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Clifton Hill (Niagara Falls)
Encyclopedia
Clifton Hill is one of the major tourist promenades in Niagara Falls, Ontario
. The street, close in proximity to Niagara Falls
and the Niagara River
, leads from River Road on the Niagara Parkway to intersect with Victoria Avenue. The street contains a number of gift shops, wax museums, haunted houses, restaurants, hotels and themed attractions. For visitors, particularly families and teenagers, it is a major amusement area and centre for night life.
Over the years the various properties on the hill have been bought, sold and renamed frequently. Currently the street is divided between two primary property owners, the Harry Oakes Company (HOCO) and the Niagara Clifton Group.
and 4D Moving Theatre, the Guinness World Records
Museum, the Niagara SkyWheel Ferris wheel
, and the nearby Louis Tussaud
's Waxworks. Tussaud's has long been a staple of the area, and a model of tight-rope walker Charles Blondin
that formerly hung above Clifton Hill and has since been moved to Victoria Ave is a common long-time landmark.
in Niagara Falls was the Louis Tussaud
's Waxworks, which opened in 1949. It was the first of many wax museums to come. Its location on the Hill closed in September 2000 when its lease ran out, and it has since reopened just above the hill on Victoria Avenue.
Another wax museum, Movieland Wax Museum of the Stars, showcases many famous celebrities from movies, music, and television. At the end of the museum there is a hall of horrors and a wax hand studio. Within the past few years, the museum has relocated to a larger location close to the bottom of the hill that used to be the location of the now closed "Circus World". Also, just off of Clifton Hill on Victoria Ave, there is the Criminals Hall of Fame
wax museum showcasing many well known criminals, terrorists and bandits. It even features some famous horror movie figures. There is also the Rock Legends Wax Museum featuring many musical icons from the 20th and 21st centuries.
Each of these museums have their own interactive areas where you can pose with figures, appear to get electrocuted in an electric chair
(this option is available at Louis Tussauds and the Criminals Hall of Fame), or have your hands sculpted with wax (Movieland). There is also a wax hand studio located at the end of the Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Museum.
course located directly next to Ripley's Believe It or Not!. There is a putt-putt golf course located in Adventure City in addition to Dinosaur Park mini Golf; an outdoor golf course with statues of dinosaurs.
, Dracula
's Haunted Castle, and The Haunted House are on Clifton Hill, Screamers House of Horrors and Nightmares Fear Factory are along Victoria Avenue.
, Ruby Tuesday, Dairy Queen
, Wendy's
, Burger King
, Tim Hortons
, Montana's Cookhouse
, Boston Pizza
(the biggest of all the Boston Pizza locations in Canada), Rainforest Cafe
, Mama Mia's, Hard Rock Cafe
Niagara, Planet Hollywood
, and a Pizza Pizza
Restaurant. At one point there was a Wolfgang Puck that has closed in recent years.
It has hundreds of video games where players can redeem earned tickets for prizes at the ticket counter. In this arcade complex, there is an FX roller coaster
simulator and a Ghost Blasters
ride where the object is to shoot lasers at ghosts. The Boston Pizza
and Great Canadian Midway both are connected to the Strike! Rock and Bowl (established in 2009), an arcade with a rock n' roll themed 10-pin bowling alley. This used to be the Sports Zone; which was an adult bar/arcade. Across from the Great Canadian Midway is an arcade called Adventure City. This is attached to the Rain Forest Cafe. Inside the attraction is a motion ride which is similar to Ghostblasters, a black light go-kart shooting game, a play area for kids, a putt-putt golf and video games. Adventure City used to be called Marvel Superhero Adventure City, but it lost the rights to Marvel
and was forced to change its name, remove the animatronic Spider-Man
and Green Goblin
figures from the front entrance, and change all the Marvel themed ride names.
