This is the story of a boatful of animals being intentionally sent over Niagara Falls almost two hundred years ago.

At 3 o’clock p.m. on Saturday, September 8^th, 1827, an event like no one had ever seen before took place at this world-renowned setting, witnessed by thousands of spectators lining both shores. The Michigan, an old, condemned lake schooner, floated down the Niagara River towards the great cataract. It was dressed up like a pirate ship and carrying multiple human effigies, two bears, a buffalo, a dog, a raccoon, two foxes, a bunch of geese, and an eagle. Most did not survive the plunge.

Ultimately, this grisly tale reflects a major turning point in Niagara Falls tourism towards a new, crass materialism. This spectacle sent the message that the Falls wasn’t just a static wonder to be looked at and admired. It was now increasingly used as a tool for economic gain.

“This grisly tale reflects a major turning point in Niagara Falls tourism towards a new, crass materialism.”

Early 19^th century newspaper articles make up most of the source material for this article. The eyewitness accounts offer a stark example of how one’s experience of a major entertainment event at that time was incredibly different from how we perceive such collective experiences today. There was no big screen television with an instant replay option. Neither was there any social media to freely broadcast the event from every angle. Depending on a person’s vantage point and how they socialized afterwards, everyone walked away that day with a different understanding of what had happened to the ill-fated schooner, which animals were present, and how many survived. No two accounts were alike. As we navigate concerns regarding the distribution of unchecked, AI-generated information across the internet in our modern world, through this study one might reflect on the fact that the “truth” has always been elusive.

Niagara Falls Tourism: The 1820s

Let’s set the scene before getting into the details. This remarkable show is considered by many historians to be one of the first real examples of tourism promotion to happen at Niagara Falls. [Figure 1]

Tourism is a key sector for Niagara today, and as we’ve seen recently, the Falls as a world-class tourist destination is a resource that the province wants to capitalize on even more. It’s a 3-billion-dollar industry that supports about 40,000 jobs.¹ In the 1820s, tourism’s supporting industries including transportation, infrastructure, and dining and accommodation became increasingly popular. Commercial attractions were developed and promoted throughout the early-mid 19^th century, such as the Burning Springs, the Maid of the Mist, and eventually daredevil stunts like people walking across the Falls on a tight rope and going over in a barrel. Even War of 1812 sites like Queenston Heights, Lundy’s Lane, and Fort Erie became places that tourists chose to visit. One could call this “existential tourism.”

This term describes the sorts of experiences that some tourists seek out that allow them to reflect on the reality of life and death and the nature of human existence.² The carnival-esque spectacle of the Michigan provides an example of this as tourists visited Niagara for the express purpose of witnessing the great power of the Falls and the potential demise of these creatures. People came in pursuit of spectacle, but this aspect of human nature was nothing new. This ancient, human desire for a collective, suspenseful titillation is reminiscent of the days of the Roman Colosseum. Somewhere between ten and twenty thousand people traveled to see this ship full of animals go over Niagara Falls that fateful day. 

After the American Revolution, in the early-mid 1780s, the Niagara peninsula was settled by United Empire Loyalists and their families. Waves of late Loyalists continued arriving well into the 19^th century. A political border was thus drawn down the Niagara River, but that didn’t stop business or trade that had been happening there for centuries already. People on both sides continued to collaborate as long as there was money to be made. The Haudenosaunee and Mississauga peoples participated in this early tourism economy, adjusting alongside the rapidly changing social landscape in Niagara and witnessing their sacred ancestral site now claimed by an entirely new demographic. They set up booths and sold goods to tourists, themselves exoticized and part of the intrigue that came with a visit to this “new and unexplored” territory.

In the 1810s, bridges were built by American businessman Augustus Porter from the mainland to Goat Island, allowing an even more impressive view of the cataract. By the 1820s, Niagara Falls had become the last stop on the great “Northern Tour,” which brought fashionable travelers from the east coast up the Hudson River into Albany, and then west via the newly built Erie Canal and into Niagara Falls. The shorelines were becoming commercialized. Thomas Barnett built the first museum at Table Rock in 1827. Hotels were built to accommodate the increasing number of visitors who needed a place to stay overnight. This locale was becoming a gold mine, ripe for enterprising settlers of the post-Revolutionary era.

