It wouldn’t be summer if we didn’t visit Niagara Falls. Being the font of useless knowledge I am, here is my…

Favourite Falls trivia:

• Up to 2/3 of the water that could be flowing over the falls is diverted through pipes under the falls. Up to 85% can be diverted.
• The face of the falls has been manipulated over the years to suit power production and boost tourism.
• In the 1860s the falls were lit at night with flares. Viewing the falls under a full moon was an attraction.
• The wooden walk way on the American side is rebuilt every year and has been for the last 80 years. It is impossible to use power tools, so hammers and hand saws are the only tools used.
• Over 60 tight rope walkers have done stunts over the falls.
• There have been people who survived going over the falls with no apparatus (such as a barrel). All over the falls stunts have been done over the Horseshoe (Canadian side) Falls.
• The first electrical power generated by the falls powered 16 light bulbs on a city street.
• The Maid of the Mist boat are named after a Native American legend.

The Niagara Parks keeps extensive gardens worth seeing on their own. The rose gardens are wonderful and I’ve never seen such huge hostas as are grown here! The tourist attractions and stores on Clifton Hill are trashy, but thre are a few must see attractions. The Maid of the Mist is an awesome ride. The Butterfly Museum is a lot of fun and very interesting. Take your camera! Get out of the bustling and seriously tacky main tourist area and in either direction you’ll find manicured parks.

As tacky as the Clifton Hill area is we always end up walking through. Where else will you see Joan Rivers or the man with the world’s longest fingernails in wax? Why would you want too? I don’t know. Especially now that I’ve already paid my money to do it.

Down the road is Marineland. This is the only marine park in Ontario with Belugas and Orcas. As popular as this attraction is, I find the conditions the animals are kept in barely acceptable. The polar bears practically live under a thrill ride and the black bears are simply pathetic. The tanks were the Orcas are kept in is tiny, even though it has been improved with the building of Friendship Cove. Arctic Cove houses a proliferation of Belugas that seem to be reproducing at a remarkable rate despite the small size of their tank.

Accomodations range from yuck to lux. Make sure you research if you book ahead online. The last time I did, I ended up in a room that was barely bigger than the bed. The air conditioner was in the bathroom and the floor was carpeted in moths by morning because there was no weather stripping on the door.  Some of us have to learn the hard way, and have really stupid stories to tell due to our stoicim. Next time I’ll head for the BnBs in the beautiful historic homes just a few minutes away from the falls.

I also love historical photos. The Niagara Falls Public Library has amazing online collections.

While most of Ontario is celebrating the Civic Holiday, those of us in Simcoe County are celebrating ‘Simcoe Day’, in honour of the first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada, John Graves Simcoe. I clearly remember my grade 5 teacher, Mrs. Woodward teaching us about local history. Our studies included memorizing the townships in our county. The trivia behind the three northwestern most townships was that they were named after Lord Simcoe’s wife’s dogs, Tiny, Tay and Flos. Not so, I recently found out. These townships were actually named after the dogs belonging to Simcoe’s succesor in the role of Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada, Peregrine Maitland. Flos is now part of the amalgamated township of Springwater. Since the various amalgamations within Simcoe County have taken place, school children have less to memorize.

Oddly enough, Simcoe’s wife’s name was Elizabeth Posthuma Gwillim. Graves-Posthuma…odd…Anyway, apparently he was 31 and she was a 17 year old heiress when they married. They had nine children, the last of which was a boy.*

Many places in Ontario are named after (or by) Simcoe in addition to Simcoe County including Lake Simcoe which he named for his father. There is a town of Simcoe in Brant County, many Simcoe Streets, several hotels and schools, and Castle Frank subway station is built on the property where once stood Simcoe’s summer home, named after their son Francis. West Gwillimbury, in the southeast corner of Simcoe County and East Gwillimbury in York Region are named for Simcoe’s wife.

Appropriately, there is lots to do in Simcoe county and on Lake Simcoe every Simcoe Day. Kempenfest a huge arts and craft festival is held on the shores of Kempenfelt Bay. Some sources say Simcoe named the bay after his father’s friend, although Kempenfelt himself never set foot in Upper Canada. Simcoe County is a mecca for vacationing tourists with many attractions.

Naming places was just one of the things that occupied Simcoe’s time. In addition to his military career he abolished slavery in Upper Canada, encouraged settlement of the province, and instituted British law in place of French. His Queen’s York Rangers still exist, and Simcoe uniformed them in green rather than red, believing they would be better camouflaged. He established York, later to become Toronto and began a road system to enable military travel. He attempted to build a university and schools, and rolled out the welcome mat for the Church of England. His wife left behind diaries that detailed life in Upper Canada at that time, and numerous paintings depicting the countryside. Simcoe died at age 54 in England. He was given the designation  or lord “posthumously”.

Happy Simcoe Day!

*Various numbers are cited.

References:
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0007405
http://www.tiny.ca/townhall/TOWNSHIPQUICKFACTS/index.htm
http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=2659
http://www.uppercanadahistory.ca/simcoe/simcoe1.html

simcoe, county, lord, history