Test Your Nerve at the Niagara Falls Daredevil Museum

Maid of the Mist, Butterfly Conservatory, White Water Walk, and Journey Behind the Falls Pass

Maid of the Mist

While visiting Niagara Falls and standing in the magnificence of that natural wonder, overwhelmed by the enormity and force at which the water tumbles over the edge, think to yourself... some people actually try to take on that force of nature! Before 1984, daredevils could execute their plunge with little interference from the law, but since then, a law has been adopted that fines barrel-riders and others $500 for challenging the Falls. It wasn't much of a deterrent when the idea of fortune and fame would bring in much more than $500, so now the penalty can go as high as $20,000. This has definitely brought down the number of people willing to face this ultimate test of bravado.

Early Daredevils - Turn of the Century

• To see some of the actual contraptions that have been constructed to take on the Falls, visit the Daredevil Museum. The Daredevil Museum is the official repository of information and artifacts showing the thrill-seekers of the Falls. There are pictures, videos, one- and two-person barrels, jet skis, canoes and life preservers.
• You will see information about the 63-year-old schoolteacher that rode a barrel and became the first person to conquer the Falls. Although Anne Taylor got the fame she sought, fortune eluded her and she died destitute twenty years later. In 1911 Bobby Leach made the trip in a steel barrel, but spent six months recovering from injuries sustained in the feat.

Incredible Stories of Survival

• The first person to survive the Falls with only a life jacket was a 7-year-old boy named Roger Woodward. He and his sister were taken out to see the Falls by a co-worker of their father's. When the boat's motor malfunctioned they were caught up in the swift current of the river, the lightweight boat overturned and Roger was swept overboard. Roger was carried to the edge of the Falls and was shot outward by the trajectory of the Falls. The Captain of the maid of the mist was astounded to see the orange life jacket appear at the base of the Falls.
• Also, 18-year-old Tyler Canning was only wearing a life preserver when he took on the treacherous class six lower rapids, and was sucked into a whirlpool then thrown out unscathed.

High Over the Falls

• You will see pictures of tightrope walkers who wowed the crowds with their daring stunts and death-defying tricks standing dead center over the Falls. What proves to be most interesting is that many who conquered the Falls went on to suffer freak personal tragedies later on in their lives, proving you can only cheat death for so long.

Visiting the Daredevil Museum is part of learning the history of these great Falls and a must-see while you vacation in Niagara Falls. It will give you an excellent and interesting conversation piece when you get home.