The Michigan Spectacle was propelled by three key individuals, perhaps most notably Canadian hotelkeeper and notorious businessman William Forsyth, who had spent three decades building his Niagara trade empire.³ He built the three-story Pavilion Hotel on the Canadian side of the Falls, and operated ferries and stagecoaches that purposely dropped visitors off at one of his various establishments. On the other side of the river, Augustus Porter was capitalizing on Niagara Falls’ industrial potential, building roads, bridges, and gardens. Hotels like the Eagle Tavern, owned by American proprietor Parkhurst Whitney appeared. Also on the Canadian side, John Brown’s Ontario House provided an alternative option to travelers looking for a meal and a place to stay. As hotel proprietors eager to make money in a burgeoning tourism economy, Forsyth, Whitney, and Brown were the trio spearheading the Michigan Spectacle. [Figure 2]

Keep in mind that the War of 1812 had shaken this border region only a decade prior. Thousands of soldiers and civilians lost their lives, and Niagara Falls’ unique location bordering two previously warring nations resulted in a complex political and economic landscape. The 1820s reflected a great rebuilding phase, of which American tourists were an important part of the story. The waters of commercial development had been tested, and Forsyth, Whitney, and Brown were preparing for a legendary dive. 

What Happened?

Prior to 1827, Niagara Falls was known around the world as a natural wonder, but there was no central tourist system in place to collectively promote the sights and establishments that came along with a visit to the cataract. This trio of entrepreneurs, eager to advertise their hotels to visitors, came up with a way to drive people to their establishments – and to extend the tourist season beyond the summer months. Newspaper articles describing the event note that hotels were full for days leading up to the spectacle, and that many ran out of food. For most people, this was their first time visiting Niagara Falls.

William Forsyth’s three-storey Pavilion Hotel had balconies with terrific views of the Falls. He built a stairway down to the Gorge below Table Rock and operated tours behind the Falls, his various stagecoaches dropping tourists off at each key location. Considering how Forsyth essentially “invented the tourist trap,” the idea of the Michigan Spectacle was not all that surprising in hindsight.⁴ John Brown’s Ontario House hotel was located near Table Rock as well, but a bit further south, approximately where the Niagara Parks Power Station is now. In 1827, they purchased an old, condemned lake schooner called the Michigan for their show and began to spread the word. [Figure 3]

Forsyth, Whitney, and Brown printed broadsides and posters promoting the spectacle, advertising mostly throughout Western New York and Upper Canada. These posters stated that the condemned merchant vessel would convey its cargo of “Living Animals of the Forests which surround the Upper Lakes, through the white tossing, and the deep rolling rapids of the Niagara, and down its grand precipice, into the basin below.”⁵ These animals were said to include: “Animals of the most ferocious kind, such as Panthers, Wild Cats, Bears, and Wolves; but in lieu of some of these, which it may be impossible to obtain, a few vicious or worthless Dogs, such as may possess considerable strength and activity, and perhaps a few of the toughest of the Lesser Animals, will be added to and compose, the cargo.”⁶ [Figure 4] Ultimately, it was a good thing they added the caveat about dogs and “lesser animals,” since the final passenger list was not quite as ferocious as advertised. As will be seen, newspaper articles provide varied and contradictory descriptions of the animals on board, but in general it appears that there were two bears, a buffalo, a dog, a raccoon, two foxes, a handful of geese, and an eagle.

These news articles contain information about the advertised spectacle as well as its aftermath, providing fascinating insight into how the event organizers attempted to bring people to Niagara, who their main audience was, the amount of time they had to prepare, and even how the concept of the spectacle evolved alongside people’s initial reactions to it. Most of the newspaper advertisements appear throughout the month of August, only one month before the spectacle happened, leading one to wonder – was this short turnaround intentional, or just poor planning? For some time, a story circulated that a Frenchman was going to go up in a balloon from the deck of the ship, but this ended up being just a rumour.⁷ At first, some newspaper advertisements did not even mention that animals would be aboard the ship – only that the schooner Michigan had been purchased for the purpose of going over Niagara Falls. 

In these documents, three main elements arise in the attempt to entice people to visit Niagara Falls and see the spectacle; the pirate element, the animals themselves, and the old schooner’s stamina.

The Pirate Phenomenon

The Michigan was a medium-sized sailing vessel with two masts, weighing 136 tons. It had functioned as a merchant ship for many years and by 1827 was no longer seaworthy. As the first element of flair in the spectacle, the broadsides clearly refer to the Michigan as a pirate ship. They go on to say: “It is intended to have the Michigan fitted up in the style in which she is to make her splendid but perilous descent, at Black Rock [Buffalo], where she now lies. She will be dressed as a Pirate…” By adding the pirate element to the event, Forsyth, Whitney, and Brown were injecting even more fantasy and adventure to entice people to come and watch. One witness writing for a Buffalo newspaper stated that the ship had been docked in Buffalo in the days leading up to the spectacle, and three flags added to her masts. An American flag was attached to her bowsprit, the Union Jack at the stern, and the black Jolly Roger flag at the fore mast head.⁸ The old schooner, having once braved the billows of Lake Erie, was now condemned in her final days to be shoved into a pirate costume, paraded about, and led to her shattering demise.

