In 1805, New York State sold the land around the falls, and mills and other businesses that used the Niagara river for power were established. These industries provided the local community with needed services, helping the area to prosper. When the Erie Canal opened in 1825, it provided a direct route across the state and greater access to goods and services. As a result, the community around the falls grew, and the area adjacent to the falls became plagued by industrial and commercial blight.

The development around the falls angered many people. Between 1869 and 1885, the "Free Niagara Movement" worked to rid the falls and adjacent areas of excessive industry and commercialism and create a park that would allow visitors to view the falls in their natural splendor. On July 15, 1885, the "State Reservation at Niagara" was dedicated. Over 75,000 people gathered to celebrate with marching bands, military units, orations, and fireworks. Thomas V. Welch, who led a citizen writing campaign to save the falls, became the park's first superintendent.

Niagara Reservation, the oldest state park in the United States, is now known as Niagara Falls State Park. Although the park has evolved over time to meet visitor needs, the public's desire to maintain the park's natural beauty has not changed. Nowhere in the country, perhaps in the world, can visitors enjoy so diverse an array of experiences in so accessible a space - spectacular scenic views, thunderous cataracts, mesmerizing rapids, micro-climates, geological processes, distinctive flora, and a designed landscape that is a celebrated work of American genius.

Industrial blight along the upper and lower American rapids.

Marching unit at park opening.

Thomas V. Welsh.

The Waterfalls of Niagara by R. Hancock. Published on May 17, 1794, by Laurie & Whittle, London.

During his 1869 visit to Niagara Falls, Frederick Law Olmsted became aware of the industrial threat to Niagara's natural beauty. He developed a plan to preserve this scenic wonder for the public that culminated in the establishment of the State Reservation at Niagara.

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Show me all markers in:  Niagara Falls, NY  |  Niagara County  |  14303  |  New York  |  United States of America

Lake Ontario
The Ice Boom
Niagara County Medal of Honor Monument
The Falls View Bridges
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The First People to See the Falls
Hennepin View
First Presbyterian Church Historical
Prospect Point Viewing Area
Protecting Our Shared Waters

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