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In 1615 missionary explorers arrived in Ontario. They were followed a decade later by the Jesuits. It was a Jesuit father, Gabriel Lalemant, who first recorded the Iroquios name for the river- Onguiaahra, meaning "the Strait". "Niagara" is a simplification of the original. 
Tourism travel to the Falls began in the 1820s and within 50 years it had increased tenfold to become the area's dominant industry. 
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NIAGARA’S “FIRSTS” IN HISTORY
HISTORY OF THE ILLUMINATION OF NIAGARA FALLS Lighting the Falls to allow visitors to enjoy the beauty of the mighty Niagara even at night was first attempted more than 140 years ago. In 1860, a spectacular illumination of the Falls celebrated a visit by the Prince of Wales. About 200 colored and white calcium, volcanic and torpedo lights were placed along the banks above and below the American Falls, on the road down the bank of the Canadian side of the gorge and behind the water of the Horseshoe Falls. The lights were called Bengal lights and were the kind used at sea to signal for help or give warning. The lights were ignited along with rockets, spinning wheels and other fireworks, creating an effect that the London Times called “grand, magical and brilliant beyond all power of words to portray” … the likes of which the Prince would “probably never see again”. Illumination of the Falls using electricity first occurred in January 1879 during a visit by the Marquis of Lorne, Governor-General of Canada and his wife Princess Louise. The direct current lights had an illumination power of 32,000 candles, just a fraction of the intensity used today. 1881 - The Niagara Falls (New York) Hydraulic Power & Manufacturing Company produced the first electrical power for commercial use, using water from the Niagara River. 1885 - The first electric arc lights for street illumination replaced oil lamps in Niagara Falls, Canada, using electricity purchased from Niagara Falls, New York. 1950 - The Morse-Misener Subdivision in Niagara Falls is the first residential subdivision in the world to use an underground electrical system. The War of 1812 - The British won the War of 1812 and it was the first war that the United States lost. Niagara Falls, New York was burned to the ground by the British. Niagara Street Bridge, Black Rock Shipyard - "To the east of the present Niagara Street bridge, on the south bank of the Scajaquadais the site of the old Black Rock shipyard. Here a part of Perry's fleet was fitted out for the battle of Lake Erie. Here, or on the Niagara River side, in 1818, was built the Walk-in-the-Water, the first steamboat on the lakes; and here were built many of the most famous steamboats that followed her, and many canal boats - of the old packet type - prior to 1840. Near by is the site of a blockhouse, built in 1808."
FALLS FIRSTS – A TIMELINE 1678 - Franciscan monk and explorer Louis Hennepin becomes the first European explorer to encounter the Falls. Impressed, Hennepin estimates the Falls to be an incredible 600 feet high—though in reality they rise 170 feet. 1846 - Now one of the most famous tourist attractions in Niagara Falls, the Maid of the Mist makes its maiden voyage as a ferry, charging a fee to transport people, cargo, and mail across the river. When the completion of a bridge starts to erode business in 1846, the Maid of the Mist becomes a sightseeing boat, taking visitors close to the Horseshoe Falls. March 1848 - For the first time in recorded history, the Falls go dry due to strong westerly winds keeping water in Lake Erie, in addition to an ice jam that dams the river's water near Buffalo, New York. Townspeople happily explore the riverbed and the edge of the Falls, finding, among other things, relics from the War of 1812. July 1848 - Under the direction of engineer Charles Ellet, the first service bridge across the Niagara gorge is completed. Seven years later, John Roebling completes another suspension bridge, with two levels for carriage and railway traffic. It is the first suspension bridge suspended by wire cables to carry the weight of a train. May 1857 - Widely considered to be the first painting to adequately capture the beauty and power of Niagara Falls, Frederick Church displays his landscape masterpiece, The Great Falls, Niagara for the first time in New York City. 200,000 come to see it as it is widely proclaimed one of the greatest landscape paintings of all time. Summer 1859 - Jean Francois Gravelet, known as the "The Great Blondin," begins a famous series of tightrope walks across the Niagara gorge, over the rapids about a mile downriver from the Falls. The act draws crowds as large as 25,000 people. Blondin even manages to carry his manager over the cable on his back. July 15, 1885 - The Niagara Reservation State Park opens, attracting 750,000 visitors. It is the first state park established in the United States. July 11, 1920 - Charles Stephens, the first man—but second person—to go over the Falls takes the plunge in a 600-pound oak barrel. The force of the water rips the barrel apart and Stephens is killed. His right arm is the only part of him to be recovered. July 9, 1960 - A seven-year-old boy named Roger Woodward is swept over the Falls with only a life jacket after a boating accident. He survives with only minor injuries and is rescued by the Maid of the Mist. He is the first person known to go over the falls without any sort of protection—and survive.
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