Niagara Falls State Park is located in the City of
Niagara Falls in
Niagara County,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* ...
,
United States. The park, recognized as the oldest
state park in the United States, contains the
American Falls
The American Falls is the second-largest of the three waterfalls that together are known as Niagara Falls on the Niagara River along the Canada–U.S. border. Unlike the much larger Horseshoe Falls, of which approximately 90% is in Onta ...
, the
Bridal Veil Falls Bridal Veil Falls, Bridalveil Falls or Bridalveil Fall is a frequently-used name for waterfalls that observers fancy resemble a bride's veil:
Australia
* Bridal Veil Falls, Leura, in the Blue Mountains National Park, New South Wales
* Govetts Le ...
, and a portion of the
Horseshoe Falls
Horseshoe Falls is the largest of the three waterfalls that collectively form Niagara Falls on the Niagara River along the Canada–United States border. Approximately 90% of the Niagara River, after diversions for hydropower generation, flow ...
(also known as the Canadian Falls).
History
Prior to being protected, the lands surrounding Niagara Falls on both sides of the river were largely controlled by private interests, and public access to the falls was limited. Landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, an early champion of the falls' surroundings, began advocating for their preservation in the 1860s. In 1879, at the behest of the New York State Legislature, Olmsted and State Surveyor
James T. Gardner helped prepare a special report on the falls' conditions, which argued for increased public access to the falls and recommended that the state purchase lands for that purpose. The report was followed by a publicity and petitioning campaign that helped bring the issue to the public's attention.
[ ]
Olmsted and others formed the Niagara Falls Association in 1883, a group that aimed to lobby New York to acquire and protect the falls from private exploitation.
[ Their efforts succeeded later that year when, on April 30, 1883, a bill authorizing the "selection, location and appropriation of certain lands in the village of Niagara Falls for a state reservation" was signed into law by then-governor Grover Cleveland.][ ] The act led to the establishment of the Niagara Reservation in 1885. New York State Assemblyman Thomas Vincent Welch figured prominently in getting the bill signed, and served as the first Superintendent of the Park for 18 years from its inception until 1903.
Niagara Falls State Park is claimed to be the oldest continuously-operating state park in the United States and the first established via eminent domain.[
The impetus to protect the falls and improve their accessibility to the public was international; early lobbying for the park's creation was bolstered by similar plans that were proposed for the Ontario side of the Niagara River. Although plans for an international park did not come to fruition, work to establish a park under Ontario provincial authority began in 1885, with the creation of the ]Niagara Parks Commission
The Niagara Parks Commission, commonly shortened to Niagara Parks, is an agency of the Government of Ontario which maintains the Ontario shoreline of the Niagara River.
History
The Commission was founded in 1885 and charged with preserving an ...
. The Queen Victoria Niagara Falls Park, today known as Queen Victoria Park, was created in 1887.[
The Niagara Reservation's early design was accomplished by Olmsted and architect ]Calvert Vaux
Calvert Vaux (; December 20, 1824 – November 19, 1895) was an English-American architect and landscape designer, best known as the co-designer, along with his protégé and junior partner Frederick Law Olmsted, of what would become New York Ci ...
. The team completed their designs in 1887, with a focus on improving public access while preserving the landscape's natural and scenic elements, to the exclusion of commercial and resort-style attractions.[
The Niagara Reservation was declared a U.S. ]National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
in 1963.[ and ] It is a major contributing element to the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area
Niagara may refer to:
Geography Niagara Falls and nearby places In both the United States and Canada
*Niagara Falls, the famous waterfalls in the Niagara River
*Niagara River, part of the U.S.–Canada border
*Niagara Escarpment, the cliff ov ...
.
A $44-million refurbishment of the park's facilities was completed in 2003. Work focused on improvements to the park's observation tower, visitor's center, bridges, trails, and other infrastructure.[
In 2007, Niagara Falls State Park was named as the 10th most beautiful spot in America by '']The Today Show
''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and Talk show, talk breakfast television, morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program de ...
''.
Park facilities
In addition to its views of the American Falls
The American Falls is the second-largest of the three waterfalls that together are known as Niagara Falls on the Niagara River along the Canada–U.S. border. Unlike the much larger Horseshoe Falls, of which approximately 90% is in Onta ...
, Bridal Veil Falls Bridal Veil Falls, Bridalveil Falls or Bridalveil Fall is a frequently-used name for waterfalls that observers fancy resemble a bride's veil:
Australia
* Bridal Veil Falls, Leura, in the Blue Mountains National Park, New South Wales
* Govetts Le ...
, and the Canadian Falls, the park overlooks the Niagara Gorge and allows access to the Maid of the Mist tour boats, Cave of the Winds, Goat Island Goat Island (or Goat Islands) may refer to:
Arts
* Goat Island (performance group), a Chicago-based company
* ''Goat Island'' (play), ''Delitto all'isola delle capre'', by Ugo Betti
Places
Australia
* Goat Island (Port Jackson) in Sydney Harbou ...
, the Prospect Point Observation Tower
The Prospect Point Observation Tower (also known as the Niagara Falls Observation Tower) is a tower in Niagara Falls, New York, United States just east of the American Falls.
History
The area of the tower and Prospect Point was once known as the ...
, a statue of Nikola Tesla, and the IMAX movie '' Niagara: Miracles, Myths and Magic'' which is shown at the Niagara Adventure Theater.
The park also offers a museum, food concession, a movie theater, a gift shop, fireworks, hiking and nature trails, picnic tables, recreation programs, and fishing. The Top of the Falls Restaurant, on Goat Island overlooking the Horseshoe Falls, is also available within the park.
See also
* Niagara Parks Commission
The Niagara Parks Commission, commonly shortened to Niagara Parks, is an agency of the Government of Ontario which maintains the Ontario shoreline of the Niagara River.
History
The Commission was founded in 1885 and charged with preserving an ...
– the Ontario provincial agency created the commission in 1885 to manage the shoreline and parks at Niagara Falls and along the Ontario side of the Niagara River. The commission opened Queen Victoria Park in 1887.
* List of New York state parks
This is a list of state parks in the U.S. state of New York. Also listed are state golf courses, seasonal hunting areas, and ''former'' state parks.
In New York, state parks are managed by the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preserva ...
* Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas – the first ''national'' nature reserve in the United States
Notes
References
External links
New York State Parks: Niagara Falls State Park
Niagara Falls State Park
The Best Planned City
an online film about Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the USA. Olmsted was famous for co-d ...
that includes his work on the Niagara Park
{{authority control
State parks of New York (state)
Frederick Law Olmsted works
Robert Moses projects
Parks in Niagara County, New York
Niagara Falls National Heritage Area
National Historic Landmarks in New York (state)
1885 establishments in New York (state)
National Register of Historic Places in Niagara County, New York
Protected areas established in 1885