Happy campers date back century in the Falls
As we begin to enjoy some hot, sunny weather, and the youth of the city enjoy their first full week of summer holidays, we might begin to ponder potential family vacations.
One of my favourite summer activities is camping. Today, there are still a few active campgrounds in the city and at one, you might even see a bear or two. Camping has a long history in the city of Niagara Falls that you might not be familiar with.
During the 1920s, the automobile was beginning to replace the horse and buggy and even the train as the preferred method of transportation for tourists entering the city. As well, road improvements after the First World War made travelling even easier. Automobile traffic followed Highway 8 and Routes 20 and 3A into the City of Niagara Falls. With so many people located within a 500-mile radius, it isn’t surprising that tourists were looking for an affordable place to spend the night.
In the 1920s, camping was becoming a popular “craze.” Many tourists could not afford to stay in a hotel, so they turned to tourist camps instead. It was certainly cheaper to pitch a tent and cook meals over an open wood fire. Camping didn’t come without some drawbacks, however. Primitive outdoor plumbing and long waits at the water tap could be rather tedious. In time, both issues were remedied with indoor enclosed washrooms and even hot and cold running water.
One of the more well-known tourist camps was the Falls View Tourist Camp which was located on the site of the former Panasonic/Minolta Tower. Advertising from 1926 boasted that it was “the only camp overlooking the Falls, and in full view of the nightly illumination from your tent.” With the installation of a new battery of floodlights just the year before in 1925, the cataracts were illuminated more brightly than ever before. Many camps also offered a central complex where visitors could obtain meals, bathing, and even regular hotel-style rooms.
One other alternative to pricey hotels was the private tourist home. A 1926 Niagara Falls tourist guide listed 56 tourist homes where overnight guests could get a bed and a bath for as little as 25 cents per person. Some even included a complimentary breakfast. If you are interested in viewing more photos of summer pastimes of the past, please visit our website at my.nflibrary.ca. Happy camping, everyone.