Stunts - Tightrope
Charles Blondin "The Great Blondin"
Charles Blondin was one of the most famous stunters at Niagara Falls. He came to Niagara in 1858 and walked across the Niagara River on a tightrope on June 30, 1859.
His rope was 1100' long with a diameter of 3" which stretched from Prospect Park to what is now Oakes Garden.
For Blondin's first walk, he went from the American to the Canadian side in 20 minutes. In order to keep his balance, he used a 30' balancing pole.
Blondin performed eight more stunts in 1859, one of which was carrying his manager, Harry Colcord, on his back [6].
Blondin pushed the limits on conquering nature and overcoming the danger and mystery of Niagara. His tightrope acts encouraged other stunters to equal and surpass his acts.
Andrew Jenkins "The Professor"
Andrew Jenkins' desire to tightrope walk came about after his father took him to see Charles Blondin's performance.
However, after watching a bicyle act on a Galt stage, he came up with the idea of riding a bicyle on a rope across the falls.
He performed his bicycle stunt across the Niagara River on August 26th, 1869. He used an 1040' long and 4" diameter rope, and rode on a "doon bike".
Jenkins's stunts drew a crowd of around 8000 spectators from both America and Canada due to the fact he was performing a stunt at the same location as Blondin but also because it was on a bicycle. There was a fee of $.25 to watch Jenkins cross which he did in about 11 minutes [7].
Maria Spelterini
Maria Spelterini was the first women to cross the Niagara River on a tightrope.
She made her trip on July 8th, 1876 on a 1000' long and 2.25" diameter thick rope.
Soon after, Spelterini performed other acts on a tightrope, like wearing baskets on her feet, crossing blindfolded, and with her ankles and wrists bound together [8].
Her act proved that women can perform the same feats as men and have the same success.
Her acts drew in thousands of visitors to Niagara that wanted to see a women perform a feat that before had only been accomplished by men.
They lined the bridge behind her forming a dark wall. It is impossible to distinguish between people due to the large numbers that came.
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[6] “Daredevils of Niagara Falls”, accessed 9 December 2015, http://www.niagarafrontier.com/devil_frame.html.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Ibid.