Welcome to Niagara's Horseshoe Falls! The Horseshoe Falls are the main attraction to the region of Niagara Falls and have been so for hundreds of years. However, this has also been the site of many brave and dangerous stunts that have left few with their lives.

In 1901, Annie Taylor, a 73 year old school teacher decided she would be the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Facing poverty, she saw this stunt as a way to gain money fast. She hired a manager and had a custom barrel made. On October 24, 1901 an estimated 20,000 people came out to watch her potentially fall to her death. Taylor set out from Goat Island, got into her barrel and went down the Horseshoe Falls. Nearly everyone in attendance did not believe she could have survived, but 15 minutes later she was pulled from the river below alive, without any injuries. Taylor gained temporary fame but due to her refusal to go on circus tours, she fell into obscurity and made no money off of the stunt but her successful attempts prompted several others to follow in her footsteps.

One such man to follow in her footsteps was named Bobby Leach who in 1911 decided he would repeat Taylor's stunt. Leach drew large crowds with the media advertising his stunt for weeks beforehand. Leach go into his barrel and was carried over the Horseshoe Falls in front of a crowd of thousands gathered at the Table Rock viewing platform. When Leach was brought out of the water he had survived but had several broken bones from the endeavour. He profited off of the stunt and performed an international tour two years following the event. Many others followed in his footsteps and did not survive. Leach is remembered in history as the man that conquered the falls, the pure picture of masculine bravery of the 20th century.

Today millions of visitors come to the viewing platform at the Horseshoe Falls. Stunts at Niagara Falls have been banned since the 1990's due to several fatalities by those who attempted to recreate stunts such as these. Now safety signs and fences are put in place and patrolled to ensure the safety of visitors. Attractions such as Journey Behind the Falls and the Hornblower Cruise give visitors the opportunity to get as close as possible to the dangers that entranced the daredevils of the past to attempt their stunts.

The IMAX Niagara Daredevil exhibit displays some of the barrels used by those who attempted to go over the Horseshoe Falls.

Washrooms, food, drinks and souvenirs can be found in Table Rock Welcome Centre

Table Rock Welcome Centre has a variety of attractions for visitors to see when they come view the Horseshoe Falls.

Journey Behind the Falls is a tour through the former hydroelectric maintenance tunnels by the edge of the Horseshoe Falls, which ends at a viewing platform directly beside the edge of the waterflow.

Niagara's Fury is a 4D movie attraction detailing the geologic and human history of Niagara Falls.

The viewing platform beside the Horseshoe Falls and all surrounding attractions along the Niagara Parkways are owned and Operated by the Niagara Parks Commission

This location is wheelchair accessible. It is maintained throughout the winter however weather conditions may impede physical accessibility.

The next and final destination on the Bravery Along the Niagara River tour will be the Old Scow Lookout Point where you will learn how the mysterious boat before the brink of the Horseshoe Falls came to be stuck where it is today.

To continue to this site, briefly walk along the sidewalk towards the Toronto Power Station.

Please note, this information is subject to change and is seasonally and weather dependant.

Additional Reading:

Articles on the History of Niagara Falls by Niagara historian Sherman Zavitz can be found by clicking here.

Niagara by Pierre Berton is a book that extensively details the entire history of Niagara Falls. It can be found at:

A timeline of Niagara Falls daredevil stunts can be found here.

Drummond Hill Cemetery in Niagara Falls Ontario is where several of those who performed acts of bravery along the Niagara River were buried. To see a list of grave locations click here.

Photograph Sources:

Annie Edson Taylor Queen of the Mist after Her Trip over the Horseshoe Falls. October 1901. Francis J Petrie, Niagara Falls Library, Niagara Falls Ontario.

Bobby Leach and His Barrel. 1911. Niagara Falls Heritage Foundation Collection, Niagara Falls Library, Niagara Falls Ontario.

Bobby Leach and His Barrel after His July 25, 1911 Trip over the Horseshoe Falls. July 25, 1911. Niagara Falls Heritage Foundation Collection, Niagara Falls Library, Niagara Falls Ontario.

Information Updated as of November 2018