Shadows Of Niagara

A Village in the Shadows is about survivors from the American Revolution who remained loyal to King George III. At the start of the revolution in 1776, families began to lose their homes, farms and businesses. They wanted to continue their old way of life under the orderly laws and security of the British Crown they had known in pre-revolutionary times. This type of government was being promised in Canada. A British Crown farming/resettlement program was implemented for families to grow grain and raise cattle on the west side of the Niagara River. Below the Escarpment, on the Niagara Peninsula, a Loyalist settlement developed at the intersection of two ancient Native trails. The settlement eventually became known as the village of St Davids. Its remarkable story started when Loyalist settlers arrived in the early 1780s. They became tenants of the land and laid down new roots. In 1812, they were once again beset by war. They had to defend their families from constant danger and they survived an incendiary attack by American Soldiers in 1814. Once more they had to rebuild their lives and businesses. Today, St Davids proud history is evident in its heritage homes, churches and burial grounds where many of the graves of the early settlers can be found.

Born of glaciers and turbulent waters, wars and struggles of native peoples, Niagara was powered by the dreams of men and women seeking refuge in a new land. Yet for all its rare beauty and rugged pioneering spirit, the Niagara region has sometimes drifted into shadows, affording its seedier citizens the cover they needed to do their dastardly deeds. A plot to invade Canada, a Mafia stronghold, madness, murder and savagery all lie hidden in the region's past. From the blood-soaked grounds of battle, local storyteller Lorna MacDonald Czarnota brings Wicked Niagara and grim tales of the region's early struggles into the light.

A Village in the Shadows is about survivors from the American Revolution who remained loyal to King George III. At the start of the revolution in 1776, families began to lose their homes, farms and businesses. They wanted to continue their old way of life under the orderly laws and security of the British Crown they had known in pre-revolutionary times. This type of government was being promised in Canada. A British Crown farming/resettlement program was implemented for families to grow grain and raise cattle on the west side of the Niagara River. Below the Escarpment, on the Niagara Peninsula, a Loyalist settlement developed at the intersection of two ancient Native trails. The settlement eventually became known as the village of St Davids. Its remarkable story started when Loyalist settlers arrived in the early 1780s. They became tenants of the land and laid down new roots. In 1812, they were once again beset by war. They had to defend their families from constant danger and they survived an incendiary attack by American Soldiers in 1814. Once more they had to rebuild their lives and businesses. Today, St Davids proud history is evident in its heritage homes, churches and burial grounds where many of the graves of the early settlers can be found.

A sweeping history of this natural wonder, from its geological beginnings to the present. "The noble cataract reflects the concerns, failings, and fancies of the times. If we gaze deeply into its shimmering image we can perhaps discern our own." - page 22 “[Pierre Berton] makes a serious and convincing case for Niagara's pivotal role in North American history. ... His Niagara is a lodestar for North American culture and invention: site of the first railway suspension bridge, inspiration for Nikola Tesla's discovery of the principle of alternating current, and the subject of Frederic Church's most celebrated landscape; a natural wonder that has bewitched generations of scientists, authors, and utopians, and stimulated innovations and social movements still casting long shadows. ... surprising, rich and engrossing.” -- Thurston Clarke, New York Times Book Review “Canadian historian Berton tells dozens of absorbing tales about the region and those who passed through it ... He tells them all superbly, aided by essential maps and a few reproductions of posters advertising some of the more bizarre stunts.” -- Publishers Weekly “Entertaining. . . . Berton brings to life the adventurers and dreamers, visionaries and industrialists, who over centuries have been drawn to the Falls.” -- Maclean’s "Berton at his storytelling best; there is something here for everyone. ... a vintage, full-bodied read." -- The London Free Press "A book worth diving into." -- Calgary Herald "By turns ironic, amused, shocked, horrified and awestruck, Berton traces Niagara's history through the deeds of those who came in contact with it ... all the while walking the fine line between detachment and emotion with agility and grace." -- The Whig-Standard (Kingston) Pierre Berton was one of Canada’s most popular and prolific authors, and is widely credited with popularizing Canadian history. His previous books include The Wild Frontier, Prisoners of the North, Klondike, The Invasion of Canada, and The Great Depression.