Last week, Dax headed down to the Niagara Parks Commission to help set up a Red Canoe display at the gift shop there. The Niagara Parks Commission is a logical match for Red Canoe: The institution is an important part of Canadian history.
By the late 19th century, all sorts of commercial development had been crowding the park area around the Falls. And so, in 1885, the Niagara Parks Commission was founded and Casimir Gzowski – the great-grandfather of CBC icon Peter Gzowski – was named its first commissioner. Here, we’ll take a look at the area’s history, in pictures.
Above, Horseshoe Falls and the Upper Niagara River, pictured around 1920.
Above, the new Red Canoe display at the NPC gift shop.
Come to Fallsview! Where the action, uh, never stops! (Above, the intersection of Falls View Bridge and River Road. The Lafayette Hotel is pictured on the right. Circa 1920.)
Nowadays, we call it walking. But in 1900, when this photo was taken at the picnic pavilions in Queen Victoria Park, it was promenading.
Guess what? The Niagara River was pretty damn beautiful 100 years ago, too.
All archival images are courtesy of Niagara Parks and the Niagara Falls Public Library.