Niagara Frontier

Touring the Restored Forts

Introduction

by James P. Werbaneth, Alison Park, Pennsylvania

Niagara Falls is synonymous with vacations and honeymoons. The Falls themselves are incredible examples of nature at its most awesome, and around them, on both sides of the border, one of the continent's most consistently booming tourism industries is established. The Falls might bring people to the area, but the hotels, restaurants, and wax museums, not to the mention the peculiarly Canadian towers on the Ontario side, give them something to do, and places to spend their money.

There is more to the Niagara area, however. It is also one of the most historically rich travel destinations, particularly on the Canadian side. It was a gateway to the interior of North America by way of the Great Lakes going back to the seventeenth century, when the French established themselves at the mouth of the river. Then, after the American Revolution, British settlement of American Loyalist refugees there effectively founded English-speaking Canada. Next, the Niagara River was one of the main fronts in the War of 1812; Americans might see that conflict, if they remember it all, in the terms of the "Rockets' Red Glare" and the exploits of the USS Constitution, but battles such as Lundy's Lane, Chippewa and Queenston Heights were also crucial.

Much of that history is preserved, not surprisingly in Canada (which claims victory in the War of 1812). From Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, there is a concentration of battlefields that surpasses even northern Virginia.

Among the most impressive destinations are the forts. Historically-minded travelers might feel lucky to see one or two widely separated, impressively restored or reconstructed forts in a trip, such as Fort Ticonderoga in New York, and Castillo San Marcos in Florida. The Niagara River features three of the very best, one in the United States and two in Canada, within easy reach, and even sight, of each other.

Niagara Frontier Touring the Restored Forts

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© Copyright 1996 by David W. Tschanz.
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