Also new to 2009 is a three-floor Dave & Buster's
arcade and restaurant that is located across from the Niagara Skywheel.
associated attraction, is in the building of the former Adventure Dome, an IMAX presentation. The Great Canadian Midway used to be called Dazzleland, and was much smaller and outdoors. The Niagara SkyWheel took the place of the lobby and Golden Griddle restaurant of Quality Inn Clifton Hill. Sadly the Quality Inn was torn down within a few years of the Golden Griddle, for reasons currently unknown. The restaurant moved onto Victoria Avenue, but has new owners. The current location of the Galaxy Golf and the neighbouring gift shop used to be the home of Movieland Wax Museum, until the museum relocated to the bottom of the hill for more space. Another location is farther out on Lundy's Lane. Adventure City used to be known as Marvel Superhero Adventure City. The owners lost the ability to use Marvel logos and characters, as noted above, thus the more generic name. Most recently, WWE Niagara Falls
closed at the end of March 2011. The Pile Driver ride (above the store) still is standing but not in use, and the former store space stands now as a collectible shop, they sell some WWE figures and shirts and that is it. A trip to Clifton Hill does not require too much planning, because the attractions are all side to side. This area has become a major tourist attraction, mainly in the summer months, because of all the new additions to it.
Throughout the years, there had always been a delicate balance between preservation of the waterway in its natural state and commercial development or access. While this area is in a constant state of change, some had viewed the recent development of tourist attractions on the Clifton Hill area as an uncharacteristic distraction from the natural serenity of the Niagara Falls region and viewed them as “cheesy.”
officer Captain Ogden Creighton, a half-pay officer who had served in the 70th and 81st Regiments and had served in the Far East. Creighton laid out streets and building lots on the land, naming the future settlement Clifton, presumably after Clifton
on the gorge of the River Avon
in Bristol, England
. The officer built his residence, Clifton Cottage, on the edge of a high bank facing the American Falls
(where the present-day Quality Inn is located).
Creighton was involved in suppressing the uprising of the Rebellion of 1837. Following a clash between William Lyon Mackenzie
and an Upper Canada
government militia north of Toronto
, the rebel leader took his forces to Navy Island
on the Niagara River
to form a provisional government. In mid-January 1838 Mackenzie and his followers evacuated the island. At the time Clifton Cottage became the headquarters for a military detachment assigned to guard the border ferry. The Creighton family left the Niagara area in the early 1840s, moving to Toronto
and later Brantford, Ontario
. Captain Creighton died around 1850.
between Canada
and the USA prior to the completion of the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge
. Ferry Road provided access to the Niagara Gorge
where the boats docked.
In 1833 the first Clifton Hotel
was built at the base of the street by Harmanus Crysler. Following in 1842, financier Samuel Zimmerman created a 52 acres (210,436.7 m²) estate property along the south side of the road. Dubbed Clifton Place, Zimmerman planned to create many gardens, large fountains and a mansion that was to be his residence. The estate occupied the entire south side of what is now Clifton Hill, bounded by the Niagara River, Murray Hill and Ferry Road. Among the buildings constructed were four large gatehouses (the last was completed in 1856) and a $18,000 stable constructed of imported English yellow brick. In addition a fountain was created in the centre of the property.
Zimmerman was killed on March 12th, 1857 in the Desjardins Canal
railway accident. He only lived to see the foundation for his $175,000 "Clifton Place" mansion built. Only the fountain remains to this day, located at the northern end of Queen Victoria Park
.
The Zimmerman estate was taken over by the Bank of Upper Canada
, which went bankrupt in 1866. The estate was put up for sale and purchased by US senator John T. Bush of Buffalo, New York
for 25 cents on the dollar. Bush acquired Clifton House, the adjoining properties, and went on to complete the lavish Clifton Place mansion. Bush and his family lived in the building for the next 50 years, with his daughter Josephine residing there until 1927. In 1928 the Bush estate was sold to Harry Oakes
of Welland Securities.
The first Clifton Hotel was destroyed by fire in 1898, and the ruins laid untouched until 1905, when the second Clifton House and Lafayette Hotel was built. Another fire broke out at the Clifton on December 31, 1932, and was again a total loss.
Harry Oakes bought this property and deeded it to the Niagara Parks Commission
, which built Oakes Garden Theatre
, opening in September 1937.
