The new Cataract Stairs and Overlook is now open at Niagara Falls. The new stairs and viewing platform gets visitors up close and personal with the falls’ powerful cascade bring visitors as close as 35 feet from the American Falls. [Read more…] about Niagara Falls New Cataract Stairs and Overlook Opens
Niagara Falls
With ‘Operation Rotten Apple’ Upstate Police Round-Ups Surge
Federal authorities arrested 2,197 people across New York last month during what they have derisively named “Operation Rotten Apple,” the highest monthly immigration arrest total since the Trump administration’s round-ups began in New York State. [Read more…] about With ‘Operation Rotten Apple’ Upstate Police Round-Ups Surge
The Great Blondin: Frenchman Jean François Gravelet
The tightrope is the simplest of spectacles. It relies on a human aerialist strolling along the abyss. In Roman times it was called funambulism, walking on rope.
Amid the golden age of daredevils during the nineteenth century, said to be the greatest of all “rope dancers” was the Frenchman Jean François Gravelet, born in 1824. [Read more…] about The Great Blondin: Frenchman Jean François Gravelet
Niagara’s Manhattan Project Legacy Haunting Homeowners
Elevated radiation levels have been detected in the yards of over 120 homes in Niagara County, NY. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has been conducting the first radiological survey of the area since 1984 and at least four families have fled their homes.
Governor Kathy Hochul has called on the EPA to step up testing and accelerate distribution of resources to those affected [Read more…] about Niagara’s Manhattan Project Legacy Haunting Homeowners
Seth Concklin: A Daring, Dedicated New York Abolitionist
Many New Yorkers before the Civil War contributed to the abolition of slavery, and the dangerous work of helping enslaved African-Americans flee their captors. Take Calvin Fairbank, a New York Methodist pastor born 1816, who spent 17 years in prison for his missions to help enslaved people escape.
Seth Concklin, a New Yorker whose name and sacrifice were more familiar in the 19th century, died tragically in 1851 while trying to help a mother and her three children escape from slavery. [Read more…] about Seth Concklin: A Daring, Dedicated New York Abolitionist
Composing Olana: A Journey Through Frederic Church’s Greatest Work of Art
Modeled on her acclaimed On the High Line (now in its third edition from Fordham University Press), Annik LaFarge’s Composing Olana: A Journey on Foot Through Frederic Church’s Greatest Work of Art (Forham, 2026) unfolds as a series of walks along the seven carriage roads Frederic Edwin Church built in 1860s-1880s.
Along the way, LaFarge unpacks the history of everything we see, and much that we don’t, in the greater landscape, from the Ice Age geology that created it to the artists and conservationists who preserved it. [Read more…] about Composing Olana: A Journey Through Frederic Church’s Greatest Work of Art
State Parks Outlines New Investments Hoped for 2026
In support of the goals outlined in Governor Kathy Hochul’s State of the State and executive budget, New York State Parks has announced support for several initiatives they say are designed to create jobs, enhance state park experiences, improve access to outdoor recreation and preserve state history. [Read more…] about State Parks Outlines New Investments Hoped for 2026
The Burning of Buffalo during the War of 1812
On December 10, 1813, two New Yorkers raged at each other in the entryway of Joseph McCarthy’s store on Queen Street in the Upper Canada village of Newark, known today as Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.
Soldiers held back a crowd as the ranking officer in charge of the American troops occupying nearby Fort George, Brigadier-General George McClure (1771-1851) cursed a Buffalo physician and militia captain, the forty-four-year-old Dr. Cyrenius Chapin (1769-1838). Both were part of the New York State militia assigned by the United States regular army to occupy Canada’s Fort George. [Read more…] about The Burning of Buffalo during the War of 1812
‘The Turtle’ Native American Center Named To America’s Most Endangered Historic Places List
Now in its 38th year, the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s annual list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places has proven to be a highly effective tool for shining a light on the threats facing our nation’s greatest treasures. The latest list includes The Turtle Native American Center for the Living Arts in Niagara Falls, NY. [Read more…] about ‘The Turtle’ Native American Center Named To America’s Most Endangered Historic Places List
The Movement to Save Niagara Falls
Every year, more than nine million people come from all over the globe to experience the bucket-list waterfalls at Niagara Falls State Park. With attractions like the Cave of the Winds decks and the iconic Maid of the Mist boat tour of the base of Niagara Falls, visitors can experience the power of the Falls first hand.
