Three Sisters Islands

Three Sisters Islands, once also called the Moss Islands because fine mosses covered their rocks, preserve evidence that they were once submerged beneath the rapids in their smooth rock surfaces and numerous potholes. In recent years, the islands have increased in size because water has been diverted upriver for hydroelectric power plants. The islands were named for the daughters of Parkhurst Whitney, a local businessman and decorated War of 1812 veteran. In the spring of 1816, when ice jams in the shallow rapids created natural bridges between the islands, Whitney took his three daughters on a walk to the farthest island and, proud of the adventure's success, persuaded the islands' new owner, Augustus Porter, to name them after his daughters: Asenath, Angeline, and Celinda Eliza, from nearest to farthest. The island next to Celinda Eliza became known as Little Brother after the sisters' brother Solon. In 1829, Francis Abbott, a young Englishman visiting Niagara Falls, was so captivated by the area's beauty that he stayed, living as a hermit in a small cabin on the mainland near the American Falls and spending his days writing and painting. He often bathed in the cascade between Goat Island and Asenath Island, giving it the name Hermit's Cascade.

Niagara Falls, New York · United States