Niagara Falls
New York’s Hudson Valley and the Adirondacks are widely considered to be America’s first vacation playland, as they offered a ready escape from what rapidly became America’s most crowded and hectic city. Niagara Falls was America’s first tourist destination though, selected as a place to visit on its merits and reputation alone. Dickens made sure to include the Falls on his American tour, referring to them in American Notes as “…at once stamped upon my heart, an image of beauty.”
Rail service from Buffalo to the falls was available in the late 1830s, although it was propelled by horse rather than steam. Despite the rough country of the region, intrepid travelers made a point of journeying there when they had leisure to do so. As early as 1801 the first recorded honeymoon trip was made to the Falls, by the daughter of then Vice-President Aaron Burr, Theodosia, and her new husband, Joseph Alston.
British author Fanny Trollope, who in 1832 published a scathing view of Americans entitled Domestic Manners of the Americans, (Mark Twain later observed that she was castigated for telling the truth) was nonetheless enthralled with the Falls after visiting with her two daughters. She wrote of filling as many niches of memory as possible with thoughts of the Falls.
Throughout the 19th century, a visit to Niagara Falls was a cherished dream for many American vacationers, some of whom no doubt hoped to time their visit with that of one of the many stuntmen who attempted to travel over the falls in a barrel, or leap into the chasm and survive. Advertisements for such events were commonplace in posters and periodicals throughout the 1800s, and certainly added to their allure.
In the 21st century, Niagara Falls is no longer the top tourist attraction in the United States, nor even in the top twenty, unable to compete with the likes of Times Square (#1) the Las Vegas Strip (#4) or even Chicago’s Navy Pier (#19). Taste in vacation destinations has changed but should the pendulum swing back there is little doubt that Niagara Falls will still be there, waiting for a visit from an American on vacation.