To take things one step further, the hotel proprietors’ broadside also stated that the ship would carry a “crew (in effigy) at proper stations on board.” These fake, scarecrow-like bodies were placed around the ship and given names, according to some of the witnesses. In her main chains were effigies distinguished by the labels “Adams” and “Jackson,” no doubt representing recent presidential contenders John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. This political display reflected a distaste for the way the recent election had been handled, with corruption and backroom dealings, and Jackson as the winner of the popular vote not being elected in the end.⁹ The Buffalo author added a colourful description of the additional bodies, stating: “Other effigies were placed in different parts of the ship, upon which were bestowed appropriate cognomens, such as Natty Ewart, Blue Beard, &c. while the one in the fore top was called Carter Beverly, whose province seemed to be, to look out for breakers.”¹⁰ Considering the ship’s distance out on the Niagara River, this raises some logistical questions. How could the eagle-eyed author possibly have seen the names from his shoreline location? How big were the nametags? Were the crowds generally able to see these embellishments from their posts along the banks of the Niagara River?

Perhaps this author had visited the Michigan beforehand. It turns out there were different tiers to the whole experience, as some folks were able to pay to board the schooner while she was docked in Buffalo a few days before the event. No doubt word spread about the effigies and their monikers. Indeed, the broadside advertised: “The Animals will be caged or otherwise secured and placed on board the ‘condemned Vessel’ on the morning of the 7^th at the Ferry, where the curious can examine her with her ‘cargo’ during the day, at a trifling expense.” American tourists had an advantage in this regard, as many rode steamships to get to Niagara Falls, traveling in the wake of the Michigan on September 8th. Excited passengers crowded in beside each other on the decks, accompanied by bands playing music. [Figure 5] 

The Animal Sacrifice

The day had arrived. On September 8th, around 12:30 p.m., the Michigan left Black Rock. Newspapers mention different destinations. Some say she was brought to Navy Island, “nearly opposite to Chippewa Village.”¹¹ The broadside corroborates this, advertising that passage could be obtained in the Michigan “from Black Rock to Navy Island, at half a dollar each.” This is the equivalent of approximately $16.65 USD today. Others say that the Michigan was brought directly to Yale’s Landing – a location on the British shore about three miles from the Falls. The Lake Erie steamships that followed her, the Henry Clay, the Pioneer, and the Niagara, dropped off their passengers on the American side of the river. The William Penn dropped off her passengers on the Canadian side.¹² Wagons carried the crowds down towards the cataract. On Goat Island alone there were estimated to be approximately 10-12,000 people awaiting the appearance of the Michigan.¹³ [Figure 6] She was towed by the small steamboat Chippewa, manned by a small, four to six man crew captained by an eighty-year-old Scotsman named Captain James Rough, described in the broadside as “the oldest navigator on the Great Lakes.” He was seconded by a Mr. Levi Allen. By expressly naming these capable seamen and stating that they would practice beforehand to “ascertain the most practicable and eligible point from which to detach the Michigan for the Rapids,” event organizers were assuring tourists of a high-quality experience.

At 3:00 p.m. the Chippewa rode out with the Michigan and her cargo of caged animals in tow. About a kilometre before the rapids, near the village of Chippawa, they cut the rope and let her go. Some eyewitnesses stated that the crew barely made it back to the shore in time. Apparently, the men made the decision to cut the rope and row back before Captain Rough gave the order.¹⁴

It is not mentioned exactly how this was done, but the animals were let loose on deck once they began this final descent, supposedly to give them a better chance at survival.¹⁵ The buffalo was the only one that may have remained enclosed in its cage, according to one source.¹⁶ The event organizers assuredly proclaimed in the months beforehand that for these animals, “the greatest part, and probably the whole, of which, it is confidently anticipated, will survive the shock without injury, and will be seen, after a proper time, emerging from the abyss, and winding their way to the shores from which they were respectively taken.”¹⁷ 

More logistical questions arise at this point. Once the birds were let loose, could they not have flown away? It is difficult to determine the exact makeup of the animal crew, due to the many different accounts providing contradictory statements. Here are a few examples:

• “1 or 2 Bears, a Buffalo, and other quadrupeds, an Eagle, and a Goose” (The Gore Gazette, September 8, 1827)
• “2 Bears, a Buffalo, 2 foxes, a racoon, an eagle, 15 geese & a dog” (The Colonial Advocate, September 13, 1827)
• “A Buffalo, from the Rocky Mountains, a Bear, from Green Bay, and another from Grand River in Canada, two Foxes, one Raccoon, a Dog and a Cat, and four Geese” (Northern Spectator, September 19, 1827)

The author of the local Hamilton newspaper seemed unimpressed with the calibre of animals collected for this spectacle, putting quotation marks around the word “ferocious” to indicate his disdain. He went on to write that the scene had “highly gratified many thousands, and disappointed perhaps, as many more, in proportion as the ‘splendor’ of the exhibition exceeded, or fell below, their respective anticipations.”¹⁸ While this reporter was writing his first-hand account of the spectacle, Forsyth, Whitney and Brown were busy raking in the profits from their establishments that were full to the brim with travelers spending money on food and accommodations.

