This 63-Year-Old Woman’s Barrel Ride Over Niagara Falls Launched 100 Years of Daredevils & Copycats

Niagara Falls, New York

Annie Taylor had a simple plan in 1901: go over Niagara Falls in a barrel, get famous, make money. The 63-year-old teacher pulled it off, becoming the first barrel rider in history.

Her success opened the floodgates for decades of copycat daredevils and creative contraptions.

This is the story of the falls’ most reckless visitors.

The Mighty Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls straddles the border between the United States and Canada.

Water rushes from Lake Erie through the Niagara River before dropping 167 feet into Lake Ontario, and three separate waterfalls form this natural wonder.

Annie Taylor’s Desperate Plan

Annie Edson Taylor taught school in Bay City, Michigan. Born in 1838, the widow had run out of money by 1901.

That summer, thousands of tourists flooded into nearby Buffalo for the Pan-American Exposition.

Taylor saw an opportunity. She devised a plan no one had tried before. She would go over Niagara Falls in a barrel on October 24, 1901—her 63rd birthday.

Crafting the Perfect Barrel

Taylor hired coopers to build a barrel from white Kentucky oak staves. Seven iron hoops bound the wooden planks together, and the barrel stood 146 centimeters tall.

Workers placed a heavy anvil in the base for ballast. This weight kept the barrel from tumbling end-over-end through the rapids.

Inside, Taylor added cushions and a small mattress to absorb the shocking impact of the falls.

She tested the barrel with a cat inside. When the animal survived, Taylor knew she was ready.

The Historic Plunge

On the afternoon of October 24, Taylor arrived at Grass Island on the American side of the river.

She wore a black dress and flowery hat despite the dangerous stunt ahead. Thousands of spectators lined both shores.

At 4:05 p.m., helpers sealed Taylor in her barrel. They pumped in extra air, then towed the craft into the current before cutting it loose.

The river quickly swept the barrel toward the Canadian Horseshoe Falls.

Surviving Against All Odds

Minutes ticked by with no sign of Taylor or her barrel.

At 4:40 p.m., rescuers spotted the barrel floating at the base of the falls. They rowed out to reach it along the Canadian shore.

Workers cut away the top of the barrel to free Taylor, and her friend Carlisle Graham, another daredevil, helped pull her from the wooden container.

Taylor emerged conscious and remarkably unharmed.

She suffered only a small cut on her head and minor bruises from the wild 20-minute journey.

In that moment, Taylor became the first person to conquer Niagara Falls.

Fame Without Fortune

Taylor told reporters she would never attempt such a stunt again. “I would sooner walk up to the mouth of a cannon than make another trip over the Fall,” she declared.

She wrote a memoir and returned to sell it at Niagara Falls. But her manager, Frank Russell, disappeared with her famous barrel, and Taylor spent her savings hiring detectives who found it in Chicago.

Then a second manager stole it again. Without her barrel, Taylor posed for tourist photos at a souvenir stand. She sold postcards for pennies, never finding the fortune she sought.

A Decade-Long Wait for the Next Attempt

For ten years after Taylor’s barrel ride, no one followed her path over the falls.

Bobby Leach, an English daredevil from Barnum & Bailey Circus, spent this time planning his own attempt.

Leach abandoned wood in favor of metal. His steel drum stretched 8 feet long, much different from Taylor’s wooden barrel.

Bobby Leach’s Metal Barrel Triumph

On July 25, 1911, Leach climbed into his steel drum at Navy Island. He lay down inside, preparing for the journey.

Workers released the barrel at 2:55 p.m. It took 18 minutes to approach the edge of Horseshoe Falls.

Spectators watched as the metal cylinder plunged over the brink, Then it vanished into the churning water below.

The barrel became trapped at the base of the falls.

For 22 minutes, it remained stuck until Fred Bender from the power company swam out with a rope.

Bender secured a line to the barrel, allowing workers to pull it to shore where they found Leach alive inside.

The Price of Daring

Leach paid a higher physical price than Taylor.

When rescuers opened his barrel, they found him with two broken kneecaps and a fractured jaw. He spent 23 weeks in the hospital recovering from his injuries.

After recovery, Leach toured with his damaged barrel across North America and Europe. He gave lectures about his experience at the falls.

In 1926, while on tour in New Zealand, Leach slipped on an orange peel and injured his leg. The wound became infected with gangrene.

Doctors amputated his leg, but Leach died from complications.

The First Fatal Attempt

Charles Stephens arrived at Niagara Falls in 1920. The 58-year-old English barber had eleven children to support.

Bobby Leach and William “Red” Hill Sr. warned Stephens to test his barrel first.

They suggested sending the empty vessel over the falls to check its strength. Stephens ignored them. He suspected they wanted to prevent him from achieving fame.

On July 11, he made the ultimate mistake.

He strapped an anvil to his feet inside his oak barrel, believing it would keep him upright. When the barrel hit the water below, the anvil tore through the bottom.

Searchers found only Stephens’ right arm, still strapped in the harness.

Innovation Replaces Barrels

Jean Lussier arrived at Niagara Falls after learning about previous attempts.

The 36-year-old machinist designed something entirely new. On July 4, 1928, Lussier became the first person to survive without using a conventional barrel.

He created a six-foot rubber ball with inner and outer steel bands. Inside, he arranged 32 inner tubes to cushion the impact.

Then, he left space in the center for himself and added a 150-pound rubber ballast to prevent spinning.

Lussier installed oxygen tanks providing 40 hours of air in case he became trapped underwater.

He emerged with only minor injuries and stayed in Niagara Falls, selling pieces of his rubber ball to tourists for 50 cents each.

Visiting Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls State Park opened in 1885 as the oldest state park in America. You can witness the same natural wonder that attracted daredevils for over a century, but laws now prohibit stunting at the falls.

The Daredevil Museum displays artifacts including Annie Taylor’s original barrel. Oakwood Cemetery contains a section called “Stunters Rest” where Annie Taylor lies buried alongside other falls challengers.

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