The 1920s saw considerable growth in the area as a tourist destination. In 1925 Howard Fox opened the Foxhead Inn on Clifton Hill at Falls Avenue. On the north side of the hill the Niagara Falls Tourist Camp was opened by Charles Burland. Earl McIntosh opened two campgrounds, the Clifton Touring Camp on the south side of the street and Clifton Camp to the north. Reinhart's Riverhurst Inn was built between the Niagara Falls Tourist Camp and the Foxhead Inn.
In the 1950s the land on the south side of the street was offered to the Government of the United States
as a site for a new American Consulate however the offer was never acted upon and the land was later sold. Two hotels still in operation today opened in the 1950s: The Park Motor Hotel and the Quality Inn Fallsway Hotel.
Beginning in the 1960s, Clifton Hill began to see various museums built, including the Houdini Hall Of Fame, Ripley's Believe It Or Not, Hollywood Wax Museum, House Of Frankenstein and Guinness World Records museum.
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls is a Canadian city on the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The municipality was incorporated on June 12, 1903...
. The street, close in proximity to Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...
and the Niagara River
Niagara River
The Niagara River flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the Province of Ontario in Canada and New York State in the United States. There are differing theories as to the origin of the name of the river...
, leads from River Road on the Niagara Parkway to intersect with Victoria Avenue. The street contains a number of gift shops, wax museums, haunted houses, restaurants, hotels and themed attractions. For visitors, particularly families and teenagers, it is a major amusement area and centre for night life.
Attractions
Prominent attractions on the street include Ripley's Believe It or Not!Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Ripley's Believe It or Not! is a franchise, founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims...
and 4D Moving Theatre, the Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
Museum, the Niagara SkyWheel Ferris wheel
Ferris wheel
A Ferris wheel is a nonbuilding structure consisting of a rotating upright wheel with passenger cars attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, the cars are kept upright, usually by gravity.Some of the largest and most modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on...
, and the nearby Louis Tussaud
Louis Tussaud
Louis Tussaud was the great-grandson of madame Marie Tussaud. He created a waxwork museum in Blackpool, Lancashire.There were also Louis Tussaud wax museums in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in St...
's Waxworks. Tussaud's has long been a staple of the area, and a model of tight-rope walker Charles Blondin
Charles Blondin
Jean François Gravelet-Blondin was a French tightrope walker and acrobat.-Life:Blondin was born on 24 February 1824 at St Omer, Pas-de-Calais, France. His real name was Jean-François Gravelet, and he was known also by the names Charles Blondin or Jean-François Blondin, or more simply "The Great...
that formerly hung above Clifton Hill and has since been moved to Victoria Ave is a common long-time landmark.
Wax museums
The first wax museumWax museum
A wax museum or waxworks consists of a collection of wax sculptures representing famous people from history and contemporary personalities exhibited in lifelike poses....
in Niagara Falls was the Louis Tussaud
Louis Tussaud
Louis Tussaud was the great-grandson of madame Marie Tussaud. He created a waxwork museum in Blackpool, Lancashire.There were also Louis Tussaud wax museums in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in St...
's Waxworks, which opened in 1949. It was the first of many wax museums to come. Its location on the Hill closed in September 2000 when its lease ran out, and it has since reopened just above the hill on Victoria Avenue.
Another wax museum, Movieland Wax Museum of the Stars, showcases many famous celebrities from movies, music, and television. At the end of the museum there is a hall of horrors and a wax hand studio. Within the past few years, the museum has relocated to a larger location close to the bottom of the hill that used to be the location of the now closed "Circus World". Also, just off of Clifton Hill on Victoria Ave, there is the Criminals Hall of Fame
Criminals Hall of Fame
The Criminals Hall of Fame Wax Museum is a wax museum on 5751 Victoria Avenue in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. One of many wax museums in the region, it is located at the top of Clifton Hill. The museum features forty wax statues of notorious criminals, from mobsters to serial killers...
wax museum showcasing many well known criminals, terrorists and bandits. It even features some famous horror movie figures. There is also the Rock Legends Wax Museum featuring many musical icons from the 20th and 21st centuries.