“Signed, Humanity”

An event like this nowadays is unthinkable. Most of the public would not allow such a display of animal cruelty. Niagara Falls has ironically gone on to become a centre of animal rights activism.¹⁹ Naturally, there were people alive in Niagara in 1827 that also felt this way. The best example of push back against the Michigan Spectacle came from an anonymous Niagara citizen who had written a chastising letter to the editor about two weeks before the event was set to take place. The author’s emotion is evident as they passionately advocated for someone to stop the gruesome display. They wrote the following:

“There can certainly be nothing in the world more directly offensive to me and to my friends than the exposure of the animals which it is said are to be sent over the Cataract, and I do not believe there can be one in five hundred of those who may be spectators upon that occasion, who would not much rather that part of the exhibition should be omitted. I cannot conceive upon what views of the actuating principles of the human mind it can have been contemplated; because the needless tormenting of the brute creation is almost out of fashion, even with tolerably well bred schoolboys. Certainly no one who wish is worth consulting, can possibly be in the least gratified; and as for myself, and my friends, who are very numerous, we shall absent ourselves if the design is not publicly relinquished.” Signed, Humanity.”²⁰ [Figure 7: “For the Farmers’ Journal, To the Editor of the Black Rock Gazette,” The Farmers’ Journal and Welland Canal Intelligencer (St. Catharines, Ontario), August 22, 1827, page 3.]

Despite Forsyth, Whitney and Brown’s bold claims, most of the animals did not survive the plunge. Again, it’s impossible to know exactly what survived, but the newspapers offer some insight. In general, it seems the bears were able to swim ashore before reaching the cataract, and perhaps one or two geese survived as well. At least one of the bears was recaptured and shown off to the people dining at John Brown’s Ontario House hotel. Exhibiting the survivors had been the trio’s plan from the beginning, as their broadside claimed, “Such as may survive, and be retaken, will be sent to the Museums at New York and Montreal, and some perhaps to London.” Other articles state:

• “A Goose the only animal which went over the Falls and remained alive – was picked up, in a state of exhaustion, and is now in possession of a gentleman in York (Mr. Duggan) – the Buffalo, apparently quite dead – floated in the wake of the ship, and went over the Falls a few moments after it. The Bears after making every exertion, and stemming the violence of the current, for several minutes, reached a small Island near the Canada shore, and one of them was afterwards purchased – & shown to the company at Ontario House – by Capt. Mosier.” (The Gore Gazette, September 8, 1827) 
• “Nothing has been heard of the animals which were on board: two geese landed in safety below the Falls.” (Buffalo Emporium and General Advertiser, September 10, 1827)
• “On a second look, we perceived the only living animal which had made the grand descent in safety – a white gander – (which was soon secured) – floating as quietly and composedly down the stream as though nothing extraordinary had occurred. (The Farmers’ Journal and Welland Canal Intelligencer, September 12, 1827)
• “After the descent, two of the Geese and the Cat were picked up below the Falls, uninjured. Both the Bears swam ashore above the Cataract, and were secured in good condition. The Dog was subsequently secured, having reached Grass Island above the Falls, wholly unhurt. Nothing was seen of the other animals, from the moment the vessel struck upon the rocks at the foot of the rapids, except the Buffalo which was observed to pass down ahead of the wreck. The small animals either reached the shore unseen, or they were dashed to pieces and carried down the river beyond recovery, to the no small disappointment of the virtuosi.” (Northern Spectator, September 19, 1827)
• “Two of the bears left the vessel shortly after she began to descend the rapids, and swam ashore, notwithstanding the rapidity of the current. On reaching the British shore they were taken. The buffalo was seen to pass over the Falls but was not visible afterward. What became of the other animals is not known. Those who had glasses could see one of the bears climbing the mast as the vessel approached the rapids. The foxes, etc. were also running up and down, but nothing was seen of them after the schooner passed over. Two of the geese were the only living things that passed over, and they were taken up unhurt. Major Frazer obtained one, and an Englishman purchased the other for two dollars.” (The Placer Weekly Argus, January 9, 1875)

Taming the Crowds

For many of the people who came to witness the spectacle, this was their first time visiting Niagara Falls. Perhaps they underestimated its overwhelming size and power, believing the assurances that the animals would survive. Regardless, such a heartless spectacle never took place there again. Of course, the Niagara Falls entrepreneurs continued to come up with other ideas for spectacles in the years that followed.²¹ Forsyth apparently purchased another ship, the Superior, with intentions to launch her over the cataract (sans animals) in 1829.²² The Michigan Spectacle had been a major financial success for Forsyth, Whitney, and Brown, and their business partners. Their hotels were booked for days. On the Saturday of the event, the roads and waterways were covered with vehicles and vessels laden with people. In addition to the steamships from Lake Erie, there were steamships from Lake Ontario that brought people from Hamilton, Toronto, and Western New York to the bottom of the cataract, from which point they followed the portage route up towards Table Rock. These included the Canada, the Niagara, the Queenston, the Ontario, and the Martha-Ogden. People crowded along the banks of the Niagara River, on the islands, and on rooftops and balconies. They watched from both sides of the precipice above, and from the rocky banks below.

