LAN D M A R K S O N TH E N I AGARA FRONTI ER A C H RO NO LO GY / B Y PETER A/gglS‘ER N IAGARA FALLS 1914 C° n ht 1 1 py g , 9 4 , B Y ETE R A O RTE R P . P TW O H 'NDRED AND FI FTY SIGNED AND N'M B ERED COPIES PRINTED TH IS COPY I S - 3 7 6 9 3 G A'G 8 l9| 4 © CI. A B ATTLES ON TH E NIAGARA FRONTIER WE ST BAN K EA ST BANK On u i aah ra 1 6 1 g , 5 E 1 6 Senecas ries , 53 . 1 68 Ft De Nonville besieged , 7 e 1 La Bell Famille , 759 . 1 Ft Niagara captured , 759 ’ 1 6 Devil s Hole Massacre , 7 3 ’ 1 6 Wilkin s attacked , . 7 3 1 1 Ca le d o ni a captured . B o m b a r d m e n t s Forts 8 2 1 8 1 2 Queenston Heights , Niagara and George , ’ s I nv a sion f 1 8 1 2 Smyth s , Bombardments Bu falo E 1 8 1 . 2 Ft George , and Fort rie , . f 1 8 1 Newark burnt , Bu falo , 3 of . E . 1 8 1 Capture Ft rie , . Ft Niagara captured , 3 Chippawa , Devastation American ’ u L ndy s Lane , Frontier , of . E Siege Ft rie , Black Rock , l n . As s au t o E . Ft rie , Caroline burned , o . E S rtie from Ft rie , “ C of apture Somers , R idgeway, C OMB A TANTS A B OV E B ATTLES - Indian ( Inter tribal ) , n — I dian French , French British , — Indian British , of 1 8 1 2 War , Patriot War , Fenian War, [ 3 ] LOCATION OF FORTS ON TH E NIAGARA FRONTIER WE ST B AN K EAST BAN K B ' F F AL O CRE E K E 1 600 ? Fort of the ries , O ' C O F I V C OF I S R E R E R , S PA E 3 M L E S E 1 6 R First rie , 7 4 Black ock , E 1 Second rie , 779 Tompkins , E 1 1 Third rie , 79 Porter , E 1 80 6 Fourth rie , E 1 8 1 Fifth rie , 4 L C RO C To H W 1 6 B A K K C I PP A A , MI L E S CH I PP W TO EW I O 1 0 A A L ST N , MI L E S 1 2 Kie nu k a 79 , 1 2 On u i a ahra 79 g , 1 8 1 3 Hennepin onc ai re J , First Little Niagara , N Second Little iagara , Top of Mountain , Foot of Mountain Schlosser , Foot of Mountain , Top of Mountain , E leven along Portage , Gray , OM W ON O H L FR LE I ST , N RT , 5 MI E S O' H OF I V 2 I M T R E R , M L E S 1 6 First George , 79 La Salle , 1 Second George , 799 Conti , 1 8 1 0 Third George , De Nonville , 1 8 1 Mississauga , 4 First Niagara , N Second iagara , N a Third iagar , [ 6 ] DATES OF EREC TION OF FORTS ON TH E NIAGARA FRONTIER WE ST BAN K EA ST BAN K I ND I AN Kie nu k a 1 00 ? (Aboriginal) , 5 On uia ahra 1 600 ? g (Neuters) , B ulTalo 1 600 ? Creek (Eries) , FRE N CH La Salle , Hennepin , . Conti , De Nonville , . oncai re J , First Niagara , Second Niagara , First Little Niagara , Second Little Niagara , To of p Mountain , of Foot Mountain , ’ Third Niagara , B RITI S H Schlosser , 1 Foot . 0 f 6 1 Mountain , 7 E To of 1 6 First rie , p Mountain , 7 4 E E 1 6 Second rie , leven along Portage , 7 4 Third Erie CANADA Chippawa , Queenston , First George , Second George , Er Fourth ie , Third George , DrII mmond , Missi ssauga , STATE S Black Rock , Tompkins , E 1 8 1 Fifth rie , 4 Gray , . Porter , DATES AND LOC ATIONS OF B ATTERIES ON TH E NIAGARA FRONTIER WE ST B AN K EA ST BANK MO' TH O F RIV ER 175 9 IN W AR O F 18 12 Mouth of River Youngstown to Lewiston Newark to Queenston Queenston Heights Lewiston Queenston to Falls Niagara Falls Chippawa Chippawa to S q uaw Island Source of River PA TRIOT W A R 1837 CANAD A S H O RE Y L ND 4 NAV I S A , [ 8 ] FORTS ON TH E NIAGARA FRONTIER T i s doubtful if there i s elsewhere in North America an fi the area Of equal size , whose history better exhibits , rst I explorations and later the contentions among the n ations during the seventeenth and eighteenth cent uries for the control of Of territory and trade , than the strip land which embraces — s ix the banks Of the Niagara River , the connecting link , thirty tw E . Fo miles long , be een Lake rie and Lake Ontario r Niagara w a s the key to all the West ; it s portage Of seven miles around the Falls being the only break in an all- water journey between Of . Fort Frontenac and the far ends all the upper lakes Spain , . all Holland , Sweden , France , and Britain all coveted and secured a foothold on this