Chippawa is a community located within the city of
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is on the western bank of the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario, with a population of 88,071 at the 2016 census. It is part of the St. Catharines - Niagara Census M ...
.
The village was founded in 1850, and became part of the City of Niagara Falls, Ontario by amalgamation in 1970. It is located on the Canadian shore of the
Niagara River
The Niagara River () is a river that flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the province of Ontario in Canada (on the west) and the state of New York (state), New York in the United States (on the east) ...
about 2 km upstream from
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, ...
. It is bisected by the
Welland River
The Welland River (originally called the Chippawa Creek) is a river in the Golden Horseshoe that passes through the Southern Ontario cities of Welland and Niagara Falls. It flows from its source just south of Hamilton, Ontario to meet the Nia ...
(also known locally as Chippawa Creek or The Crick).
In historic documents, the name of the village and the river is sometimes spelled as Chippewa or Chippeway.
Early history
First Nations
While the area has undoubtedly been populated by
First Nations
First Nations or first peoples may refer to:
* Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area.
Indigenous groups
*First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including:
**First Natio ...
people for many thousands of years, very few details from times before European contact are known.
The French encountered a group of people whom they called the "
Neutral Indians", because they lived between the more powerful and combative
Huron
Huron may refer to:
People
* Wyandot people (or Wendat), indigenous to North America
* Wyandot language, spoken by them
* Huron-Wendat Nation, a Huron-Wendat First Nation with a community in Wendake, Quebec
* Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi ...
to the north and
Iroquois
The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...
to the south, but were not involved in their wars (at least in recorded time).
Eventually, however, the Neutral nation was wiped out by the Iroquois and almost nothing of their culture survives - the name by which they called themselves is unknown.
Following the extermination of the Neutrals, the area was abandoned by the Iroquois and settled by a branch of the
Chippewa nation, originating the former name of the river and subsequently the name of the village. The Mississauga, a branch of the Ojibwa, were actually the tribe present when the British first colonized the area and were the very first to sign a treaty in what is now Canada with the British government , giving the British access to a one-mile strip of land on the western shore of the Niagara to replace the portage they had lost on the eastern shore after the New England colonies separated from British rule. The Ojibwe made the area one of the stopping area when migrating from the Atlantic region.
Once
Niagara-On-The-Lake
Niagara-on-the-Lake is a town in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Niagara Peninsula at the point where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario, across the river from New York, United States. Niagara-on-the-Lake is in the Niagara Region of On ...
filled up with
United Empire Loyalists
United Empire Loyalists (or simply Loyalists) is an honorific title which was first given by the 1st Lord Dorchester, the Governor of Quebec, and Governor General of The Canadas, to American Loyalists who resettled in British North America duri ...
the British began giving land grants to U.E.L and British veterans to settle in the late 18th century.
The name of the principal village of the Neutrals – ''Onghiara'' (located on the present-day site of Niagara on the Lake was mispronounced by the Chippewa as ''Nyahgeah'', and again by Europeans as ''Niagara'', making this word one of the few remnants of Neutral culture.
Earliest settlers
The first permanent settler of European descent in what is now Chippawa was Thomas Cummings. He was a
United Empire Loyalist
United Empire Loyalists (or simply Loyalists) is an honorific title which was first given by the 1st Lord Dorchester, the Governor of Quebec, and Governor General of The Canadas, to American Loyalists who resettled in British North America duri ...
from
Albany, New York
Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...
who settled on the south side of the Welland River in 1783.
Later that same year, John Burch settled on the north side of the Welland River, and in 1786, he built
saw- and
gristmill
A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the Mill (grinding), grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist i ...
s along the
Niagara River
The Niagara River () is a river that flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the province of Ontario in Canada (on the west) and the state of New York (state), New York in the United States (on the east) ...
.
Military history
Fort Chippawa
A
fort
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
was built in 1791 (at the present day site of Kings Bridge park) to defend the south end of the Portage Road and the King's Bridge (discussed in the Transportation section). This was also known as Fort Welland and consisted of a log blockhouse surrounded by a stockade.
