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D e p a r t m e n t s | GREAT LAKES BOATING 55
By Miller R. Lopez
FORT NIAGARA
ON LAKE ONTARIO
Youngstown, New York
F
ort Niagara carries evidence of
three distinct cultures. The fort's
roots trace back to its primary
founders almost a hundred years before
the U.S. became its own nation.
The fort began as Fort Conti in
1679, which was then replaced by Fort
Denonville about eight years later. In
1726, the French established a signa-
ture piece to Fort Niagara that remains
stalwart to the structure even today as
the famous "French Castle."
The fort was conquered by the
British in 1759 and the fort's lighthouse
in 1781, which was the first lighthouse
of the Great Lakes. Yet the fort was ulti-
mately surrendered to the U.S. in 1796.
However, both nations struggled over
it, with England recapturing it in 1813,
but then relinquished it under the terms
of the Treaty of Ghent in 1815. It has
remained in U.S. custody ever since.
As one can see, Fort Niagara is rich
in history of not only the occupying
forces, but of local Native Americans
as well. The Fort carried its militaristic
roots all the way until 1963, when it
was decommissioned. Now the fort
boasts a scene of epic structures and
an air of remembrance of all the
years gone by.
Old Fort Niagara
www.oldfortniagara.org
Lighthouse Friends
www.lighthousefriends.com
