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OFFICIAL BLOG OF NIAGARA FALLS TOURISM |
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NIAGARA SOUVENIRS
By GEORGE BAILEY
2010-03-09 17:06:12
|  | 1 comments Latest by Mike 03/10/10 21:42:53 EST | One of the Niagara books I find most interesting in my library is a book by Virginia Vidler called, "Niagara Falls-100 Years of Souvenirs". In this pictorial book she talks about how since the turn of the 18th century people have been buying souvenirs of Niagara to remind them of the time they spent in Niagara. Even though some of the souvenir items have changed,there's still today plenty of items to choose from. Today's popular items are postcards, T-shirts,key chains,coffee mugs and the ever popular Niagara Falls pillows with the gold fringe around them.I still have one of these ugly pillows!
One of the most interesting souvenirs in the mid 1800's was Niagara Spar Jewelry. Spar is gypsum, a soft white mineral that was at one time found in abundance at the base of the falls.Hucksters of the day called it Petrified Mist and tourist were eager to scoop it up. It was a great fad and beads,chokers and other jewelery were made from it. Once the Niagara supply ran dry it was imported from England. On one of my trips below the falls I have been able to gather a few of these rare rocks. Now I have my own Niagara Mist.
When the Honeymoon Bridge collapsed on January 28th,1938 (there's a blog already written about this event) entrepreneurs made all kinds of things from the steel of the collapsed bridge. I've attached a photo of a souvenir coaster that I have in my collection.
Probably in another 100 years someone will be writing about souvenirs of the early 2000's!
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NIAGARA FALLS ONTARIO HAS A SISTER
By GEORGE BAILEY
2010-02-24 13:46:42
| | 5 comments Latest by George Brown 03/05/10 06:56:39 EST | That right folks. Niagara Falls, New York is right across the border from Niagara Falls, Ontario.We're known as The Sister Cities.
I decided to take a walk across the International Rainbow Bridge this past weekend to check out the views of the Canadian city from that end. Once you cross the bridge(you'll need a passport or a Nexus Card) it's about a half hour walk over a few small bridges to Goat Island. Here I got a view I normally don't see of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls and Niagara skyline. It was wonderful. Goat Island is part of New York States Park system. It was a nice way to spend a few hours.
Admittance to the park and parking at this time of the year is free. Check it out..that's goes for locals as well.
This is a photograph taken from Goat Island of The smaller Bridal Veil Falls in the foreground,Luna Island separates this falls from The American Falls.
The Rainbow Bridge connecting Canada and the United States is seen in the distance behind the observation tower found on the American Side of the border.
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Photos by George Bailey...
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