In addition to tourists, Niagara Falls exhibited some early instances of the classic grifters, street performers, entertainers, and additional vendors hoping to make money on the day. We read of ventriloquists, an astronomy lecturer, a learned pig, and a card-playing dog named Apollo.²³ There were “show men with wild beasts, gingerbread people, cake and beer stalls, wheel of fortune men, &c… every place and every corner and nook was filled with human beings – bands of music enlivened the scene; – and the roar of the African Lion in the menagerie, and the din of the passing multitude, joined to the crashing of the cataract, were almost too much for human organs.”²⁴ The weather had been uncommonly hot and dry, and the roads presented uninterrupted columns of dust as far as the eye could extend. In fact, there were so many people, that thousands were “unable to obtain a mouthful of anything.”²⁵ This carnival atmosphere is something that the modern Niagara Falls tourist can still relate to today, with the eccentric shops, pulsating sights, and endless attractions that line Clifton Hill.

The spectacle brought together different classes of society. Families made temporary hut shelters using the boughs of trees while they sat and waited for the schooner to arrive at the cataract. Others paid for a better view, crowding into the hotels and their balconies, dressed up “in the pink of the fashion.”²⁶ The following description paints a clear picture of the more social elements of this event:

“As we passed down the Niagara, we had a full view, the whole distance from Buffalo, of the hundreds of vehicles, of all descriptions, passing towards the falls…. You may judge of the situation of matters when I assure you, that I stopped at Forsyth’s house about four o’clock p.m. after climbing up his everlasting steps from the bottom of the Falls, and was unable to obtain even a cracker or a glass of water, and this was the case at Brown’s also. On the American side, I learn, everything eatable and drinkable was consumed before half the visitors had obtained any thing.”²⁷

There was one particularly noteworthy spectator in attendance. William Lyon Mackenzie, the editor and publisher of the Colonial Advocate, which is sourced multiple times throughout this article, had come down from Toronto to write a report of the spectacle for his newspaper. He would later become the infamous leader of the 1837 Upper Canadian Rebellion against the Family Compact. Ironically, a decade after witnessing the Michigan Spectacle, Mackenzie’s own ship, the Caroline, would be set on fire and sent over the Falls by British forces.

The Michigan’s Stamina

The third and final element of the spectacle involves the resilience of the Michigan herself. Some of the earliest advertisements for the spectacle centered more so around the question of whether the Michigan could survive the plunge, speculating about the quality of her craftsmanship, and making the spectacle about human ingenuity and the concept of man vs. nature. A few did not even include any mention of animals on board.²⁸ The Michigan was the largest schooner to have been built on Lake Erie at that time and was too large to enter most of the harbours. Since she was an older vessel, was starting to decay, and no longer served a purpose, the organisers of the event decided that she could be the most useful in her final days as a bit of a research experiment. Apparently, her owner, Major Frazer of New York, had often wondered what would happen to a ship that got too close to the edge of the Falls. He similarly wondered what happened when animals accidentally fell into the rapids. The Michigan proved to be a useful subject with which to satisfy this curiosity. Ultimately, nature won this round, and the ship was completely destroyed.

Once untied from Captain Rough’s crew, the Michigan continued silently towards her fate. A hush ran over the crowd as she approached the rapids. One viewer wrote that it took approximately twenty minutes for the schooner to reach the rapids and that when she did, there was an eruption of applause from the thousands of spectators. She passed the first rapid unhurt, but was soon swung right around, went stern forward, and pitched over on one side. Both masts were carried away, and most of the animals thrown overboard. The Michigan was mangled and submerged already before she even reached the precipice. One account describes the aftermath as follows:

“In her fall she was dashed into ten thousand pieces. I went below the Falls immediately after the descent, and the river exhibited a singular appearance from the thousands of floating fragments, there being scarcely to be seen any two boards nailed together, and many of her timbers were broken into twenty pieces. Such was the eagerness of the multitude present to procure a piece of her, that before sunset a great part of her was carried away.”²⁹

