Granted, up until twenty-some years ago, we hadn't been making very good wines, but burying the past does not erase it. But we are good at burying our past in a literal sense. Had we followed the European model where ruins are turned into treasures often enhanced by the artist's touch, we would have a variety of scenic canals running through the peninsula demonstrating our unique history and offering guests an unparalleled ambiance. Even what is visible is hard to find though. A visitor to the area would never truly know how rich Niagara is in both history and nature because there is little to direct them.
Signage is virtually non-existent compared to the numerous features, both natural and historical.
And, not many of us would make very good tourist guides. It is not common knowledge that for thousands of years, prior to the arrival of Europeans, the peninsula was neutral ground for the indigenous warring tribes. Many don't know the significant role that Niagara played in the abolition of slavery or that we were a major terminus for the underground railway. Fewer still are aware that, while the war of 1812 was being fought on our shores and in our fields, the communities on both sides of the Niagara River continued to remain civil and trade with each other. And now St. Catharines is bursting at the seams looking for more room to expand.