A chain of little islands stepping out one after another into the upper rapids, until visitors stand surrounded — out in the middle of the wild, shallow, racing river just before it goes over the edge. The water runs fast and loud on every side, and there are few places on earth where one can stand right inside a river like this and feel it move. It's the most contemplative spot in the park, and the right place for an honest reckoning. Here the tour confronts the famous "maiden sacrifice" legend head-on — telling the truth that it was never a Haudenosaunee tradition but a settler-era invention, later sold to tourists for generations. It closes with respect for the living Six Nations, the Seneca and the Tuscarora, whose communities remain near this river today.
The Three Sisters. These little islands step out one after another into the upper rapids — and crossing them, you end up surrounded, standing out in the middle of the wild, shallow, racing river just before it goes over the edge. Listen to it. The water's everywhere around you here, fast and loud and shoulder-deep with spray, and there's almost nowhere else on earth where you can stand right out in a river like this and feel it run. It's the most contemplative spot in the park — and the right place for me to be honest with you. You're going to hear a famous story at Niagara, about an Indian maiden sent over the falls in a canoe as a sacrifice. It's a haunting tale, and you'll see it on postcards and hear it from tour boats. It's also not what it claims to be — not who it claims to belong to — and Boone's going to set the record straight. Stay with us a moment: he'll tell you where that legend really came from, who actually made it up, and why the truth matters a great deal more than the myth.