War of 1812
A plain at Usshers Creek (about 2 km south of Chippawa, and then called Streets Creek) was the site of the
Battle of Chippawa on July 5, 1814, and also the site of the American camp to which they retired following the
Battle of Lundy's Lane
The Battle of Lundy's Lane, also known as the Battle of Niagara, was a battle fought on 25 July 1814, during the War of 1812, between an invading American army and a British and Canadian army near present-day Niagara Falls, Ontario. It was one o ...
on July 25, 1814.
After the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
, Chippawa also became the home of
Laura Secord
Laura Secord ( Ingersoll; 13 September 1775 – 17 October 1868) was a Canadian heroine of the War of 1812. She is known for having walked out of American-occupied territory in 1813 to warn British forces of an impending American atta ...
, remembered for carrying information to the British regarding American advances before the
Battle of Beaverdams. She lived in the village until her death at the age of 93.
Transportation
Navigation and the Portage road
![Kings Bridge](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Kings_Bridge.jpg)
Chippawa is the limit of navigation on the Upper Niagara River. Before the construction of the
Welland Canal
The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Ontario, Canada, connecting Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. It forms a key section of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway. Traversing the Niagara Peninsula from Port Weller in St. Catharines t ...
, all cargo and passengers had to be unloaded and carried overland to navigable waters below the falls in order to reach
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border sp ...
.
Before the
War of American Independence
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
, all cargo was carried on the American side of the river. Following this, British interests required a route within their territory. A survey conducted in 1790 reserved a strip one chain wide between Chippawa and
Queenston, Ontario
Queenston is a compact rural community and unincorporated place north of Niagara Falls in the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. It is bordered by Highway 405 to the south and the Niagara River to the east; its location at the epony ...
as a public road, which would become the Portage Road.
Most of this road remains today, following its original winding route in contrast to the rectangular grid of other Niagara Falls streets.
King's Bridge, constructed about 1790, was the very first bridge over the Welland River. It was located at the mouth of the river, closer to the Niagara than today's bridge. Sketches by Lady Simcoe (wife of Lieutenant Governor
John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe (25 February 1752 – 26 October 1806) was a British Army general and the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada from 1791 until 1796 in southern Ontario and the Drainage basin, watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior. ...
) and deputy postmaster
George Heriot
George Heriot (15 June 1563 – 12 February 1624) was a Scottish goldsmith and philanthropist. He is chiefly remembered today as the founder of George Heriot's School, a large independent school in Edinburgh; his name has also been given to H ...
each show a bridge consisting of pilings driven into the river with a wooden deck.
The bridge was of great military importance as the only one crossing of the river. A survey available in the
Brock University
Brock University is a public research university in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. It is the only university in Canada in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, at the centre of Canada's Niagara Peninsula on the Niagara Escarpment. The university bear ...
Special Collections indicates that this was a
drawbridge
A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of moveable ...
.
This survey also shows a new bridge constructed at the location of the current one.
During the first several years that the Welland Canal operated, it did not reach Lake Erie directly. All canal traffic was lowered in a lock at
Port Robinson, Ontario
Port Robinson is a small community in the southernmost part of Thorold, Ontario, Canada. The community is divided in half by the Welland Canal, as there is no bridge in the immediate vicinity to connect the two halves of the community. In the sum ...
to the Welland River, and subsequently sailed to Chippawa, reaching Lake Erie via the Niagara River. Ships entering and leaving the Niagara faced a difficult and dangerous turn into a swift current. The Welland River curved downstream into the Niagara and ships rounding this point were in danger of being swept over the falls.
The problem was resolved by construction of the Chippawa Cut in 1829.
This short canal allowed ships to turn upstream into the Niagara River directly and avoid the most severe currents. This cut is depicted in the survey mentioned above.
By the mid-1830s, the Welland Canal had been extended to enter Lake Erie at
Port Colborne, Ontario
Port Colborne is a city in Ontario, Canada that is located on Lake Erie, at the southern end of the Welland Canal, in the Niagara Region of Southern Ontario. The original settlement, known as Gravelly Bay, dates from 1832 and was renamed after ...
, but commercial navigation on the river continued for roughly another century. In 1843, over 100 steamers carried passengers and some freight on a route that followed the Niagara River from
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...
