Dufferin Islands are a group of
artificial island
An artificial island or man-made island is an island that has been Construction, constructed by humans rather than formed through natural processes. Other definitions may suggest that artificial islands are lands with the characteristics of hum ...
s located 0.8 km from the
Horseshoe Falls in
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls is a city in Ontario, Canada, adjacent to, and named after, Niagara Falls. As of the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census, the city had a population of 94,415. The city is located on the Niagara Peninsula along the western bank of the ...
. Before being renamed by 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 ...
, they were known as Clarke Hill Islands and Cynthia Islands.
The islands are decorated annually for the
Winter Festival of Lights.
Early history
While
Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls is a City (New York), city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 48,671. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagar ...
, became more well known for industry development along the lower river's edge in the 1870s, this took place much earlier on the Canadian side. In 1794, permission was granted to erect a saw and grist mill at the eastern upriver
end of the islands. This was followed by an iron ore mill constructed in 1796. Ownership of the properties was transferred to area Samuel Street and Thomas Clark by 1801, with the islands being named Clark Hill Islands in 1805. These mills were burned by American forces on July 26, 1814, following the
Battle of Lundy's Lane
The Battle of Lundy's Lane, also known as the Battle of Niagara or contemporarily as the Battle of Bridgewater, was fought on 25 July 1814, during the War of 1812, between an invading American army and a British and Canadian army near present-d ...
during the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...
.
In 1854, Thomas Clark Street took ownership of the property and renamed it as the Cynthia Islands. The islands were not accessible to the public until 1877, when ownership was transferred to Sutherland Macklem, Street's heir. Macklem arranged for a pair of
suspension bridges
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck (bridge), deck is hung below suspension wire rope, cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridg ...
to be built in order to facilitate pedestrian and carriage traffic throughout the area.
The ''Burning Spring'', which could then be found on the islands' shoreline, became one of the earliest tourist attractions in the city.
Natural gas
Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...
was present in the area, causing the burning effect.
Under the Niagara Parks Commission
When the Parks Commission took over, they renamed the islands in honor of Canadian Governor-General
Lord Dufferin, who had been instrumental in establishing parkland along the river to replace "The Front", a notoriously rowdy tourist area. The islands remained untouched until 1902, when the ''Ontario Power Company'' began construction on their lower river power facility, which required river water to be drawn from a point just east of the islands. The water diversion reduced the flow through the islands to an extent that the power company, through an earlier agreement with the Parks Commission, created a series of man-made islands and cascades to compensate. Initial work was completed by 1905, but the Parks Commission rejected the resulting layout, saying the arrangement was too formal and "out of place with the surroundings." Beginning in 1918, surplus dirt and stone were placed strategically around the islands, giving them a more natural look.
Except for the years of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
when the islands were barricaded, the public has enjoyed free access. For many years, bathing and swimming areas were located here, first established in 1907 and moving to a site further west by 1962. This area remained in use until the early 2000s, when it was removed due to safety concerns brought on by swimmers diving from surrounding bridges into the shallow water, as well as maintenance issues.
References
External links
Images of Dufferin IslandsNiagara Falls Public Library (Ont.)
{{Niagara Falls
Landforms of the Regional Municipality of Niagara
Islands of the Niagara River
Tourist attractions in Niagara Falls, Ontario
Protected areas of the Regional Municipality of Niagara
River islands of Ontario
Niagara Parks Commission