The Michigan Spectacle, tightrope stunts, and similar attempts exemplify man’s desire to overcome, or to tame nature. Forsyth, Whitney, and Brown confidently presented their opinion that “she will reach the Horse Shoe [Falls] unbroken”. However, those who had seen Niagara Falls before, who had witnessed firsthand her tremendous power, found it “extremely doubtful” that the vessel would be able to pass through the rapids without going to pieces.³⁰ They were correct. The Rochester Telegraph later reported: “The power of the Almighty was imposingly displayed over the workmanship of mere human hands.”³¹ The Eastern Argus writers similarly reflected: “Why should the elements hush their commotion for the safety of men, or the storms forego their sporting, if man is deaf to the cries of things under his subjection?”³² [Figure 8]

Conclusion

In addition to relaying the details of the spectacle, the newspaper articles also end with an attempt to answer the question: “Was the event a success?” In general, it appears that those who witnessed the spectacle and those who have studied it from a historical lens consider the details of the schooner’s descent to have been a fiasco as the ship was obliterated and the animals helplessly drowned in the whitewater. However, for Forsyth, Whitney, Brown, and all those who stood to make some money that weekend, the event was a resounding success. Their hotels were overflowing with people who had few alternative options for sustenance and got away with serving what some called a “very shabby dinner, at a dollar each.”³³ Between their various dining, accommodation, and transportation enterprises, their gross revenue would have been in the tens of thousands.

“In general, it appears that those who witnessed the spectacle and those who have studied it from a historical lens consider the details of the schooner’s descent to have been a fiasco as the ship was obliterated and the animals helplessly drowned in the whitewater. However, for Forsyth, Whitney, Brown, and all those who stood to make some money that weekend, the event was a resounding success.”

The Michigan Spectacle offers a fascinating opportunity to observe human behaviour, identifying historical appetites for that “existential tourism” – that human desire for high stakes entertainment – and reflecting on how such desires still exist in our modern world. The spectacle was intriguing to folks from all classes, but it also offered a unique opportunity for political unity, especially in the battle-scarred wake of 1812. Citizens of the United States crossed the Niagara River and spent time and money on the Canadian side. The ships’ effigial décor had a decidedly American influence. Steamships bringing in tourists carried far more people “from the family of ‘brother Jonathan’” than “subjects of the ‘Sea Girt Isle.’”³⁴ American business owners cooperated with their Upper Canadian counterparts, putting aside any potential partisan feelings and joining forces in the name of entrepreneurship and commercial success.

Two years later, Forsyth thought up another spectacle. He knew that the flat limestone shelf of Table Rock was becoming increasingly unstable, so he planned a “blast off party” to make it into another attraction. This ultimately did not happen as imagined, and Forsyth had to opt for a different kind of show. Instead, he hired Sam Patch – the first human daredevil to face off against Niagara Falls. In 1829, Patch dove feet first off a platform from Goat Island into the gorge and swam away unharmed.³⁵

Countless attempts have since been made to capitalize on the commercial potential of Niagara Falls. As people continued flocking to the Falls throughout the 19^th century, the Niagara Parks Commission was eventually established in the 1880s to own and maintain the parkland along the Canadian side of the Niagara River. Still today, they have a duty to preserve its rich natural and cultural heritage and are consistently faced with challenges. As we approach the Michigan Spectacle’s 200^th anniversary, some of the last remaining green space in Queen Victoria Park is under threat of development. The provincial government aims to construct a second Ferris wheel in Niagara Falls as part of Destination Niagara’s multi-million-dollar strategy to “unlock the full tourism potential” of the Niagara Region as a world-renowned tourism destination. [Figure 9] Niagara Parks has already reached out to the private sector for proposals to design, build, finance and maintain it under a long-term lease agreement.

The conversation around balancing the Falls’ natural beauty with the increasing demands of growing tourism and hydro-electricity industries is not new.³⁶ The threads of human desire for entertainment and for financial success are prominent throughout history’s continuum from past to present, but so are the sparks of compassion, logic, and desire to find meaning beyond just an accumulation of wealth. Hopefully this time, the people of Niagara (and Ontario) will end up on the right side of history.

If you’d like to sign the petition to save the last remaining Niagara Falls green space, click here.

References

Berton, Pierre. Niagara: A History of the Falls. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1992.

Donaldson, George. Niagara! The Eternal Circus. New York: Doubleday, 1979.

Linzel, Jessica, Shannon Gosse, Kimberly Monk, and Elizabeth Vlossak, “The Story of Tourism in Niagara, Pre-1969.” Brock University Niagara Community Observatory, 2024. https://exhibits.library.brocku.ca/s/NiagEconHist/item/18836.

Olmstead, Nathan, Tia Henstra, and Charles Conteh, “The Story of Tourism in Niagara, 1969 to Present Day.” Brock University Niagara Community Observatory, 2023. https://exhibits.library.brocku.ca/s/NiagEconHist/item/18834.

