Part 2
YPSILANTI, eight miles distant from Ann Arbor, is the next stopping place, and is a pleasant town of some five thousand inhabitants. The fine water power of Huron River is here utilized by several manufactories, among which that of paper-making is brought to a high state of excellence. In addition to the railroad facilities afforded by the Michigan Central, it has southerly communication by means of a branch of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway. It is the seat of the State Normal School, which occupies an elegant building, and beautiful grounds, the latter donated to the State for the purpose. There are many fine residences here, some of them the homes of business men of Detroit.
The Roberts, Lewis, and Hawkins Houses, the European, and several others, furnish adequate hotel accommodations.
From Ypsilanti, the train speeds swiftly over the smoothest of tracks, past pleasant villages, through verdant fields, and in view of snug farm-houses, the next important stopping places being WAYNE JUNCTION, where connection is made with the Flint & Pere Marquette Railroad, and SPRINGWELLS, formerly Grand Trunk Junction, three miles beyond which is
DETROIT, THE CITY OF THE STRAIT.
The largest city in Michigan, and its commercial metropolis, it is beautifully situated on the Detroit River, 18 miles from Lake Erie, and 7 from Lake St. Clair. It is one of the prettiest, pleasantest cities in all the West, and the oldest, as well. Its rapid growth during the past twenty years is a marked feature in connection with its history. The many lines of railroad centering here, and its extensive commercial interests, together with the rich agricultural region which here finds an outlet for its products, all contribute to the prosperity of the city.
The excursionist will find much to interest in a visit to Detroit. Its location upon the river, which is here about half a mile wide, suggests excursions by water, which constitute a considerable share of the recreation of its people, by the numerous lines of steamers which ply between the city and various points on the river and the lakes. The public parks of the city afford pleasant “breathing places” for those who choose to avail themselves of their advantages. In addition to the older resorts of this class, the city has recently purchased Belle Isle, with an area of about 800 acres, and a park commission are engaged in the work of improvement, the result of which will be the providing of a place of recreation for citizens and visitors, comparing favorably with the parks of any of the large cities. Boats leave at frequent intervals for the Island, from the foot of Woodward Avenue.
To notice the many attractions which tempt the tourist to prolong his stay in the beautiful City of the Strait would require too much of our space. We can only add that the resources of the vicinity in the way of entertainment and recreation are ample, and of sufficient variety to render a visit to the city an occasion of much enjoyment. The hotel facilities are unexcelled, comprising fifty or more, including the Antisdel, Brunswick, Griswold, Madison, Michigan Exchange, Rice’s Temperance, St. Charles, Russell, and a variety of lesser houses, at all prices. At those above mentioned, the terms range from $1 to $3.50 per day.
CROSSING THE FERRY.
Continuing our eastward journey from Detroit, the river is crossed to the Canada shore by means of the ferry, and the transhipment of the train is an operation of much interest to one who observes it for the first time. The mammoth transfer boat, capable of holding, in several sections, the long passenger train, is securely fastened to the dock, and the cars are run on, with their load of passengers and baggage. The powerful machinery of the boat is set in motion, and in a few moments the train is again made up at Windsor, on the Canada side, ready to proceed on its way.
WINDSOR, the western terminus of the Canada division of the Michigan Central Railroad, is a flourishing town of about eight thousand inhabitants directly across the river from Detroit. The town of Sandwich, two miles below, has some celebrity as a summer resort on account of its mineral springs.
The chief interest of the American tourist in regard to Canada, however, is in getting through it. While there are many things worthy of note in connection with the homes of our cousins over the border, they are best appreciated by a longer tarry than can be afforded by the excursionist who makes a flying trip between the West and the East. The prejudice of the native American, so frequently manifested against everything Canadian, is often as unfounded as it is unreasonable. To be sure, the difference between Canada and the States in habits and customs is sometimes quite marked, but frequently not more so than that existing between different sections of our own country. The railroad is doing much toward the annihilation of all these differences, by facilitating intercourse and the comingling of the people of all sections.
The trip through Canada is _via_ the Canada division, formerly the
CANADA SOUTHERN RAILWAY,
And is the only line through Canada under distinctively American management. While the Michigan division of the road contributes a large amount of local business, even to the express trains, the less populous districts of Canada are sufficiently accommodated by the local trains, allowing the through expresses to make long and rapid runs, with few stops. The fast New York express, for instance, is timed to make the run from Windsor to St. Thomas, a distance of 111 miles, with only a single stop, about midway. The level country through which the road passes, with the long stretches of air line, many miles in extent, are conducive to smooth and rapid running, and in this respect amply compensates for any lack of beauty in the natural scenery. There are, however, some quite interesting sections of country on the route.
