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The Maid of the Mist is a sightseeing boat tour of
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 Fall ...
, starting and ending on the American side, crossing briefly into Canada during a portion of the trip.
The fleet currently consists of two vessels, both of which launched in 2020. The ''James V. Glynn'' was named in honor of the Maid of the Mist Chairman and CEO, who in 2020 celebrated 70 years with the company, and the ''Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla ( ; ,"Tesla"
''
In 2009, NBC-TV's popular sit-com '' The Office'' filmed scenes on ''Maid of the Mist''. The episode centered on the wedding of the characters
Third ''Maid of the Mist''
* Years of service: 1885–1955
* Type: steam boat
Fourth ''Maid of the Mist''
* Years of service: 1892–1955
* Type: white oak steamboat
* Length:
* Engine: two-engine steam
''Maid of the Mist III''
* Years of service: 1972–1997
* Length:
* Gross tonnage: 75
* Engine: single diesel
* Passengers: 210
''Maid of the Mist IV''
* Years of service: 1976–2013
* Length:
* Gross tonnage: 75
* Engine: two diesel
* Passengers: 300
''Maid of the Mist V''
* Years of service: 1983–2013
* Length:
* Gross tonnage: 74
* Engine: two diesel
* Passengers: 300
''Maid of the Mist VI''
* Years of service: 1990–2019
* Length:
* Breadth:
* Depth:
* Gross tonnage: 155
* Engine: two diesel
* Passengers: 600
''Maid of the Mist VII''
* Years of service: 1997–2020
* Length:
* Breadth:
* Depth:
* Gross tonnage: 155Results for Vessel: ''Maid of the Mist VII''
United States Coast Guard Maritime Information eXchange (CGMIX)
* Engine: two diesel
* Passengers: 600
Beginning with the 2020 season, the Maid of the Mist launched two all-new electric ships, with a similar size and capacity to the prior diesel-powered ones.
''James V. Glynn''
* Years of service: 2020–present
* Length:
* Breadth:
* Depth:
* Propulsion System: Lithium-ion battery packs power the all-electric motor
* Passengers: 600
''Nikola Tesla''
* Years of service: 2020–present
* Length:
* Breadth:
* Depth:
* Propulsion System: Lithium-ion battery packs power the all-electric motor
* Passengers: 600
''Little Maid''
* A small tug-like vessel found at the docks on the American side
Russel Brothers Boat Archive
Maid of the Mist
Images from the Historic Niagara Digital Collections
Maid of the Mist Walking Tour
Diana Princess of Wales, Prince William and Prince Harry aboard the ''Maid of the Mist''
Niagara Falls Public Library (Ont.) {{DEFAULTSORT:Maid Of The Mist 1846 establishments in New York (state) Culture of Niagara Falls, Ontario Niagara Falls Transportation in Niagara Falls, New York Transport in Niagara Falls, Ontario Tourist attractions in Niagara County, New York Tourist attractions in Niagara Falls, Ontario Niagara Falls State Park
''
George Westinghouse
George Westinghouse Jr. (October 6, 1846 – March 12, 1914) was an American entrepreneur and engineer based in Pennsylvania who created the railway air brake and was a pioneer of the electrical industry, receiving his first patent at the age ...
to invite him to join his team that won the bid to build the power plant at Niagara Falls. Prior to the current two boats, all prior ships had been named ''Maid of the Mist'', dating back to 1846. The first ships were steam powered; these were replaced by diesel-powered vessels from 1955 until 2019, and later replaced with the current two boats powered by lithium-ion battery-powered electric motors.
The name, ''Maid of the Mist'', could be a reference to the 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 ...
myth of Lelawala.
History
The United States
The original ''Maid of the Mist'' was built at a landing near Niagara Falls on the American side of the border. The boat was christened in 1846 as a border-crossing ferry; its first trip was on September 18, 1846. The two-stage barge-like steamer was designed primarily as a link for a proposed ferry service between New York City and Toronto. It was a 72-foot-long side-wheeler with an 18-foot beam which was powered by steam produced from a wood- and coal-fired boiler. It could carry up to 100 passengers. The ferry did well until 1848, when the opening of a suspension bridge between the United States and Canada cut into the ferry traffic. It was then that the owners decided to make the journey a sightseeing trip, plotting a journey closer to the Falls. The present day Maid of the Mist Corporation was formed in 1884 by Captain R. F. Carter and Frank LaBlond, who invested in a new Maid that would launch in 1885. Captain Carter and Mr. LaBlond hired Alfred H. White from Port Robinson, Ontario to build the new ship. A letter in the archives of the Buffalo Historical Society from Mr. LaBlond to Alfred White says that they are well pleased with the vessel and asks Alfred to add a wale onto the boat. The service is run by Maid of the Mist Corp. of Niagara Falls, New York. Maid of the Mist has been owned by the Glynn family since 1971. James V. Glynn is chairman and chief executive officer of Maid of the Mist Corp. Glynn joined Maid of the Mist in 1950 as a ticket seller, and purchased the company in 1971. During his tenure, Maid of the Mist expanded operations, achieving ten-fold growth.Canada
Access to the river-level attraction on the Canadian side was provided by the Maid of the Mist Incline Railway, afunicular railway
A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite en ...
, between 1894 and 1990, to travel between street level and the boat dock. As this service proved increasingly inadequate in transporting the growing passenger base of the 1990s, four high-speed elevators replaced the railway in 1991. On the American side, the dock is reached by four elevators enclosed in the observation tower.