Each of these museums have their own interactive areas where you can pose with figures, appear to get electrocuted in an electric chair
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
(this option is available at Louis Tussauds and the Criminals Hall of Fame), or have your hands sculpted with wax (Movieland). There is also a wax hand studio located at the end of the Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Ripley's Believe It or Not! is a franchise, founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims...
Museum.
Miniature golf courses
Galaxy Golf is an indoor, 18-hole, glow in the dark mini golfMiniature golf
Miniature golf, or minigolf, is a miniature version of the sport of golf. While the international sports organization World Minigolf Sport Federation prefers to use the name "minigolf", the general public in different countries has also many other names for the game: miniature golf, mini-golf,...
course located directly next to Ripley's Believe It or Not!. There is a putt-putt golf course located in Adventure City in addition to Dinosaur Park mini Golf; an outdoor golf course with statues of dinosaurs.
Haunted houses
There are five haunted houses on and around Clifton Hill: The House of FrankensteinFrankenstein
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
, Dracula
Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
's Haunted Castle, and The Haunted House are on Clifton Hill, Screamers House of Horrors and Nightmares Fear Factory are along Victoria Avenue.
Restaurants
There are many restaurants on or nearby the hill. Notably, these restaurants include: Kelsey'sKelsey's Neighbourhood Bar & Grill
Kelsey's Neighbourhood Bar & Grill is a Canadian bar and grill restaurant chain headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario owned by Cara Operations. Cara Operations also owns other restaurants including Swiss Chalet, Coza!, Milestones, Montana's and Harvey's...
, Ruby Tuesday, Dairy Queen
Dairy Queen
Dairy Queen, often abbreviated DQ, is a chain of soft serve and fast food restaurants owned by International Dairy Queen, Inc, who also owns Orange Julius and Karmelkorn. The name "Dairy Queen" is taken from the name of their soft serve product, which the company refers to as "Dairy Queen" or...
, Wendy's
Wendy's
Wendy's is an international fast food chain restaurant founded by Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The company decided to move its headquarters to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. It has been owned by Triarc since 2008...
, Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
, Tim Hortons
Tim Hortons
Tim Hortons Inc. is a Canadian fast casual restaurant known for its coffee and doughnuts. It is also Canada's largest fast food service with over 3000 stores nationwide. It was founded in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario, by Canadian hockey player Tim Horton and Jim Charade, after an initial venture in...
, Montana's Cookhouse
Montana's Cookhouse
Montana's Cookhouse is a Canadian restaurant chain headquartered in Vaughan, Ontario. It is a subsidiary of Cara Operations.-Operations:Montana's is known for their ribs, steaks, rotisserie chicken and other lodge fare. The restaurant aims to be a family/casual concept, rather than fine dining...
, Boston Pizza
Boston Pizza
Boston Pizza is a Canadian-based restaurant chain which owns and franchises locations in Canada, the United States and Mexico.-History:...
(the biggest of all the Boston Pizza locations in Canada), Rainforest Cafe
Rainforest Cafe
Rainforest Cafe is a themed restaurant chain owned by Landry's Restaurants, Inc. of Houston, Texas. It was founded by entrepreneur Steven Schussler. The first location opened in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota on February 3, 1994. In 1997, the chain consisted of only six restaurants,...
, Mama Mia's, Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe is a chain of theme restaurants founded in 1971 by Americans Peter Morton & Isaac Tigrett. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll memorabilia, a tradition which expanded to others in the chain. In 2006, Hard Rock was sold to the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and...
Niagara, Planet Hollywood
Planet Hollywood
Planet Hollywood, a restaurant inspired by the popular portrayal of Hollywood, was launched in New York on October 22, 1991, with the backing of Hollywood stars Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.-History:...
, and a Pizza Pizza
Pizza Pizza
Pizza Pizza is a Canadian franchise of pizza restaurants mainly located in the province of Ontario. Other locations operate in Quebec, Nova Scotia, in western Canada , and in non-traditional locations such as university campuses and movie theatres throughout Canada...
