Under the Bridge at Niagara by Samuel Longfellow

We sat beneath the wooden bridge
As in a sheltering tent,
And watched the water's emerald ridge
And marvelous white descent

The schoolboys, ruddy-cheeked and fair,
Stood round in lightsome mood,
Nor saw the awful presence there, —
The spirit of the flood.

And yet on one of them, thought I,
Some deeper influence stole
To touch the slumbering chords that lie
Even in childish soul.

And when, in later years, his ways
Beside these steeps shall be,
The wonder-joy his foot that stays
Shall seem half memory.

Oh, may some heavenly influence
Still to my soul be nigh
To blend the child's unconscious sense
With manhood's seeing eye!

Written in 1857

Source: Samuel Longfellow. Hymns and Verses. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Co., 1894

View this on the Niagara Falls Poetry Project website

Dufferin Islands, the starting point of the tour, is now a nature reserve, home to many species of birds, fish, and other animals. Originally it was open to the river, and the water rushing through the area made it ideal for mills. Bridgewater, a small settlement of mill workers was set up here and on the top of the hill. After the Battle of Lundy's Lane on July 25, 1814 Bridgewater and the mills were burnt by the American army on their withdrawal to Chippawa. The mills were rebuilt after the war, but the settlement was never rebuilt. In 1887, the area was taken over by the Niagara Parks Commission and named after the Governor-General, Lord Dufferin. Water access to the river calmed and was controlled by gates when the Toronto Power House was built and it became a nature reserve. It has been a popular spot for locals for swimming and picnics, as the majority of tourists do not venture this far upriver. Swimming is not allowed any more.

If you face away from the river and look up to the right you will see a mansion on the brink of the cliff. This is Oak Hall which is where the Niagara Parks Commission has its headquarters. It was built in 1928 by Sir Harry Oakes as his residence, and was purchased by the Parks Commission in 1959. As you move along the waterfront past the Toronto Power Plant you will be able to see Oak Hall at various points.