Published: July 09, 2008 06:23 pm            

EDITORIAL: Underground Railroad story just part of our history

Niagara has a story to tell. In fact, Niagara has quite a few stories to tell and it looks like it’s finally getting around to the matter.

The city’s Tourism Advisory Board this week heard that the state Legislature has approved a commission that will focus on promoting and publicizing the story of the Underground Railroad. The governor still has to sign the measure into law.

The Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Commission would be charged with the duty of spreading the word about how our area was a key player in the effort to route escaped slaves to Canada and freedom before the Civil War. It’s a story that others, most notably the North Star project and the National Heritage Area, have made progress with by establishing a historic tourism presence in the North End.

We’ve been big boosters of telling Niagara’s stories to visitors and promoting the area’s history. And what a history it is. Think of it: the discovery of the falls themselves and all that surrounds them; the military confrontations in the 18th and 19th centuries; the opening of the west via the Erie Canal; the development of electric power through the work of Nikola Tesla; the development of industry and its unfortunate side effect of the chemical waste crisis and Love Canal.

The story of freedom via the Underground Railroad is another piece of the rich mosaic that is the Niagara area. Perhaps we don’t promote our history enough to potential visitors because we don’t know enough about our history ourselves.

The story of Niagara is a microcosm of the story of America. Let’s shout it out. Not only would it be interesting; it would likely be good business as well.

        

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