Restaurant. At one point there was a Wolfgang Puck that has closed in recent years.
Arcades
There are three prominent arcades on Clifton Hill. The largest arcade on Clifton Hill is called The Great Canadian Midway.It has hundreds of video games where players can redeem earned tickets for prizes at the ticket counter. In this arcade complex, there is an FX roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
simulator and a Ghost Blasters
Ghost Blasters
Ghost Blasters is an interactive dark ride franchise, designed and created by Sally Corporation. The franchise includes many locations at various amusement parks throughout the United States and Canada. Riders on "Ghost Blasters" are equipped with laser guns, as the attraction travels though a...
ride where the object is to shoot lasers at ghosts. The Boston Pizza
Boston Pizza
Boston Pizza is a Canadian-based restaurant chain which owns and franchises locations in Canada, the United States and Mexico.-History:...
and Great Canadian Midway both are connected to the Strike! Rock and Bowl (established in 2009), an arcade with a rock n' roll themed 10-pin bowling alley. This used to be the Sports Zone; which was an adult bar/arcade. Across from the Great Canadian Midway is an arcade called Adventure City. This is attached to the Rain Forest Cafe. Inside the attraction is a motion ride which is similar to Ghostblasters, a black light go-kart shooting game, a play area for kids, a putt-putt golf and video games. Adventure City used to be called Marvel Superhero Adventure City, but it lost the rights to Marvel
Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC , formerly Marvel Enterprises and Toy Biz, Inc., is an American entertainment company formed from the merger of Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. and Toy Biz, Inc....
and was forced to change its name, remove the animatronic Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
and Green Goblin
Green Goblin
The Green Goblin is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #14 ....
figures from the front entrance, and change all the Marvel themed ride names.
Also new to 2009 is a three-floor Dave & Buster's
Dave & Buster's
Dave & Buster's is an American restaurant and entertainment business headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Each D&B has a full-service restaurant and a video arcade. As of July 1, 2009, the company had 57 locations across the United States and two in Canada. The company also licenses the D&B concept...
arcade and restaurant that is located across from the Niagara Skywheel.
Other attractions
A fun house is located lower on the hill, next to a Ruby Tuesdays restaurant. Fantasy Fudge Shop moved up the hill on the other side to their own building, right next to the Midway. A variety of gourmet fudges are offered here. On Falls Avenue, the street bordering the Falls walkways, includes a Hershey's store and a Coca Cola store.Changes in rides and attractions
Through the years, the attractions on Clifton Hill have changed frequently. Brick City, a LegoLego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
associated attraction, is in the building of the former Adventure Dome, an IMAX presentation. The Great Canadian Midway used to be called Dazzleland, and was much smaller and outdoors. The Niagara SkyWheel took the place of the lobby and Golden Griddle restaurant of Quality Inn Clifton Hill. Sadly the Quality Inn was torn down within a few years of the Golden Griddle, for reasons currently unknown. The restaurant moved onto Victoria Avenue, but has new owners. The current location of the Galaxy Golf and the neighbouring gift shop used to be the home of Movieland Wax Museum, until the museum relocated to the bottom of the hill for more space. Another location is farther out on Lundy's Lane. Adventure City used to be known as Marvel Superhero Adventure City. The owners lost the ability to use Marvel logos and characters, as noted above, thus the more generic name. Most recently, WWE Niagara Falls
WWE Niagara Falls
WWE Niagara Falls was a wrestling-related retail establishment that was part of the Falls Avenue Entertainment Complex, which is located in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada and owned by World Wrestling Entertainment . It was the world's first WWE retail and attraction site.-History:The facility...
closed at the end of March 2011. The Pile Driver ride (above the store) still is standing but not in use, and the former store space stands now as a collectible shop, they sell some WWE figures and shirts and that is it. A trip to Clifton Hill does not require too much planning, because the attractions are all side to side. This area has become a major tourist attraction, mainly in the summer months, because of all the new additions to it.
