1333, 3437 CANADA (Ontario) / UNITED STATES (New York) - Niagara Falls

1333

Located on the Niagara River, which drains Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, on the border between Canada and the United States, between the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, New York, Niagara Falls is in fact an assembly of three waterfalls: the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls. The Horseshoe Falls (furthest on the postcard 1333) lie mostly on the Canadian side and the American Falls (closest on the postcard 1333) entirely on the American side, separated by Goat Island.

3437

The smaller Bridal Veil Falls are also located on the American side, separated from the other waterfalls by Luna Island. The boundary line was drawn through Horseshoe Falls in 1819, but it has long been in dispute due to natural erosion and construction. The combined falls form the highest flow rate of any waterfall in the world, with a vertical drop of more than 50m. Niagara Falls were formed when glaciers receded at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation (the last ice age), and water from the newly formed Great Lakes carved a path through the Niagara Escarpment en route to the Atlantic Ocean.

There are differing theories as to the origin of the name of the falls. One say that "Niagara" is derived from the name given to a branch of the locally residing native Neutral Confederacy, "Niagagarega" people, and another say that comes from the name of an Iroquois town called "Ongniaahra", meaning "point of land cut in two". The cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada and Niagara Falls, New York, U.S.A. are connected by two international bridges. Ships can bypass Niagara Falls by means of the Welland Canal, which was improved and incorporated into the Saint Lawrence Seaway in the mid-1950s.

On the Canadian side, Queen Victoria Park features manicured gardens, platforms offering spectacular views of both the American and Horseshoe Falls, and underground walkways leading into observation rooms that yield the illusion of being within the falling waters. The observation deck of the nearby Skylon Tower offers the highest overhead view of the falls, and in the opposite direction gives views as far as distant Toronto. The Whirlpool Aero Car, built in 1916 from a design by Spanish engineer Leonardo Torres y Quevedo, is a cable car that takes passengers over the Niagara Whirlpool on the Canadian side.

About the stamps
On the postcard 1333 
The stamp is part of a series of five definitive stamps, Baby Wildlife, about which I wrote here.

On the postcard 3437
The firs and the last stamps are part of the series National Parks, about which I wrote here. The second stamp, depicting read pears, is part of the series of definitives stamps Fruits, about which I wrote here.
References
Niagara Falls - Wikipedia

Sender 1333: Katie
Sent from Toronto (Ontario / Canada), on 15.04.2014
Photo: J.A. Ktavlis / Masterfile
Sender 3437: Denise
Sent from Jericho (New York / United States), on 04.02.2020