The Russel Brothers of Owen Sound, Ont. made two all steel Maids for the Niagara Falls gorge, in 1955 and 1956.
The first one is now based in Parry Sound, Ont. and runs dinner cruises and day excursions. The second ''Maid'' was sold in 1983 to the United Pentecostal Church of Ontario and destined for missionary service in the Amazon. ''Maid of the Mist II'' took part in the 9 July 1960, rescue of Roger Woodward
Roger Woodward (born 20 December 1942) is an Australian classical pianist, composer, conductor and teacher.
Life and career Early life
The youngest of four children, Roger Woodward was born in Sydney where he received first piano lessons ...
, a seven-year-old boy who became the first person to survive a plunge over the Horseshoe Falls
Horseshoe Falls is the largest of the three waterfalls that collectively form Niagara Falls on the Niagara River along the Canada–United States border. Approximately 90% of the Niagara River, after diversions for hydropower generation, flows ...
with nothing but a life jacket. ''Maid of the Mist II'' served as a Maid of the Mist until 1983. Subsequently she was relocated to the Amazon River, where she served as a missionary ship for some years.
A partial history of ''Maid of the Mist'' is featured in the IMAX film '' Niagara: Miracles, Myths and Magic''.
Notable passengers
While on his 1860 tour of Canada, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), rode on ''Maid of the Mist''. In June 1952, Marilyn Monroe rode the ''Maid of the Mist'' while in Niagara Falls to film the movie, '' Niagara''. Mikhail Gorbachev was a passenger in 1983. In 1991, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, and their two young sons, PrincesWilliam
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
and Harry
Harry may refer to:
TV shows
* ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin
* ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons
* ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...
, rode on ''Maid of the Mist''.
In 2009, NBC-TV's popular sit-com '' The Office'' filmed scenes on ''Maid of the Mist''. The episode centered on the wedding of the characters Jim
Jim or JIM may refer to:
* Jim (given name), a given name
* Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James
* Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy
* OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism
* ''Jim'' (comics), a series by Jim Woodring
* ''Jim ...
and Pam.
Boats
Original ships
The first series boats to bear the "Maid of the Mist" moniker were steam-powered wooden-hulled ferries. These were in use until an early-season fire destroyed the last of them in 1955. First ''Maid of the Mist'' * Years of service: 1846–1854 * Type: double-stack steamboat ferry * Engine: one sidewheel steam Second ''Maid of the Mist'' * Years of service: 1854–1860 * Length: * Type: single-stack steamer * Engine: paddle boat
Third ''Maid of the Mist''
* Years of service: 1885–1955
* Type: steam boat
Fourth ''Maid of the Mist''
* Years of service: 1892–1955
* Type: white oak steamboat
* Length:
* Engine: two-engine steam
Diesel vessels
After a fire destroyed the last of the wooden-hulled steamers, they were replaced by steel-hulled, diesel powered ferries, launched in 1955 and 1956. About every 20 years or so, new ships were added to the fleet, of increasingly larger capacity; the initial ''Maid of the Mist'' held only 101 passengers, while the last of the diesel-powered vessels, ''Maid of the Mist VII'', could hold up to 600. The last of these were retired in 2019, to be replaced by an electric-powered fleet. ''Maid of the Mist I'' * Years of service: 1955–1990 * Length: * Engine: diesel engines * Passengers: 101 ''Maid of the Mist II'' * Years of service: 1956–1983 * Type: all-steel boat, twin of I * Engine: diesel engines * Passengers: 101
''Maid of the Mist III''
* Years of service: 1972–1997
* Length:
* Gross tonnage: 75
* Engine: single diesel
* Passengers: 210
''Maid of the Mist IV''
* Years of service: 1976–2013
* Length:
* Gross tonnage: 75
* Engine: two diesel
* Passengers: 300
''Maid of the Mist V''
* Years of service: 1983–2013
* Length:
* Gross tonnage: 74
* Engine: two diesel
* Passengers: 300
''Maid of the Mist VI''
* Years of service: 1990–2019
* Length:
* Breadth:
* Depth:
* Gross tonnage: 155
* Engine: two diesel
* Passengers: 600
''Maid of the Mist VII''
* Years of service: 1997–2020
* Length:
* Breadth:
* Depth:
* Gross tonnage: 155United States Coast Guard Maritime Information eXchange (CGMIX)
Electric vessels
Beginning with the 2020 season, the Maid of the Mist launched two all-new electric ships, with a similar size and capacity to the prior diesel-powered ones.
''James V. Glynn''
* Years of service: 2020–present
* Length:
* Breadth:
* Depth:
* Propulsion System: Lithium-ion battery packs power the all-electric motor
* Passengers: 600
''Nikola Tesla''
* Years of service: 2020–present
* Length:
* Breadth:
* Depth:
* Propulsion System: Lithium-ion battery packs power the all-electric motor
* Passengers: 600
''Little Maid''
* A small tug-like vessel found at the docks on the American side
References
External links
Russel Brothers Boat Archive
Maid of the Mist
Images from the Historic Niagara Digital Collections
Maid of the Mist Walking Tour
Diana Princess of Wales, Prince William and Prince Harry aboard the ''Maid of the Mist''
Niagara Falls Public Library (Ont.) {{DEFAULTSORT:Maid Of The Mist 1846 establishments in New York (state) Culture of Niagara Falls, Ontario Niagara Falls Transportation in Niagara Falls, New York Transport in Niagara Falls, Ontario Tourist attractions in Niagara County, New York Tourist attractions in Niagara Falls, Ontario Niagara Falls State Park