, then into the Welland River at Chippawa, joining the Welland Canal at Port Robinson, and subsequently via the
Feeder Canal
Feeder may refer to:
Technology
* Feeder (livestock equipment)
* Feeder (beekeeping), any of several devices used in apiculture to supplement or replace natural food sources
* Feeder (casting), another name for a riser, a reservoir built into ...
to
Dunnville, Ontario
Dunnville is an unincorporated community located near the mouth of the Grand River in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada near the historic Talbot Trail. It was formerly an incorporated town encompassing the surrounding area with a total populat ...
and up the
Grand River to
Brantford, Ontario
Brantford ( 2021 population: 104,688) is a city in Ontario, Canada, founded on the Grand River in Southwestern Ontario. It is surrounded by Brant County, but is politically separate with a municipal government of its own that is fully independ ...
.
While commercial shipping no longer exists in Chippawa, pleasure boating continues and
marina
A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.
A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...
facilities can be found at Lyon's Creek just west of the village. Somewhat farther to the west is a relic of the days of commercial shipping – the
Montrose Swing Bridge still carries a railway track over the river even though it has not opened for a ship in about 75 years.
Railways
Erie and Ontario Railway
Even with the Welland Canal providing access between the lakes in the 1830s, the portage road was still carrying a great deal of people and cargo. The canal took over 24 hours to pass through, and could not handle the largest ships of the day. It was inevitable that a railway would be built to streamline movement around Niagara Falls.
The Erie and Ontario railroad opened for traffic in 1839. It had wooden rails with iron straps laid on them and was pulled by horses. This was the first railway in the Niagara Peninsula. By 1854, steam power took over for the horses. A year later, the railway was extended to Niagara (the present day Niagara on the Lake), and in the 1860s, was extended to
Fort Erie, Ontario
Fort Erie is a town on the Niagara River in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. It is directly across the river from Buffalo, New York, and is the site of Old Fort Erie which played a prominent role in the War of 1812.
Fort Erie is one of N ...
at the source of the Niagara River. The line was now known as the Erie and Niagara.
This route became the
Canada Southern Railway
The Canada Southern Railway , also known as CSR, was a railway in southwestern Ontario, Canada, founded on February 28, 1868 as the Erie and Niagara Extension Railway. Its name was changed to Canada Southern Railway on December 24, 1869. The 1868 ...
's Niagara Division and operated into the 20th century. A short section remains in service today as an
industrial spur
A branch line is a phrase used in railway terminology to denote a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line.
Industrial spur
An industr ...
, ending at north side of the Welland River. This is the only active railway in Chippawa today, and there is no passenger service.
The stone piers which once carried this railway over the Welland River on a swing bridge are still present.
[Images of the bridge are available from the Niagara Falls Public Library a]
Historic and current images of Chippawa
.
Niagara Falls Park and River Railway
The Niagara Falls Park and River Railway was trolley line was constructed along the Niagara River between Chippawa and Queenston in 1893. This line crossed the Welland River on a bridge at Cummings Lane
and proceeded about 1.5 km south to Slater's Dock (also known as Chippawa Landing), where it connected with steamboats from Buffalo. The railway carried passengers to Queenston, where connections were made with steamboats to
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
and other points on
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border sp ...
. Moreover, it carried tourists to the falls and connected with the
Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto Railway, which provided
interurban
The Interurban (or radial railway in Europe and Canada) is a type of electric railway, with streetcar-like electric self-propelled rail cars which run within and between cities or towns. They were very prevalent in North America between 1900 a ...
service to
St. Catharines, Ontario.
With the decline of boat service from Buffalo and establishment of through rail service, the line to Slater's Dock was abandoned in the early 20th century and service was cut back to the village of Chippawa.
Most of this line was combined with a parallel route on the American side and lasted until 1932 as the
Niagara Gorge Railroad
The Niagara Gorge Railroad (forming part of the Great Gorge Route) was an interurban railway which ran at the bottom of the Niagara Gorge (at water level) from Niagara Falls, New York to Lewiston, New York.
Stations were at International Railw ...
(also known as the ''Great Gorge Route'', or the ''Niagara Belt Line'').
Although pamphlets and advertisements for the Great Gorge Route show service only as far as Niagara Falls, historic maps of the area
show tracks leading to the north side of the Welland River until at least 1934.
Modern road access
Chippawa does not lie on any major highways. There are four main streets leading to the village, all converging at the bridge over the Welland River.
