Editing Niagara Escarpment (section)

==Human geography==
{{More citations needed|section|date=September 2021}}
The escarpment was a major obstacle in the construction of the [[Erie Canal]] in New York and was traversed by a series of locks; the community which grew up at the site thus became known as [[Lockport (city), New York|Lockport, New York]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Lockport : Historic jewel of the Erie Canal|last=L.|first=Riley, Kathleen|date=2005-01-01|publisher=Arcadia|isbn=978-0-7385-2477-1|pages=34|oclc=65537681}}</ref>

The [[Welland Canal]] allows ships to traverse the escarpment between [[Lake Erie]] and Lake Ontario on the Niagara Peninsula of Ontario.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Welland Canals and their communities : engineering, industrial, and urban transformation|last=Jackson|first=John N.|date=1997-01-01|publisher=University of Toronto Press|isbn=978-0-8020-0933-3|oclc=803101574}}</ref> The canal also allowed [[Sea Lamprey]], an invasive species native to Northern Atlantic Ocean, to enter Lake Erie and became a concern for the lake's ecosystem. <ref>{{cite web | url=https://lakeerieliving.com/articles/2023-julyaugust/sea-lampreys-escalate-in-lake-erie/#:~:text=Lampreys%20are%20native%20to%20the,access%20to%20the%20Great%20Lakes | title=Sea Lampreys Escalate in Lake Erie }}</ref> 

In southern Ontario, the [[Bruce Trail]] runs the length of the escarpment from [[Queenston, Ontario|Queenston]] on the Niagara River to [[Tobermory, Ontario|Tobermory]] on the Bruce Peninsula. [[Ontario Highway 401|Highway 401]], Canada's busiest, also crosses the Niagara Escarpment, beginning its long descent through rolling hills, farmland, and towns west of Milton. Rock exposed on the face of the escarpment can be seen along [[Ontario Highway 26|Highway 26]] from [[Owen Sound]] eastwards towards [[Meaford, Ontario]].

[[Hamilton, Ontario]] is on the escarpment in such a way that the north end of the city is below and the south part above. Commonly referred to as "The Mountain" by its residents, many roads or "mountain accesses" join the urban core below with the suburban expansion above. From 1892 to 1936, the [[Hamilton Incline Railway]] transported people up and down "The Mountain."

[[High Cliff State Park]] in Wisconsin shows how modern and prehistoric humans used the escarpment for not only cultural reasons, but economic gains, as well. A number of different animal and geometric [[effigy mound]]s and the remains of an early 20th-century limestone quarry and kiln are within the park.

The [[Topographic relief|relief]] and exposed edge are used by several [[wind farm]]s stretching from [[Pipe, Wisconsin|Pipe]] to [[Brownsville, Wisconsin|Brownsville]] in Wisconsin. Wind speeds average 18&nbsp;mph (about 29&nbsp;km/h) along this stretch.

The Niagara Escarpment is a prominent Wisconsin feature in Dodge County, southwest of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin; it is known there as "The Ledge" and is in Ledge County Park between Horicon and Mayville, Wisconsin.<ref>Joanne Kluessendorf, [http://dnr.wi.gov/wnrmag/2010/10/ledge.htm "A look at The Ledge"], Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine, October 2010.</ref> Some local organizations take their name from it, including The Ledgers, the sports teams at [[St. Mary Springs High School|St. Mary's Springs Academy]], which is perched on the side of the escarpment.

Many resorts and [[ski country|ski areas]] in Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin, and New York are along the escarpment.