Radecki, Zuzanna. “Tourism and Tragedy: The Schooner Michigan and its Menagerie Over Niagara Falls.” The Port Cities Project, 2022-2025. https://porthistory.ca/Zuzanna-Radecki/. 

Strand, Ginger Inventing Niagara: Beauty, Power, and Lies. New York: Simon & Shuster, 2008.

Primary Sources

“Descent of a Vessel over the Falls of Niagara.” The U. E. Loyalist, August 18, 1827.

“Descent of Niagara by the Schooner Michigan.” The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser, May 19, 1828.

“Descent of The Michigan.” Buffalo Emporium and General Advertiser, September 10, 1827.

“Descent of The Michigan.” Northern Spectator, September 19, 1827.

“Descent of the Michigan over the Niagara Cataract.” Colonial Advocate, September 13, 1827.

“For the Farmers’ Journal, To the Editor of the Black Rock Gazette.” The Farmers’ Journal and Welland Canal Intelligencer, August 22, 1827.

“Great Attraction at Niagara Falls!” Buffalo Republican, September 12, 1829.

“Niagara Falls – a Card.” Buffalo Emporium and General Advertiser, August 20, 1827.

“Niagara Falls Exhibition.” The Gore Gazette, and Ancaster, Hamilton, Dundas, and Flamborough Advertiser, September 8, 1827.

No Title. Buffalo Emporium and General Advertiser, August 2, 1827.

No Title, The Gore Gazette, and Ancaster, Hamilton, Dundas, and Flamborough Advertiser, September 1, 1827.

“Over Niagara: The Descent of a Schooner Over the Tremendous Precipice.” The Placer Weekly Argus, January 9, 1875.

“Sailing Over the Falls,” Colonial Advocate, August 16, 1827.

“Singular Spectacle.” The Caledonian Mercury, October 20, 1827.

“Sublime Spectacle.” Buffalo Emporium and General Advertiser, July 30, 1827.

“Trip to the Falls.” Buffalo Emporium and General Advertiser, September 6, 1827.