The
Niagara Parkway
The Niagara Parkway, formerly known as Niagara Boulevard and historically as the Niagara Road, is a scenic road in the province of Ontario that travels on the Canadian side of the Niagara River from the town of Fort Erie to Niagara-on-the-Lake. ...
provides access to the village from both the North and South. Main Street, which changes into Lyons Creek Road outside of the village, makes the most direct connection with a major highway - the
Queen Elizabeth Way
The Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) is a 400-series highway in the Canadian province of Ontario linking Toronto with the Niagara Peninsula and Buffalo, New York. The freeway begins at the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie and travels around the western ...
6 km away. The last main route is the original Portage Road, linking to the business area of Niagara Falls.
Bicycle and pedestrian routes
The
Niagara Heritage Trail passes along the eastern edge of Chippawa, crossing the Welland River via the control dam right at the junction with the Niagara River. This paved walking and cycling trail runs from Niagara on the Lake to Fort Erie. Furthermore, Lyon's Creek Road has paved shoulders for cyclists, and the Chippawa Parkway on the north side of the river is paved and highly suitable for cycling or walking.
Public transit
Niagara Falls Transit
Niagara Falls Transit operates the public transport bus services in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.
Established in 1960, Niagara Transit originally operated ten routes. In 2007 the operation of Niagara Transit was taken over by the transportat ...
provides local bus service between the village and the main part of Niagara Falls. Routes 106, 112, and 206 serves the vicinity.
Business and industry
Many industries have been located either within the municipal boundaries of Chippawa, or just a short distance outside the village boundaries:
Historic industry
Shipbuilding industries were established on both banks of the river before 1840. A foundry which manufactured boilers and engines was constructed at approximately the same time. Chippawa was also home to one of the largest distilleries, along with gristmills, sawmills, tanneries, and iron, brass and tin manufacturing.
Later, the Norton Company began manufacturing abrasives at Chippawa.
Present-day industry
The Norton Abrasives plant still exists, now part of the Saint-Gobain corporation. This is the largest manufacturing industry in the immediate area of Chippawa. Residents are also able to get their groceries from the local Foodland grocery store.
Hydroelectric power
Being above Niagara Falls, Chippawa is the location of water intakes to electric power plants located below the falls. The Welland River is used as an intake from the Niagara River to feed a power canal originating west of the village, leading to reservoirs on the
Niagara Escarpment
The Niagara Escarpment is a long escarpment, or cuesta, in Canada and the United States that runs predominantly east–west from New York through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin, and into Illinois. The escarpment is most famous as the cliff over ...
above Queenston. This diversion actually causes the Welland River to flow backwards from its natural direction, taking water out of the Niagara River. Reconfiguration of the mouth of the Welland River to accommodate this purpose has completely eliminated the Chippawa Cut, as well as the island it had created (known as Hog's or Hogg's Island). It also eliminated the original channel of the river, which is now part of King's Bridge park.
A short distance north of the village along the Niagara Parkway can be seen two monolithic structures – gates to tunnels which also carry water to the generating stations.
[
]
Tourism
The Chippawa area is home to golf courses, parks, the historic field of the Battle of Chippawa, as well as attractive architecture and a quiet atmosphere located a very short distance from the extremely busy Niagara Falls. Marineland is also located just outside the village. While not home to the major hotels, Chippawa does have several smaller establishments, antiques shops, Chippawa House and Chippawa Town Hall
Notable people
In addition to Laura Secord, Chippawa was also home to film director James Cameron
James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post-New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability w ...
, director of ''Titanic
RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United ...
'' and ''Avatar
Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearanc ...
''. The village commemorates this on both the street sign for Parkway Drive which is decorated to look like a film strip, and the village's welcome sign which is decorated with the words "Home of James Cameron". Chippawa is also the hometown of 1992 Canadian Olympic Team Boxer, and Multiple-Time Amateur & Professional Boxing Champion Billy "The Kid" Irwin. His championships include the Canadian Professional Boxing Council (CPBC) Lightweight title, Canada Lightweight title, International Boxing Organization (IBO) Lightweight title, World Boxing Council (WBC) Continental Americas Lightweight title, and Commonwealth Lightweight title. Billy continues to live in Niagara Falls and coaches successful competitive amateur & professional boxers at his gym, Irwin Boxing, at 6689 Lundy's Lane.
References
External links
City of Niagara Falls site
{{Authority control
Neighbourhoods in Niagara Falls, Ontario