Pierre Berton
Renowned Canadian author Pierre Berton made his way to Niagara in 1992 to launch his newly published book, entitled, “Niagara: A History of the Falls”. The official launch of the book took place at Oak Hall on September 9th, 1992 and he spoke about various topics contained in his new book. He wished there to be a more natural feel around Niagara Falls; “I would have liked Niagara Falls to have been totally surrounded by natural beauty”. Too many entrepreneurs were in the area in the early days before the idea of preserving nature was a known concept. He isn’t surprised that areas such as Clifton Hill were built, however. “You’ve got to give people something to do when they get here besides look at the Falls. Although some guys are prepared to sit for two hours looking at the water, as I am, a good many people aren’t,” he said.
Of the many colourful characters included in the book, Mr. Berton thought that Nikola Tesla was by far the most interesting. “He is the reason, of course, why this is the industrial heartland of northeastern United States and southwestern Ontario,” he remarked. It is also interesting to note that Mr. Berton and his wife met with Niagara Falls historian and local author George Siebel and his wife Olive in January of 1992. They had dinner at the Table Rock Restaurant where I am sure they also had time to compare notes.
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