In the late 1800s, piles of lumber stretched for miles as the Twin Cities of Tonawanda and North Tonawanda developed around the harbor and the surging lumber industry. 

Landscape painter Arthur Kowalski was more than a brilliant artist — he was an arts advocate, musician and businessman who left behind an impressive and lasting legacy. 

For centuries, people of all backgrounds and walks of life have recorded their impressions of Niagara Falls. Jack Wysocki provides a survey of these viewpoints, as well as the accompanying development — good and bad — of one of Western New York's most significant geographic features.

Using methods he developed during the Indian Wars and the Civil War, General Albert Myer and the U.S. Signal Corps helped modernize the shipping industry with timely storm forecasting. "Old Probabilities" saved countless lives through his efforts to have the weather tracked worldwide.