Notes

1. Brock University’s economic development researchers suggest that Niagara Falls welcomes an average of 14 million tourists each year, employing 40,000 people in Niagara and across the region. Nathan Olmstead, Tia Henstra, and Charles Conteh, “The Story of Tourism in Niagara, 1969 to Present Day,” Brock University Niagara Community Observatory (2023): 7, https://exhibits.library.brocku.ca/s/NiagEconHist/item/18834. ↩︎
2. Jessica Linzel et. al., “The Story of Tourism in Niagara, Pre-1969,” Brock University Niagara Community Observatory (2024): 4,  https://exhibits.library.brocku.ca/s/NiagEconHist/item/18836. ↩︎
3. George Donaldson, Niagara! The Eternal Circus, (New York: Doubleday, 1979), 117. ↩︎
4. Donaldson details the various tourism schemes that Forsyth had developed at Niagara Falls prior to The Michigan Spectacle. Donaldson, Niagara! The Eternal Circus, 118. ↩︎
5. Pierre Berton, Niagara: A History of the Falls, (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1992), 57. ↩︎
6. Ibid. ↩︎
7. “The story of a Frenchman going up in a balloon from her deck, while on her passage, must be a mistake. He would be quite as likely to go down as up.” No Title, Buffalo Emporium and General Advertiser (Buffalo, New York), August 2, 1827, page 4, and “From the manner in which the thing was first announced, we will not deny, that we were inclined to believe, that it originated in a desire to pass off, what is commonly called a hoax on the public. It appears, however, that the fact, minus the Frenchman and the Air Balloon, cannot now be doubted.” “Descent of a Vessel over the Falls of Niagara,” The U. E. Loyalist (Toronto, Ontario), August 18, 1827, page 3. ↩︎
8. The article was republished in other parts of the United States in the weeks that followed, like this one taken from a Vermont newspaper: “Descent of The Michigan,” Northern Spectator (Poultney, Vermont), September 19, 1827, page 3. ↩︎
9. Ginger Strand, Inventing Niagara: Beauty, Power, and Lies, (New York: Simon & Shuster, 2008). 67. ↩︎
10. “Descent of The Michigan,” Northern Spectator, September 19, 1827. ↩︎
11. “The Michigan, having a crew of four or five persons… made her appearance, in company with the Chippewa, who escorted her below the Island, nearly opposite to Chippewa Village; when the crew put off in their boat, and after towing her to within about half a mile of the rapids, made for – and soon arrived safe on – the Canada shore.” “Niagara Falls Exhibition”, The Gore Gazette, and Ancaster, Hamilton, Dundas, and Flamborough Advertiser (Ancaster, Ontario), September 8, 1827, page 2. ↩︎
12. “Over Niagara: The Descent of a Schooner Over the Tremendous Precipice”, The Placer Weekly Argus (Auburn, California), January 9, 1875, page 1. ↩︎
13. “Descent of The Michigan,” Buffalo Emporium and General Advertiser (Buffalo, New York), September 10, 1827, page 3. ↩︎
14. “Mr. Weishuhn told us that if he had not cut the rope, Capt. Rough would have continued to tow the Michigan until it would have been impossible for them to have escaped.” “Descent of the Michigan over the Niagara Cataract,” Colonial Advocate (York, Ontario), September 13, 1827, page 3. ↩︎
15. “When the vessel is put adrift, the animals will be unchained and left on deck at liberty, should they not be crushed or drowned in the descent – and we think that most of them will not – great interest will be added to the closing scene, is seeing them successively rise among the billows below, (of which the spectators will command a most perfect view), and shape their course to the shore.” “Niagara Falls – a Card,” Buffalo Emporium and General Advertiser (Buffalo, New York), August 20, 1827, page 1. ↩︎
16. “When the vessel was left to her fate, they were let loose on the deck except the buffalo, who was enclosed in a temporary pen.” “Over Niagara,” The Placer Weekly Argus, January 9, 1875. ↩︎
17. “Sailing Over the Falls,” Colonial Advocate (York, Ontario), August 16, 1827, page 2. ↩︎
18. “Niagara Falls Exhibition”, The Gore Gazette, September 8, 1827. ↩︎
19. Protests around the treatment of sea creatures at Marineland in the 2010’s led to legislative changes at the federal level, such that it’s now illegal to hold whales in captivity. ↩︎
20. “For the Farmers’ Journal, To the Editor of the Black Rock Gazette,” The Farmers’ Journal and Welland Canal Intelligencer (St. Catharines, Ontario), August 22, 1827, page 3. ↩︎
21. “So well pleased are the people with this grand and novel aquatic exhibition, that already they are talking about getting up something more splendid next year.” “Descent of Niagara by the Schooner Michigan,” The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (Sydney, Australia), May 19, 1828, page 3. ↩︎
22. “Great Attraction at Niagara Falls!” Buffalo Republican (Buffalo, New York), September 12, 1829, page 2. ↩︎
23. Strand, Inventing Niagara: Beauty, Power, and Lies, 67. ↩︎
24. “Descent of the Michigan over the Niagara Cataract,” Colonial Advocate, September 13, 1827. ↩︎
25. “Descent of Niagara by the Schooner Michigan,” The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser, May 19, 1828. ↩︎
26. “Descent of the Michigan over the Niagara Cataract,” Colonial Advocate, September 13, 1827. ↩︎
27. Ibid. ↩︎
28. “Care will be taken to secure her hatches, companionway, &c. so that if she can reach the perpendicular descent of 160 feet without injury, she will make the tremendous leap into the abyss below without breaking!” “Sublime Spectacle”, Buffalo Emporium and General Advertiser (Buffalo, New York), July 30, 1827, page 3. ↩︎
29. “Singular Spectacle,” The Caledonian Mercury (Edinburgh, Scotland), October 20, 1827, Page 4. ↩︎
30. No Title, The Gore Gazette, and Ancaster, Hamilton, Dundas, and Flamborough Advertiser (Ancaster, Ontario), September 1, 1827, page 2. ↩︎
31. Strand, Inventing Niagara: Beauty, Power, and Lies, 68. ↩︎
32. Ibid., 66. ↩︎
33. “Niagara Falls Exhibition”, The Gore Gazette, September 8, 1827. ↩︎
34. No Title, The Gore Gazette, September 1, 1827. ↩︎
35. Donaldson, Niagara! The Eternal Circus, 122. ↩︎
36. As part of the student-led Great Lakes PortCities research project, Zuzanna Radecki presents such arguments from historians like Patricia Jasen, Karen Dubinsky, Lynne Teather, Erik Alenbernd, and others who have written about this “exhibitionary complex.” Zuzanna Radecki, “Tourism and Tragedy: The Schooner Michigan and its Menagerie Over Niagara Falls,” The Port Cities Project, accessed June 21, 2026, https://porthistory.ca/Zuzanna-Radecki/.  ↩︎

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Jessica Linzel

Jess is a historical researcher and lifelong Niagara resident. She earned a Masters degree in history from Brock University in 2020, using GIS to investigate trade, communication networks, and economic development in Niagara during the early Loyalist period. She has built her career in heritage over the past decade and currently serves as the Director of Research & Collections at The Brown Homestead. Jess also consults part-time on projects relating to archaeology, property research, genealogy, historical report writing, digital history and public history.

Latest posts by Jessica Linzel (see all)

• The Michigan Spectacle: A Tale of Early Niagara Falls Tourism - July 7, 2026
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