling Legendary Lighthouses. He was formerly a writing coach at Southern Living magazine and founding editor of Albuquerque Living magazine. He lives in Pebble Beach, California.