Throughout the years, there had always been a delicate balance between preservation of the waterway in its natural state and commercial development or access. While this area is in a constant state of change, some had viewed the recent development of tourist attractions on the Clifton Hill area as an uncharacteristic distraction from the natural serenity of the Niagara Falls region and viewed them as “cheesy.”
Early history: Ogden Creighton
The land where Clifton Hill now occupies was acquired by the Phillip Bender family in 1782 as part of a United Empire Loyalist land grant. In 1832 the property was purchased by British ArmyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer Captain Ogden Creighton, a half-pay officer who had served in the 70th and 81st Regiments and had served in the Far East. Creighton laid out streets and building lots on the land, naming the future settlement Clifton, presumably after Clifton
Clifton, Bristol
Clifton is a suburb of the City of Bristol in England, and the name of both one of the city's thirty-five council wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells...
on the gorge of the River Avon
River Avon, Bristol
The River Avon is an English river in the south west of the country. To distinguish it from a number of other River Avons in Britain, this river is often also known as the Lower Avon or Bristol Avon...
in Bristol, England
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
. The officer built his residence, Clifton Cottage, on the edge of a high bank facing the American Falls
American Falls
The American Falls is one of three waterfalls that together are known as Niagara Falls on the Niagara River along the Canada-U.S. border. Unlike the much larger Horseshoe Falls, of which two-thirds of the falls is located in Ontario, Canada and one-third in New York State, United States, the...
(where the present-day Quality Inn is located).
Creighton was involved in suppressing the uprising of the Rebellion of 1837. Following a clash between William Lyon Mackenzie
William Lyon Mackenzie
William Lyon Mackenzie was a Scottish born American and Canadian journalist, politician, and rebellion leader. He served as the first mayor of Toronto, Upper Canada and was an important leader during the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion.-Background and early years in Scotland, 1795–1820:Mackenzie was...
and an Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
government militia north of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, the rebel leader took his forces to Navy Island
Navy Island
Navy Island is a small island in the Niagara River in the province of Ontario, managed by Parks Canada as a National Historic Site of Canada. It is located about upstream from Horseshoe Falls, and has an area of roughly...
on the Niagara River
Niagara River
The Niagara River flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the Province of Ontario in Canada and New York State in the United States. There are differing theories as to the origin of the name of the river...
to form a provisional government. In mid-January 1838 Mackenzie and his followers evacuated the island. At the time Clifton Cottage became the headquarters for a military detachment assigned to guard the border ferry. The Creighton family left the Niagara area in the early 1840s, moving to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and later Brantford, Ontario
Brantford, Ontario
Brantford is a city located on the Grand River in Southern Ontario, Canada. While geographically surrounded by the County of Brant, the city is politically independent...
. Captain Creighton died around 1850.
Early development
The street now called Clifton Hill was then Ferry Road, named due to its proximity to the rowboat transportation system that ferried people across the Niagara RiverNiagara River
The Niagara River flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the Province of Ontario in Canada and New York State in the United States. There are differing theories as to the origin of the name of the river...
between Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the USA prior to the completion of the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge
Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge
The Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge was the world's first working railway suspension bridge. It spanned and stood downstream of Niagara Falls from 1855 to 1897...
. Ferry Road provided access to the Niagara Gorge
Niagara Gorge
Niagara Gorge is a gorge carved by the Niagara River along the US-Canadian border in New York and Ontario. As Niagara Falls recedes upstream toward Lake Erie, the river has gouged the hard dolomitic limestone of the Niagara escarpment to form the gorge...
where the boats docked.
In 1833 the first Clifton Hotel
Clifton Hotel (Canada)
The Clifton Hotel was the site of the 1914 Niagara Falls peace conference.-History:The original Clifton Hotel was lost to fire in 1898. Its replacement was destroyed by fire on December 31, 1932. Harry Oakes, a mining millionaire bought the property and presented it to the Niagara Parks Commission...
was built at the base of the street by Harmanus Crysler. Following in 1842, financier Samuel Zimmerman created a 52 acres (210,436.7 m²) estate property along the south side of the road. Dubbed Clifton Place, Zimmerman planned to create many gardens, large fountains and a mansion that was to be his residence. The estate occupied the entire south side of what is now Clifton Hill, bounded by the Niagara River, Murray Hill and Ferry Road. Among the buildings constructed were four large gatehouses (the last was completed in 1856) and a $18,000 stable constructed of imported English yellow brick. In addition a fountain was created in the centre of the property.