Established in 1885, Niagara Falls State Park holds the distinction of being the oldest state park in the United States. The creation of the park marked a significant milestone in conservation history. [Read more…] about The Movement to Save Niagara Falls
Robert Moses’s Imperial Niagara and St. Lawrence Megaprojects
We recently passed the 50th anniversary of the release of Robert Caro’s Pulitzer-prize-winning book about Robert Moses: The Power Broker. Exhaustively comprehensive, Caro’s monumental tome nonetheless virtually ignores one of the most fascinating chapters of Moses’s career: his time as Chairman of the Power Authority of the State of New York (PASNY) from 1954 to 1962.
While heading PASNY, known today as the New York Power Authority, the legendary New York City builder oversaw the remaking of Niagara Falls and the St. Lawrence River for hydropower. [Read more…] about Robert Moses’s Imperial Niagara and St. Lawrence Megaprojects
Records Reveal Jimmy Carter’s Legacy, Time In Schenectady
Following his death Sunday, the legacy of the United States’ longest-lived president, Jimmy Carter, will be the topic of much discussion.
For historians and journalists, there are plenty of records available. [Read more…] about Records Reveal Jimmy Carter’s Legacy, Time In Schenectady
New Sign Marks First Same-Sex Couple Wedding Under NY’s Marriage Equality Act
On July 24, 2011, Niagara Falls was lit in rainbow as Kitty Lambert and Cheryle Rudd became the first same-sex couple in the state to wed under New York’s Marriage Equality Act. A new interpretive sign at Niagara Falls State Park commemorates this watershed moment.
Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Marriage Equality Act in June 2011. When the Act went into effect on July 24th, New York became the sixth state to recognize same-sex marriage. [Read more…] about New Sign Marks First Same-Sex Couple Wedding Under NY’s Marriage Equality Act
Ladders to the Outdoors: Helping Youth Connect with the Outdoors
Created in partnership with the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation in 2021, New York State Parks’ Ladders to the Outdoors program launched with a goal to have children from underserved communities experience the outdoors at state parks in Erie and Niagara counties. [Read more…] about Ladders to the Outdoors: Helping Youth Connect with the Outdoors
Bicycling Adventures in New York State Parks
Go for a spin this fall and discover the scenic biking trails at New York State Parks. Bicycling is a great, low-impact exercise to enjoy with family and friends and a picturesque way to experience fall foliage in New York State. With so many trails to choose from, here are a few destinations from around the state worth exploring. [Read more…] about Bicycling Adventures in New York State Parks
New Way to View Niagara Falls Being Constructed
A new way to view Niagara Falls is expected to open for the 2026 season. The planned expansion of the Crow’s Nest includes the construction of new stairs and an overlook which will connect the existing Crow’s Nest to Prospect Point at Niagara Falls State Park, providing a new close-up view of the Falls. [Read more…] about New Way to View Niagara Falls Being Constructed
Total Solar Eclipse Results in ‘Unprecedented’ Media Coverage for Niagara Falls
The total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, resulted in an astounding 45,000 unique media stories, generating over 33 billion impressions and an estimated $5.7 billion in advertising value equivalency (AVE) for Niagara Falls, according to a press release from Canada’s Niagara Parks. [Read more…] about Total Solar Eclipse Results in ‘Unprecedented’ Media Coverage for Niagara Falls
Remembering The 1925 Solar Eclipse
Solar eclipses of all kinds happen more frequently than you might think. According to NASA there are about 2,380 solar eclipses of all kinds every 1,000 years — or roughly 2-3 solar eclipses each year. For total solar eclipses, where the moon completely covers the Sun, it works out to two eclipses every three years.
The last total solar eclipse in New York State was on January 24, 1925 and the next ones are not expected until 2079 and 2144. Total eclipses occur in the same place only once every 400 years. [Read more…] about Remembering The 1925 Solar Eclipse
$1.8M For Sate Parks, Trails, Historic Sites and Other Public Lands
In January, Governor Kathy Hochul announced $1.8 million in grants to support 27 not-for-profit organizations involved with the stewardship of state parks, trails, historic sites, and other public lands.
The grants support public-private partnerships leveraging private funds for new state park amenities, to engage in state park and historic site maintenance and beautification projects, and to provide educational programming and special events. [Read more…] about $1.8M For Sate Parks, Trails, Historic Sites and Other Public Lands
Confederate Spies at the Canadian Border
We often think about the Civil War in terms of two large armies facing off on the battlefield, but less seldom do we consider the clandestine efforts on behalf of the Confederate States of America to bring the war to United States territory and influence Great Britain and other European nations to join the attack on the United States. [Read more…] about Confederate Spies at the Canadian Border