Niagara Falls and area is rich in both history and poetry. Join Andrew Porteus, retired librarian and historian, as he explores the history of Niagara Falls and area through its poetry. My mantra: if there isn't a poem about it, it didn't happen (although I may write a limerick about it to confirm that it did happen). This podcast is a component of the Niagara Falls Poetry Project at https://niagarapoetry.ca
Niagara History and Poetry Episode 4: Death and the Photographer: Joseph Avery and Platt Babbitt
This episode explores the tragic story of Joseph Avery's death in the Niagara River Rapids in 1853 and Platt Babbitt's iconic photograph, through prose and poetry.
4 Mar 2025
Niagara History and Poetry Episode 3 - Captain Matthew Webb
Captain Matthew Webb. the first person to swim the English Channel from Dover to Calais, lost his life at Niagara Falls whilst attempting to swim the Niagara River rapids and whirlpool. This tragedy is documented in poems by 3 of the worst poets writing in English and 3 poets laurate, and includes both a poem and a prose description of encounters with Captain Webb's ghost.
Poems and other sources cited:
Almon Trask Allis. Uncle Alvin at Niagara https://niagarapoetry.ca/2018/01/13/alvin/
John Betjeman. A Shropshire Lad (on album Banana Blush) https://niagarapoetry.ca/2021/07/27/betjeman/
Donald Lashelle. The River Niagara https://niagarapoetry.ca/2018/01/08/lashelle/
James McIntyre. Niagara’s Charms and Death of Webb https://niagarapoetry.ca/2021/06/20/charms/
William Arthur Deacon. The Four Jameses (book)
James Gay. Lines on the Death of Captain Webb https://niagarapoetry.ca/2021/06/20/charms/
Crawford Kilian. Canada’s Five Worst Poets: Are You Number Six? https://thetyee.ca/ArtsAndCulture/2012/03/24/Five-Worst-Poets/
Chris Hunt. McGonagall Online. https://www.mcgonagall-online.org.uk/
James McGonagall. The Death of Captain Webb https://niagarapoetry.ca/2025/03/02/mcgonagall/
Michelle Ann Kratts, in her Kratts Korner column on the Oakwood Cemetery website https://www.oakwoodniagara.org/
Niagara Falls Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay
1 Jan 2025
Niagara History and Poetry Episode 2 - Bears in a Canoe
Bears are rarely seen in Niagara today, but they were certainly here in the 19th century. In this episode I examine a story from a guidebook about a bear climbing into a fisherman's canoe in the middle of the Niagara River, and two poems also describing this incident.
Poems & other sources mentioned
Erieus (Adam Hood Burwell, known as the Pioneer Poet). Journal of a Day’s Journey in Upper Canada in October, 1816
Charles Edwin Jakeway. Laura Secord
George W. Holley, ed. The Falls of Niagara. Florio (Clement Clarke Moore). A Legend of Niagara McIntyre, James. Bear and Falls
Information about recent sightings of bears https://www.wbfo.org/environment/2018-11-05/dec-confirms-resident-bears-in-niagara-county
17 Apr 2024
Niagara History and Poetry Episode 1 - Introduction
In this episode I introduce myself, give a brief history of the Niagara Falls Poetry Project, and what to expect from this podcast. I illustrate my motto - "if something happened but I can't find a poem about it, it didn't happen" with a limerick I wrote to illustrate a really neat picture of a cow at the brink of Niagara Falls. So, because I wrote a limerick, it did, in fact, happen.
I also touch on some of the themes I'll be exploring in upcoming episodes of the podcast, and recite from the fragment of a poem that sparked the idea of the Niagara Falls Poetry Project.Poems recited: Andrew Porteus. Bossy Sims: A Limerick
Peter A. Porter. A Legend of Goat Island
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735
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Podcast Authority Score: 21 / 100
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