Zimmerman was killed on March 12th, 1857 in the Desjardins Canal
Desjardins Canal
The Desjardins Canal, named after its promoter Pierre Desjardins, was built to give Dundas, Ontario, easier access to Lake Ontario and the Great Lakes system of North America...
railway accident. He only lived to see the foundation for his $175,000 "Clifton Place" mansion built. Only the fountain remains to this day, located at the northern end of Queen Victoria Park
Queen Victoria Park
Queen Victoria Park is the main parkland located in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada opposite the American and Canadian Horseshoe Falls. Established by a Provincial Park Act in 1885 and opened in 1888, the park is operated by the Niagara Parks Commission and is considered the centerpiece of the...
.
The Zimmerman estate was taken over by the Bank of Upper Canada
Bank of Upper Canada
The Bank of Upper Canada was a Canadian bank established in 1821 under a Charter granted by the colony of Upper Canada in 1819. The incorporators were William Allan, Robert C. Horne, John Scarlett, Francis Jackson, William W. Baldwin, Alexander Legge, Thomas Ridout, his son Samuel Ridout, D’Arcy...
, which went bankrupt in 1866. The estate was put up for sale and purchased by US senator John T. Bush of Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
for 25 cents on the dollar. Bush acquired Clifton House, the adjoining properties, and went on to complete the lavish Clifton Place mansion. Bush and his family lived in the building for the next 50 years, with his daughter Josephine residing there until 1927. In 1928 the Bush estate was sold to Harry Oakes
Harry Oakes
Sir Harry Oakes, 1st Baronet was an American-born British Canadian gold-mine owner, entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist. He earned his fortune in Canada and moved to the Bahamas in the 1930s for tax purposes. He was murdered in 1943 under notorious circumstances in the Bahamas...
of Welland Securities.
The first Clifton Hotel was destroyed by fire in 1898, and the ruins laid untouched until 1905, when the second Clifton House and Lafayette Hotel was built. Another fire broke out at the Clifton on December 31, 1932, and was again a total loss.
Harry Oakes bought this property and deeded it to the Niagara Parks Commission
Niagara Parks Commission
The Niagara Parks Commission, or Niagara Parks for short, is an agency of government of Ontario which maintains the Ontario shoreline of the Niagara River.- History :...
, which built Oakes Garden Theatre
Harry Oakes
Sir Harry Oakes, 1st Baronet was an American-born British Canadian gold-mine owner, entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist. He earned his fortune in Canada and moved to the Bahamas in the 1930s for tax purposes. He was murdered in 1943 under notorious circumstances in the Bahamas...
, opening in September 1937.
The 1920s saw considerable growth in the area as a tourist destination. In 1925 Howard Fox opened the Foxhead Inn on Clifton Hill at Falls Avenue. On the north side of the hill the Niagara Falls Tourist Camp was opened by Charles Burland. Earl McIntosh opened two campgrounds, the Clifton Touring Camp on the south side of the street and Clifton Camp to the north. Reinhart's Riverhurst Inn was built between the Niagara Falls Tourist Camp and the Foxhead Inn.
In the 1950s the land on the south side of the street was offered to the Government of the United States
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
as a site for a new American Consulate however the offer was never acted upon and the land was later sold. Two hotels still in operation today opened in the 1950s: The Park Motor Hotel and the Quality Inn Fallsway Hotel.
Beginning in the 1960s, Clifton Hill began to see various museums built, including the Houdini Hall Of Fame, Ripley's Believe It Or Not, Hollywood Wax Museum, House Of Frankenstein and Guinness World Records museum.
External links
- Clifton Hill - Niagara Falls, Official website
- Google Maps satellite view
- Approximate location of the original estate, with historic photos
- Digital Images Niagara Falls Public Library (Ont.)