Prior to building the first bridge across the Niagara River, travelers were forced to cross the river by ferryboat, a predicament that was not suitable for the faint of heart. Therefore it was with great anticipation in 1846, that permission was given by the Governments of Upper Canada and the State of New York to form two companies with the ability to construct a bridge at or near the Falls. They were the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge Company of Canada and the International Bridge Company of New York. Both companies would build and own the bridge jointly.

In the fall of 1847, the two bridge companies commissioned civil engineer, Charles Ellet Jr., to construct Niagara’s first suspension bridge at a site selected along the Niagara River. This site was located along the Niagara Gorge above the beginning of the Whirlpool Rapids, about 2.5 miles downstream from the falls. This location was the narrowest point (800-feet) from shoreline to shoreline. The first obstacle was to attempt to string a single cable between the two sides of the river. It was determined to be too dangerous to establish this link by water. It occurred to someone that kite flying might be the answer to this difficult problem. A contest was held with a five-dollar prize being offered to anyone who could fly a kite across the Niagara Gorge. Several boys tried to fly kites from the Canadian to the American side as the winds came from West to East. A young American boy named Homan Walsh won the contest on his second attempt. Homan Walsh’s first try lasted all day until midnight, but his string caught in the rocks of the gorge and broke. The river ice broke up, and he could not take the ferry back to the U.S. side. Eight days later he was able to repair his kite, which he call the Union. He tried again to fly it across the gorge, and this time he was successful. The string of his kite was fastened to a tree on the American shoreline and a light cord attached to it pulled across. Next came a heavier cord, then a rope and finally a wire cable composed of a number of strands of number ten wire which was the beginning of the new bridge.

Charles Ellet and his company hoped to have the bridge completed and open on May 1, 1849. Two 50-foot wooden towers were built and a 1,200-foot cable was anchored at the site. An iron basket was designed that that looked like two high-back rocking chairs and could roll on rollers on the cable so that supplies could be winched back and forth. Mr. Ellet charged $1 per person for the trip and soon as many as 125 people per day enjoyed the ride in this basket. Although there were many setbacks, Ellet was able to open the bridge ahead of schedule. For the first crossing, he actually drove a horse and carriage across the bridge with no guardrails on the sides at that time. The bridge was completely finished and opened to the public on August 1, 1848.

Douglas Farley, Director
Erie Canal Discover Center
24 Church St.
Lockport NY 14094
716.439.0431
CanalDiscovery@aol.com
www.NiagaraHistory.org