ST. THOMAS, about midway of the line, is a city of some eight or nine thousand inhabitants, and of considerable importance as a railroad center. We here cross the Great Western division of the Grand Trunk, and connect with the St. Clair division of the Michigan Central, and the Credit Valley Railway for Toronto. The leading hotels are the Commercial, Queens, Hutchinson, Wilcox and Lisgar.
At NIAGARA JUNCTION the train divides, and that portion having Buffalo for its objective point, proceeds, by way of Fort Erie and Black Rock, to the Union Depot in Buffalo, while the other portion goes to America’s greatest pleasure resort _via_ the Niagara Falls division of the road.
Should the tourist choose to first visit Buffalo, he may proceed to the Falls by later trains, which run at frequent intervals during the day between the two points.
THE CITY OF BUFFALO
Is of interest to the excursionist as one of the most important commercial centers west of New York City, and the focus of a large number of railroads. It has a magnificent harbor, one of the best on the whole chain of lakes, its water front extending about five miles, half on Lake Erie and half on Niagara River. Its grain elevators, some thirty in all, have a storage capacity of nearly six millions of bushels, and are capable of transferring about half that amount every twenty-four hours. As the western terminus of the Erie Canal, and with its lake shipping and railroad facilities, it has become the largest grain port in America, with the single exception of New York City.
The traveler who may wish to prolong his stay in Buffalo will find a multitude of hotels, of all degrees of excellence.
Of all the pleasure resorts on the American continent, probably none receive annually so many visitors as the famous cataract where the waters of the upper lakes so grandly plunge over the precipice on their way to Lake Ontario. The reasons for this are, doubtless, first, the wonderful attractiveness of the Falls as an object of interest, and, secondly, their ease of access, and the consequent facility with which they may be visited. Situated upon the main thoroughfare between the East and the West, over which such a constant tide of travel is surging throughout the entire year, it requires but little sacrifice of time on the part of many to pay them a visit. But these are merely the casual visitors, in addition to whom thousands annually come from all parts of the land, and from over the ocean, to gaze upon this far-famed cataract.
We design to give in this chapter such facts as shall serve as a complete guide for the tourist in visiting this resort, not only to all the points of interest, but such other information as shall render his visit enjoyable. Before entering into particulars, we present a general description of Niagara, in a comprehensive view, which will assist the reader in understanding the several detailed descriptions which follow.
Niagara River is the outlet of Lake Erie, connecting it with Ontario, the lowest in the great chain of lakes, which unitedly are the largest inland reservoirs in the world. The river is only 33 miles in length, and the total descent in that distance is 334 feet, Lake Ontario being that much lower than Erie, which is 565 feet above sea level. About a mile above the Falls the waters commence to descend with great velocity, constituting what is known as the Rapids, second in interest only to the Falls themselves, and adding to the interest of the latter by giving such an increased velocity to the water in its plunge over the precipice. The total descent in this mile is 52 feet, and the waters come rushing and tumbling along the rocky bed of the stream, which is here considerably narrower than its general channel above.
Just above the Falls are several small islands, connected by a system of bridges with one another and the American shore, and affording a magnificent view of the Rapids. Standing on one of the bridges, or the upper shore of an island, and looking up the stream, the view presented is grand and impressive, as the resistless torrent seems ready to overwhelm all in its course.
These islands, combined with a sharp curve in the course of the stream, widen the channel to about 4,750 feet, one-fourth of which is occupied by Goat Island, the largest of the group, which here extends to the extreme verge of the precipice, and divides the stream and the Falls into two distinct parts.
The American Fall is about 1,100 feet wide, and the remainder, or Canada fall, about double the width, although from its curved or horseshoe shape the line of the brink is considerably longer than the direct breadth.
Our illustration presents a fine view of the American Fall from below, looking northward. The waters here make a sheer descent of 164 feet, while the height of the Canadian Fall is from 12 to 14 feet less, owing to the lengthening of the Rapids and the curve of the stream.
The volume of water in the Canada Fall is much greater, however, than that of the American, and the impetus given by the Rapids carries the water over the precipice with great velocity, and it forms a grand curve in the descent, falling clear of the rocky wall into the bed of the river below. The lower strata of this wall being of a loose, shaly character, the action of the spray has hollowed it out, so that between the wall of rock and the descending wall of water, a cavernous space exists, into which the tourist may venture by a rocky and somewhat perilous path from the Canada side. It is needless to add that a water-proof suit adds materially to the comfort of those who thus venture. Similar trips may be made under the American Fall, which will be duly described in detail.
