Vintage Photo Tuesday is back for 2017! And as mentioned in my previous post ‘Come Visit Canada! Vintage Travel Posters‘, I will be doing a much bigger focus on Canada for a lot of the vintage content that you will see on the blog this year. And in case you missed the “Why?” it’s because Canada is celebrating 150 years as a country and so I think that is a good enough reason to celebrate all year-long. Don’t you agree?
Today’s VPT is on Niagara Falls, Canada. Known for its magnificent Falls and awesome wine country, Niagara is a must visit for all travelers to Ontario (I’m pretty sure my family has taken ALL my German relatives there throughout the years). But like any town, anywhere it has its vintage roots and for today’s VPT, I will be exploring some of those images from my favorite era’s, the 1920s to the 1960’s.
Vintage Photos of Niagara Falls, Canada
1920’s – 1960’s
1920’s Frozen Falls in the dead of winter. Apparently the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) use to commission vehicles to take you directly to the Falls.
1921 Aerial View of the Horseshoe Falls and the City of Niagara (It does NOT look like this anymore. The Falls yes, but the Town no).
The Royal Tour 1939: King George VI & Elizabeth at the Niagara Parks Commission Administration Building.
Hotel General Brock where the King and Queen had dinner during their Royal visit. First opened in 1929, it was the first high rise built in Niagara and has hosted many other famous individuals. Like: Walt Disney, Shirley Temple and Jimmy Stewart. It is now known as the Crowne Plaza Niagara Falls and has maintained much of it’s vintage glamour.
Visiting in the Summer and needed to cool off? Then you would have checked out the Niagara Falls Cyanamid Swimming pool (seen below, 1940’s). The pool was owned and operated by the adjacent Cyanamid Company’s giant Niagara plant and was once a popular swimming area.
Volleyball by the Cyanamid Swimming Pool (now closed).
Visiting the Falls is a year round activity, sometimes involving having to dress up in your winter best to capture the perfect picture. Circa 1940’s.
1953 – Picnic by the Niagara River below the Falls.
FURTHER READING: Vintage Photo Tuesday: Picnic Time!
1960 – Or you can picnic in front of the Falls (I’m not sure if you can even get this close anymore?).
Need a closer look? Put some money in the binoculars and in a second you will be transported to the roaring power of the Falls. 1960s vintage photo.
Niagara Falls Motel’s are famous! And since there is so much to see and do that you must stay the night. -1950s vintage photo.
FURTHER READING: Mid-Century Motel/ Hotel Advertising
Across the street from the famous falls is the lovely ‘Oakes Garden Theatre’. Constructed in 1936, designers capitalized on the contours of the landscape to create a curved pergola overlooking a central amphitheatre. Rock gardens, lily ponds and shrub borders have been created around formalized gardens, with attractive ornamental iron gates (Source). Here are 2 friends visiting in 1949.
Still standing today is the Skylon Tower. It’s door’s opened to the public on Sept 31st, 1965 and was inspired by the Space Needle Tower in Seattle, Washington. It is Niagara’s tallest structure, measuring 520 feet above ground level and 775 feet above the base of the Falls.
Even the stars liked to visit the Falls, like everyone’s favorite blonde bombshell, Marilyn Monroe.
Lastly, over the years many people who visited Niagara Falls wanted to go down the falls in a barrel or some other contraption. Some tried, very few succeeded. In 1956 Woody Woodpecker was in a film called ‘Niagara Fools‘ about the pitfalls of going down those falls (click on the image to watch the cartoon).
Like what you saw? Then check out a more detailed breakdown of Niagara Falls History, HERE.
Question time: Have you ever been to Niagara Falls? Did you enjoy it? If you have not been there, does this post make you want to visit?
FURTHER READING: Vintage Travel Posts 1920s-1960s (Archived blog posts)
Liz
