March 8th marks the conjunction of two celebrations - International Women's Day and a lesser known crossing of Niagara Falls. Whilst these two events may seem worlds apart, connecting them is true pioneering spirit. These two articles tell the true stories of crossing Niagara Falls. Whether you cross by rail, wire, or barrel, and whether you are motivated by escape from physical shackles or those imposed by your sex, conquering the Falls is part of a broader human accomplishment.
Part 1: A kite-flying competition, an engineer in a basket, and a railroad over a ravine.
Part 2: A lady on a wire, a pensioner in a barrel, and an undercover mission for liberation.
Let's take the plunge...
A FEMALE FUNAMBULIST – MARIA SPELTERINI
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Maria Spelterini crossing the gorge with peach baskets on her feet. |
Niagara Gorge has seen numerous death-defying stunts enacted by legendary acrobats and performers such as Charles Blondin and 'The Great Farini'. One such daredevil was 23-year-old Italian funambulist, Maria Spelterini. To this day, she is the only woman to have crossed the gorge on a tightrope. In July 1876, Maria successfully performed her stunt four times in front of a large crowd of onlookers. Each crossing incorporated different circus-style obstacles including a blindfold, manacles, and strapping peach basket to her feet!
The spectators were delighted by Maria's flamboyant performances, and it certainly seems that a large part of her stunt was for entertainment. Spelterini's eye-catching outfits formed part of her act and were commented on by the local newspapers:
flesh coloured tights, a tunic of scarlet, a sea green bodice and neat green buskins...attired in a colourful, showy costume, she frequently wore a flat hat, set at a jaunty angle.
Can you imagine standing above the roar of Niagara Falls as an ordinary passer-by, astonished at the sight of a young woman, glittering in brilliant reds and greens, dancing across the gorge. It must have seemed like some spectacular illusion! Whilst Niagara was accustomed to aerial daredevils, Maria stands out as the sole female. Defying the domestic expectations of women in the 19th-century, Spelterini was determined to pursue a global career in stunt entertainment. She carved a stage for herself into Niagara's dramatic scenery and in doing so, showed North America what fearless women could achieve.
'QUEEN OF THE MIST' – ANNIE EDSON TAYLOR
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| Annie Edson Taylor and her barrel. |
On the 24th October 1901, 63-year-old widow Annie Edson Taylor became the first person to take the plunge over Niagara Falls and survive.
Ms Taylor described falling on hard times after losing money she lent to a friend, and with her profession as a dance teacher providing little income. It was this financial crisis which motivated her to pursue such a crazy stunt. In July 1901, Annie stumbled upon an article about the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo that year. Realising how many tourists would be visiting Niagara Falls, she felt this audience would provide the perfect opportunity to rebuild her life.
it will be fame and fortune or instant death.
- Annie Edson Taylor interview (1901), New York Heritage Digital Collections.
In preparation for the stunt, Taylor designed a custom oak barrel, large enough for her to fit inside. It was 5ft high, 3ft in diameter, clad in iron, and lined with padding. She employed Frank Russell to advertise her upcoming stunt, and Taylor admitted in her interview that she sold virtually everything she owned in order to raise his fees.
On the day of her 63rd birthday, Ms Taylor was rowed a mile upriver to Grass Island, where she would enter the barrel feet-first. Once she was strapped in, two men sealed the barrel and filled it with air using a bicycle pump! The intrepid adventurer was then rowed into the middle of the river and cut loose...
The only sensation that I could think of was as if you put a dasher in a churn and churned it with all your might...I expected to be killed.
- Annie Edson Taylor interview (1901)
After
falling 51 metres, the barrel was fished out some 20-minutes after being released. Annie Edson Taylor
emerged alive, if slightly battered to rapturous applause from the onlooking crowds.
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| Montage of photos from the day of Annie's adventure. credit: New York Heritage Digital Collections. |
Sadly, Annie did not achieve the fame and fortune she had risked her life for. Her precious barrel was even stolen by her manager, and she spent her savings hiring private investigators to retrieve it. After a brief spell of celebrity, Ms Taylor toyed with idea of writing a novel, producing a biographic film, taking her chances on Wall Street, and bizarrely, reinventing herself as a clairvoyant! In her final years, she returned to Niagara to sell merchandise and pose for tourist photos.
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| Ms Taylor at her souvenir stand (colourised). credit: New York Heritage Digital Collections. |
As new generations of Niagara daredevils emerged, public interest in the 'Queen of the Mist' dwindled. Although she was overlooked during her own lifetime, we certainly won't forget her! Annie Edson Taylor deserves to be celebrated today as the first person to brazenly leap into Niagara Gorge in a barrel. Throughout her life, Annie was unabashed in her ambition to make something of herself. And for that, we take our hats off to her.
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| Harriet Tubman colourised photo |
American Abolitionist Harriet Tubman is revered for rescuing and smuggling slaves into free states and Canada using the Underground Railroad network. Tubman led approximately 70 people to freedom and assisted the escape of countless others. The Niagara railway bridge was integral to these escape missions.
Despite Abolition in 1827, slaves in New York were not freed. Over the border in more liberal Ontario, a further law forbade bringing new slaves into the province. Consequently, crossing final checkpoints like the Niagara bridge into Canada would grant the enslaved their freedom. Caveats like these paved the way for the Underground Railroad network.
when I found I had crossed that line, I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person...The sun came like gold through the trees, and over the fields.
- Tubman after crossing the border into freedom.
Enslaved from birth and with permanent scars from beatings, the young Tubman endured a traumatic upbringing in Maryland. Despite these horrors, Harriet developed a determined and defiant character, regularly escaping for up to five days at a time. In her mid-twenties, she successfully escaped, beginning a new life in Philadelphia – but Tubman wasn't content with just her own freedom. Facing her fears of being recaptured, Harriet bravely returned to Maryland 13 times to rescue her family and countless strangers. These rescue missions were meticulous - Tubman often sang coded messages hidden in religious songs to communicate plans. She also carried a revolver, and it is said that she was not afraid to use it.
I was the conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can't say — I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger.
-Harriet Tubman speaking at an 1896 women's suffrage convention.
Due to its location, Niagara's railway bridge was a crucial gateway for slaves to escape. One slave whose freedom began at the Falls was Joe Bailey. Expertly guided by Harriet, he did not even dare to raise his head to admire the view during his anxious crossing. Harriet saved the lives of many such Joes and is remembered accordingly as the 'Moses' of her people. Niagara Falls was privileged to be the backdrop to a story of such heroism.
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Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. Painting by Paul Collins. |
With magnetic scenery and gateway to freedom, Niagara Falls and its bridge inevitably set the stage for pioneering women. Maria Spelterini, Annie Edson Taylor, and Harriet Tubman embodied spectacular nerve, indomitable spirit, and courageous altruism, respectively. Today, let's celebrate the accomplishments of these formidable women and their journeys to cross the Falls.
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