A Walk in Lewiston, New York (part two)

Synopsis of yesterday’s post: Yesterday, I walked from Tops Market, in the Village of Lewiston, to Stella Niagara Educational Park, in the Town of Lewiston, a distance of approximately four miles. Through photography and story telling, I offered a travelogue of the Village of Lewiston.

The story picks up with my walking out of the Village of Lewiston and into the Town of Lewiston. I walked the entire stretch on Route 18F, which is known as “Niagara’s Historic Trail.” Part of the walk was on a sidewalk, and the rest was on a bike path.
It was a beautiful day to walk along the historic trail. There were Halloween decorations to see and flowers still in bloom. The leaves are starting to turn color, although they are far from peak. I used my cell phone to keep time but the cell phone ran out of “juice” and had to be turned off. 

  • This is the Niagara Gorge. Here are a few facts about Niagara Falls and the gorge. About 12,000 years ago, Niagara Falls was in Lewiston, New York, and in Queenston, Ontario. Due to erosion, the brink of the falls moved to its present location in Niagara Falls, New York, and Niagara Falls, Ontario. 
  • Long before there was a Niagara Falls (or a Lewiston-Queenston Falls), there were glaciers. The ice was more than two feet thick and they covered the entire region of the Niagara Frontier. This ice age was 1.7 million years ago.
  • The Niagara River was once the bottom of an ancient tropical sea. That was 425 million years ago. 
  • The Niagara River Corridor is an important Bird Area. Birds seen there include bald eagles and peregrine falcon.
  • Fourteen species of rare plants, some threatened or endangered grow in the Niagara River gorge.


In Lewiston, access to the water is limited because of extensive private ownership of waterfront land.

Stella Niagara Educational Park is on Route 18F, also known as Lower River Road. It was founded in 1907 by the Sisters of Saint Francis of Penance and Christian Charity, an order from the Netherlands. The school was opened in 1908, with two girls and four boys as students. Today, the order runs an elementary school (kindergarten through grade eight) at the site, including a Montessori pre-school.

In June of this year, the order sold 29 acres of waterfront land to the Western New York Land Conservancy. The land was opened to the public in July and features walking trails, fishing access, and a place to put a kayak in the water. Unlike much of the gorge, this area is safe for canoeing and kayaking.

The purchase of this land by the land conservancy ensures that the land will not be developed and that public access will be maintained.

The grounds of Stella Niagara are lovely and well-maintained.

The painting class is held in the Center of Renewal. This retreat center, founded 35 years ago, is available for groups, private retreats, and other events. 
In the painting class, we painted winter scenes that could be Christmas card designs. Here are the paintings made by the group. Notice the wide variety of styles.

Here it is! My painting! It was great fun to make it. I chose a “primitive” and “cartoonlike” style for this painting. After the painting session was over, Jinni (the painting instructor) drove me home.

The painting will be on display at the convent for the next two weeks.

2 thoughts on “A Walk in Lewiston, New York (part two)”

  1. Alice,
    What a great tour! Thank you for sharing all that information. My family has gone to Niagara falls several times but this was the former location of Niagara, right? The view of the gorge was beautiful and what pretty white flowers! I like that style of your card / picture. It looked bold. Glad you had such a good time!
    Amy

  2. I visited Niagra Falls as a teenager on a family trip. We went up and spent some time in Montreal. The Falls are amazing and the air seems cleaner. Living in North Carolina, it was a shock how cold it was in August. Niagra Falls must be a great place to live and write. Reading your article, I felt like I was there.

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