Niagara Falls

State: New York, Ontario

Lat/Long: 43.0833, -79.0667

Famous falls of the Niagara River, on the boundary between West New York and Ontario. The falls consists of two parts, the Horseshoe (or Canadian) Fall and the American Fall, separated by Goat Island. Known to Native American tribes long before European incursion or settlement, the falls were first visited and described by Father Hennepin in 1678. The British captured the falls in 1759 during the French and Indian War, and the United States took them after the American Revolution. The falls and surrounding area became the site for numerous battles and skirmishes during the War of 1812, and the British regained the falls during the conflict, holding them until the war's end.

Webster's New Geographical Dictionary (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, 1988), 845; Courtlandt Canby, The Encyclopedia of Historic Places (New York: Facts on File, 1984), 1:660.