Below the Falls, on the American side, is a stairway and an inclined-plane railway, leading to the water’s edge, and connecting with a ferry which here crosses to the Canada shore by means of small boats, amid the spray and over the turbulent waters, not yet at rest from their mighty plunge.
The banks below the Falls are very high and precipitous, and the channel contracts to less than a thousand feet, varying in the descent to Lake Ontario, from 200 to 400 yards.
The entire river, from its source to its mouth, is an interesting geological study. The changes that have taken place in the formation of its banks, and the topography of the country through which it passes, furnish much food for conjecture, upon which several theories have been constructed, one of which seems to be quite universally adopted, viz., that the Falls have gradually receded from a point below their present location, some say as far down as the high bluff at Lewiston, seven miles from Lake Ontario.
This recession is due to the action of the water upon the sections of the rocky bed which have successively formed the verge of the cataract, and which have doubtless varied in character along the course of the river. The action of the spray and the violence of the rebounding waters, combined perhaps with other causes, wore away the softer, shaly substratum, until the harder but thinner upper stratum could no longer support the massive weight and resist the velocity of the waters, and fell into the channel below. This theory is abundantly supported not only by the appearance of the Falls and the channel, but by several occurrences of exactly this character. In 1818, massive fragments fell from the American fall, and in 1828 a like occurrence took place in the Horseshoe Fall, in each instance producing a concussion like an earthquake.
A view of the Falls by Father Hennepin, made in the year 1678, presents the feature of a distinct fall on the Canada side, somewhat like that on the American side, or nearly at right angles with the main fall. This was occasioned by a great rock, which divided the current and turned a portion of it in that direction, and which has evidently since fallen. (See engraving on page 36.)
How long a time would be required for the Falls to recede to Lake Erie, is of course conjectural, as no data of sufficient reliability can be established from which to make a calculation. Indeed, it is believed by some geologists that higher up the river the formation of the bed is of such a character as to successfully resist the further encroachments of the water in that direction, the hard formation being of greater depth and firmness.
But to the present generation Niagara Falls will remain an object of great interest, and will doubtless continue to receive, as in the past, the visits of great multitudes of tourists, either on account of their real attractiveness, or because it is the fashion.
With this general view of the Falls, the reader will be prepared for the details, which, taken together, make up the comprehensive whole, and which constitute a visit to Niagara an event replete with lasting memories.
It detracts not a little from the enjoyment of the spectator to find that at this resort the oriental demand for “backsheesh” prevails in the modified form of tolls, fees, etc., and that what is here enjoyed in the line of sight-seeing must be paid for. Yet this is not to be wondered at when we consider that the parties who own the vantage ground must thus reap from it a sustaining harvest. What is legitimately demanded of the visitor in the way of tolls and admission fees may be considered as a _sine qua non_, and should not in the least mar his pleasure, as he receives in such cases a full equivalent for his expenditure.
“TRICKS THAT ARE [NOT ALWAYS] VAIN.”
There is one thing, however, which no tourist is prepared to meet with composure, and which he will need to guard against here, namely, extortion, or an unexpected or unreasonable demand for money in payment for services not contracted for nor supposed to be in the market. Much has been said and written about the extortions of Niagara hackmen, until their practices have become a byword. In justice to some of these individuals it should be said that there are among them honorable men, who will do by you just as they agree, and will make no effort to defraud. It is always safe, however, to make an agreement with your driver as to the service he is to render you, and just what you are to pay him in return. When the terms of your contract are met, _accept no further service without understanding its cost_.
The need of this precaution will be apparent from the following facts. The lawful rate for carrying a passenger from one point to another in the villages about the Falls is fifty cents, or one dollar from village to village; yet a driver will frequently offer to carry a passenger for _ten cents_. Once in the carriage, however, he is urged to see this and that point of interest, and with the memory of the ten-cent offer as a basis for prospective expenses, he often yields to the importunities of the hackman, until he finds to his dismay that he has run up a bill, by the legal tariff, of from three to five dollars. While the man is charging him only what the law allows him to collect, the victim is chagrined at the method by which it is extorted from him, and it rankles as an unpleasant memory in his otherwise pleasurable recollections of his visit.
We have been thus explicit in treating upon a subject to which no Niagara guide book we have ever seen gives more than a passing allusion, in order that the tourist may know what to expect, and how to meet it in the very outset. If you choose to accept of a hackman’s “ten-cent” offer, be sure that you take no more than is “nominated in the bond,” lest with the “pound of flesh” there come a drop of blood more costly than all the rest.
THE FIRST VIEW OF THE FALLS.
