Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
to an abundance of fish and game for sportsmen. Several species have enjoyed resurgence
in the region, including wild turkeys, red-tailed hawks, eagles, and foxes.
Long before Europeans visited the Niagara region, native peoples inhabited the land. Some
groupswereattractedtotheareabecauseoutcroppingsofflintyieldedimportanttools,such
as arrowheads and hide scrapers. Others came here for the abundance of nature—forests
filledwithwildgameandwaterspackedwithfish.Manywhostayedcultivated thesoiland
harvested corn, squash, pumpkins, and beans.
Prior to the 1500s, the various tribes within the area fought against each other. Around
1570, the Cayuga, Onondaga, Mohawk, Seneca, and Oneida tribes banded together to form
the Iroquois League, an advanced confederacy with social laws and government institu-
tionsdesignedtopromotepeaceamongitsmembers.In1722,asixthnation,theTuscarora,
joined the Iroquois League.
The Iroquois Confederation dominated the region and greatly influenced the fate of all
natives in this area. The Iroquois went to war with two local tribes, the Eries and the Neut-
rals,resultinginthedestructionofthosetribes.TheremainingEriesandNeutralsfled,were
killed, or were assimilated into other tribes.
Europeans began exploring this region inthe 1600s.The French andthe British traded with
thenativepeoples,swappingirontools,firearms,blankets,andotherwaresforbeaverpelts.
During the French and Indian War, the alliance of the Iroquois with the British was instru-
mental in allowing England to gain control of the region in 1759.
For a few years, there was peace in the area. The region's sparse population began to
grow as the American Revolutionary War started. Many American colonists who were loy-
al to Great Britain sought refuge across the border in Ontario. For the six tribes of the
IroquoisConfederacy,theAmericanRevolutionaryWarwasthesourceofmassivein-fight-
ing. The Tuscarora and Oneida leaders sided with the Americans, while the Cayuga, Mo-
hawk, Seneca, and Onondaga leaders allied with England. When England lost, American
troops pushed the English-allied tribes from central and western New York in a sustained
