Editing Niagara River (section)

==History==
[[File:Niagara River from Queenston Heights (I0006956).tif|alt=The Niagara River and trees are depicted in the painting.|thumb|upright|Watercolour by [[Elizabeth Simcoe]] depicting the Niagara River from Queenston Heights, {{circa|1793}}]]
[[Image:Edward Walsh - Queenstown, Upper Canada on the Niagara (a.k.a. Queenston, Ontario).jpg|thumb|Niagara River at [[Queenston, Ontario]], then known as Queenstown, Upper Canada, {{circa|1805}} watercolour]]

The Niagara River and Falls have been known outside of North America since the late 17th century, when [[Louis Hennepin|Father Louis Hennepin]], a French explorer, first witnessed them. He wrote about his travels in ''A New Discovery of a Vast Country in America'' (1698).<ref>Hennepin, Louis.  [http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=374 ''A New Discovery of a Vast Country in America''].  Chicago: A.C. McClurg & Co., 1903.  Accessed December 8, 2008.</ref>

The Niagara River was the site of the earliest recorded railway in America. It was an inclined wooden tramway built by [[John Montresor]] (1736–1799), a British military engineer, in 1764.  Called "The Cradles" and "The Old Lewiston Incline", it featured loaded carts pulled up wooden rails by rope. It facilitated the movement of goods over the [[Niagara Escarpment]] in present-day [[Lewiston, New York]].<ref name=Porter>{{cite book | last=Porter |first=Peter |title=Landmarks of the Niagara Frontier |publisher=The Author |year=1914}}</ref>

In 1781, the [[Niagara Purchase]] was signed, involving a {{convert|6.5|km|mi|adj=mid|-wide}} strip of land bordering the west bank of the Niagara River, connecting Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Niagara Purchase {{!}} The Canadian Encyclopedia|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/niagara-purchase|access-date=2021-10-13|website=www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca}}</ref>

Several battles occurred along the Niagara River, which was historically defended by [[Fort George, Ontario|Fort George]] (Canadian side) and [[Fort Niagara]] (American side) at the mouth of the river and [[Fort Erie]] (Canadian side) at the head of the river. These forts were important during the [[Seven Years' War]] (known as the [[French and Indian War]] in the United States) and the [[American Revolutionary War]]. The [[Battle of Queenston Heights]] took place near the river in the [[War of 1812]].

The river was an important route to liberation before the [[American Civil War]], as many [[African-Americans]] escaping slavery on the [[Underground Railroad]] crossed it to find freedom in 

Canada. The [[Freedom Crossing Monument]] stands on the bank of the river in Lewiston to commemorate the courage of the escaping slaves and the local volunteers who helped them secretly cross the river.

In the 1880s, the Niagara River became the first waterway in the world harnessed for large-scale generation of [[hydroelectricity]].<ref>[http://library.buffalo.edu/libraries/exhibits/panam/sel/electricity.html Electricity and its Development at Niagara Falls] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090124131422/http://library.buffalo.edu/libraries/exhibits/panam/sel/electricity.html |date=2009-01-24 }}.  University at Buffalo, June 2004.  Accessed December 8, 2008.</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Niagara Falls History |url=https://www.niagarafallsstatepark.com/niagara-falls-state-park/history |access-date=24 October 2023}}</ref>

On the Canadian side of the river the provincial agency [[Niagara Parks Commission]] maintains all of the shoreline property, including Fort Erie, except the sites of Fort George (a [[National Historic Sites of Canada|National Historic Site]] maintained federally by [[Parks Canada]]), as a public greenspace and environmental heritage.

On the American side, the [[New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation]] maintains several [[state park]]s adjacent to Niagara Falls and the Niagara River.

Today, the river is the namesake of [[Niagara Herald Extraordinary]] at the [[Canadian Heraldic Authority]].