continent . The tenures of Holland of . and Sweden were comparatively short duration Spain , with longer occupancy and larger possessions (her territory to the lying south) , made but little progress in the settlement of the country . France settled the northern and Britain the central Atlantic coast . Both gradually but surely increased their areas , extending their control westward , until , in their for w a s inevitable contest supremacy , France entirely dispos sessed . These tw o were the only European nations th at ever secured any foothold whatever o n the Niagara . ‘ a The territory , known In history as the Niag ra Frontier , received its commonly accepted geographical boundaries at the who SO as hands Of Sir William Johnson , , far dealing with the various Indian tribes , was the most influential white man who ever trod this continent . At the great treaty held by him , in ' of Gre at 1 6 behalf Britain , at Fort Niagara in 7 4 , there were o f E present representatives many Indian tribes from the ast, t e H West , North , and South ; from h udson and from the Missis ’ re ions f o sippi ; from near the frozen g o Hudson S Bay, and fr m the sunny lands Of the Arkansas . A British army (under of on it s command General Bradstreet) , then western journey , lay encamped at the fort . With such an argument , and with ‘f to the their recent hostilities the British fresh in their minds , Che nu se o Indians and other enemy Senecas were in no posi ’ tion to refuse Sir William s request for a large grant of land . ’ Only three months before , in expiation Of the Devil s Hole ” i s Massacre , they had agreed (though it doubtful if they ever intended to fulfi ll the agreement) to grant t o Great Britain the lands along both banks of the Niagara River, from a point [ 9 ] some two miles a bove the Falls to Lake Ontario . The grant was to be signed at a Treaty Conference to be held at Fort Niagara during the coming summer . When it assembled , the non— attendance of the Senecas caused Sir William to send Of and demand their immediate appearance , under threat anni hila t ion. They came at once , and when they arrived he calmly requested them to enlarge their promised grant so as E to include both sides of the river from the Falls to Lake rie , O f of the width two miles on each bank , and to formally com “ ple t e the transaction at once . SO the Senecas promptly sur rendered to his Majesty for His sole use and that Of the garri ” sons , the territory four miles wide , that is , two miles back from the river on each bank , along both sides of the Niagara River from its source to its mouth . The Senecas also now presented all the islands in that river to Sir William , who immediately transferred them to the Crown . He wanted Great Britain to have a record title to all this territory from lake to lake . At its northern end Wa s situated to the famous Fort Niagara , the key the entrance to the western country . Near its center was that indispensable portage around the Cataract . Along the seven miles Of that portage and for its proper protection , the army had just completed eleven blockhouses , and had also built a blockhouse at the brow Of the mountain ; while for the defense respectively Of it s upper and lower terminals it had built , but three years before , Fort S chlosser and a new fort just below the mountain . The 1 6 Niagara portage , in the fall of 7 4 , was the best protected highway in all America . Of w Of At the source the river , ithout even the formality asking the permission of the Senecas who owned the soil , a depot Of supplies (the first Fort Erie) had just been built by ” the British army , and was now defensible , though not fully completed . That he might have a legal title to this territory , fi where he had just built so many forts , and the speci c legal , as well as martial , right to maintain them , was the white man ’ S reason for demanding that the red man publicly deed 8 0 .