The approach to Niagara, by the line of the Michigan Central, is by a route nearly parallel with the river, from above on the Canada shore, and is beyond question, the best view to be had from any railroad train conveying its passengers near the place. As the train draws near the mighty cataract, the foaming rapids above the Falls burst upon the view, as if to prepare the mind for the exhibition of resistless power to be revealed in the grand plunge of waters into the abyss below.
In a few moments the train comes to a halt in full view of the Falls, with the Horseshoe or Canada Fall in the foreground, and Goat Island and the American Fall directly across the river, with the deep gorge between through which the river flows, spanned by the new suspension bridge. The picture thus presented is one of surpassing beauty. While a nearer view will impress the mind more completely with the sublime majesty of the cataract, the comprehensive grouping here presented will linger in the mind of a true lover of the beautiful, prominent among the “pictures that hang on memory’s wall.”
The through passengers, who make no tarry at the Falls, remain in the cars until the train arrives at Suspension Bridge, two miles below, this arrangement continuing for the present season, until the completion of the new bridge now in process of erection by the Michigan Central Company. When this structure is completed, the trains will cross the river in full view of the Falls. This, in addition to the view now obtained from the train, will prove a strong attraction to through travelers, inducing them to come by this route.
NIAGARA FALLS, ONTARIO.
This village, formerly known as Clifton, extends along the Canada shore of Niagara River, from near the Falls to the railroad suspension bridge. The tourist who wishes to inspect the cataract first from the Canada side, leaves the train at Niagara Falls station; and should he choose to find a temporary abiding place on the Canada side, he will find several well-kept hotels, at prices varying according to accommodations desired. The largest and most commodious of these is the CLIFTON HOUSE, which has been open to the public for more than forty years, and has established a reputation as in all respects a first-class house.
THE PROSPECT HOUSE is almost on the very verge of the Falls, being located at Table Rock, and commands a fine view. The house has an excellent reputation, its patrons being among the most celebrated of the visitors, both from America and abroad.
The BRUNSWICK, located a little farther down the bank than the house just mentioned,--just far enough, the proprietor claims, to be free from the annoyance of mist and spray, but sufficiently near to give a beautiful prospect from its windows and balconies,--furnishes a pleasant stopping place, less pretentious than some of its larger rivals, but with all its appointments complete, and well calculated to promote the comfort of its patrons. It can take good care of large or small parties, and is indeed a desirable stopping place for those who wish to tarry for a single day, or for a longer period, the terms being moderate and the fare excellent.
Other houses there are on this side, of which the limits of this work forbid even a mention. Indeed, the provisions for the care of tourists indicate that for a considerable portion of the year at least, that constitutes by far the largest business of the dwellers in the vicinity.
The Canada shore can claim one point over all other localities in the vicinity of the Falls, in being the only place where a good view of the cataract can be had without the payment of toll or admittance fees. The effort now being made to create a public park on the New York shore, and thus secure similar privileges in the “land of the free,” is attracting much attention from tourists. Its results are as yet conjectural, but so much has the value of the property become enhanced by the very practices which this plan proposes to abolish, it seems now like a great undertaking to accomplish what a few years ago would have been much more easily brought about.
There are opportunities, however, to pay fees on the Canada side, and to receive an equivalent in return. A staircase leading to the foot of the Horseshoe Fall, permits a fine view from below, and in addition a visit to the cavernous recess under Table Rock and Horseshoe Fall. For the latter excursion, water-proof suits and the services of a guide are necessary, and the experience is one long to be remembered.
TABLE ROCK.
Table Rock itself is an object of much curiosity. It is an overhanging cliff, extending along the bank to the very junction with the Horseshoe Fall. Its shape and dimensions have been several times changed within the memory and observation of the present generation, and “the oldest inhabitants” remember it as projecting far beyond its present limits. In July, 1818, a mass some thirty or forty feet wide, and about one hundred and sixty feet in length, fell into the bed of the river. In December, 1828, three sections, comprising a very large portion of the overhanging cliff, and extending to the verge of the Horseshoe Fall, broke off and fell with a terrible crash. In the summer of 1829, another large mass separated and fell, and in June, 1850, still another, the latter about 60 feet wide by 200 long. The precipice still hangs far out over the perpendicular, and with these losses in view, the reader can readily imagine its appearance before the action of the elements had robbed it of so much that made it celebrated.
Several other objects of interest are to be seen on the Canada side, which will be mentioned further on in these pages, and we will now proceed to a description of the principal objects of interest immediately connected with the Falls. In crossing the river to the American shore, the visitor has a choice of two methods. He may descend the bank and cross by the ferry, or may go over the New Suspension Bridge. If intending to return, he will do well to go over by the bridge and re-cross by the ferry.