63-Year-Old Annie Edson Taylor Went Over Niagara Falls in Nothing More Than a Barrel

Trista - November 12, 2018

During a time when women were believed to be the “weaker sex,” Annie Edson Taylor proved she was stronger than anyone in an extraordinary way. Taylor became the first person to survive going down Niagara Falls in a barrel. One day, Taylor was reading about people who performed stunts around Niagara Falls. Wanting to secure herself financially in her later years, this gave Taylor an idea. She would throw herself off of Niagara Falls in a barrel. She believed this would give her the fame and fortune she wanted. So, after much planning, Taylor performed the stunt on her 63rd birthday.

Early Life

Annie Edson made her presence in this world on October 24, 1838. Born in Auburn, New York, she was one of eight children to Merrick Edson and Lucretia Waring. At the age of 12, her father, who owned a flour mill, suddenly passed away. Fortunately for Annie and her family, her father had secured them financially, and they continued to live comfortably. After Annie completed her schooling, she went off to get her teaching certificate, which she achieved through a four-year training program.

It was during her studies at the training program where Annie met a man named David Taylor. They began courting and got married. While they lived well financially, they weren’t without their struggles. The couple had one child, a son, who passed away during infancy. Tragedy would strike the Taylor family again when David passed away while fighting in the Civil War. The couple had been married for seven years at David’s passing. Without David, Annie began to struggle financially, and soon she found herself moving from place to place.

After the death of her husband, Taylor mainly worked as a teacher in various places. At one time, she moved to Bay City, Michigan, with the goal to become a dance teacher. Taylor believed her chances of becoming a successful dance teacher were high because there were no dance schools in the area. Unfortunately, this did not work out, so Taylor decided to move to Sault Ste. Marie with dreams of teaching music. However, this did not work out as planned; Taylor moved to San Antonio, Texas before trying her luck in Mexico City. None of these places worked out for Taylor, thus, she eventually moved back to Bay City.

Plans Towards Niagara Move Forward

Like many people, Taylor disliked her financial situation after her husband passed away. She became desperate to bypass the poor house in her later years. Also, she started to feel that a regular teaching job would not secure her financially for her later years. After all, Taylor was in her early 60s and still had no financial security. On top of this, it was becoming increasingly difficult for her to find work. Taylor felt she needed to look in other directions to secure her financial future. The moment Taylor believed she had found her new path came when she was reading about stunts around the world, including Niagara Falls.

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After figuring out she was going to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel, Taylor’s next step would be to figure out when. Taylor knew she would need to gather a large crowd if she wanted to secure herself financially for the rest of her life. Therefore, Taylor decided to go over Niagara Falls during the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. Once she secured the place and time, Taylor hired a manager who would help her with marketing. Taylor also worked to custom build her own barrel to better secure her during the journey down the falls and through the rushing waters.

Because the barrel was to be custom-made, Taylor had to find someone to make the pickle barrel for her. However, this proved to be a more significant challenge than she imagined it would be. While people in the business did not mind making a barrel, they did mind doing it for the stunt. They did not want to build the barrel because they believed it was a suicide mission. However, eventually, Taylor did find someone, and she quickly explained her barrel idea.

The customized barrel was to be shaped like a regular pickle barrel but had to be big enough so Taylor could fit. Therefore, the length of the barrel was about five feet, and it was a little over three feet in diameter. On top of this, Taylor knew she needed cushioning. Therefore, a mattress was placed around the walls of the barrel. They also added a leather harness so Taylor could be strapped in during her journey. In addition, Taylor knew the barrel would need to remain upright as often as possible. Therefore, they made sure the barrel would be able to handle a 200-pound anvil at the bottom.

Along with space for the anvil and cushioning for safety, Taylor knew she needed air. Because the top would be screwed shut, two extra air holes were made into the barrel. However, these extra holes would be closed with corks, which Taylor would be able to push out if she needed more air. After all, these customized options for the barrel, Taylor felt confident she would be able to survive the possibly suicidal mission. However, even with all her confidence, Taylor wanted to do one more thing, test the barrel. A couple of days before her event, Taylor and her crew sent a cat down the falls in the barrel. The cat survived but was bleeding from the head. Later, Taylor posed for a picture with the cat and the barrel.

The Day Finally Arrives

Even though she told people during her advertisement that she was only in her 40’s, on the day of her event, Taylor turned 63 years old. It was on October 24, 1901, and thousands of people were gathering around Horseshoe Falls to watch the possibly suicidal journey. Niagara Falls is located between Canada and New York, connecting Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. It consists of three separate waterfalls: Bridal Veil Falls, Horseshoe Falls, and the American Falls. Taylor had chosen Horseshoe Falls, which is about 167 feet high.

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Bringing along her lucky heart-shaped pillow, Taylor got in a boat with her crew. They had tied the barrel behind the boat. Around a mile before the Falls, Taylor and her team pulled off so Taylor could get into the barrel. However, before she did, she took off her heavier clothes. Her crew then fastened Taylor in with the straps, screwed the top shut, and compressed air into the barrel with a bicycle pump. They plugged the air holes with corks and brought Taylor to the middle of the river, where the barrel was cut loose at 4:00 p.m.

The crowd carefully watched the barrel go up and down in the water before it disappeared into the mist and fell over 150 feet. After a few minutes, the crowd saw the barrel as it continued to float until it stopped on top of a rock. The trip itself took a little under twenty minutes. However, the rescuers had to see the top off to get Taylor out, which took a little longer. To everyone’s relief, she was able to walk, talk, and only had a small gash on her head. It is reported that she told people, “I would sooner walk up the mouth of a cannon, knowing it was going to blow me to pieces than make another trip over the fall.”

While Taylor received the fame she wanted, she did not receive the fortune. One reason for this could be because her manager ran away with the barrel not long after her stunt. Taylor put most of her money towards hiring private investigators to find the barrel, which was never recovered. Taylor continued to make very little money through her souvenir shops and speaking engagements. Taylor died penniless on April 21, 1921, at the Niagara County Infirmary. Thanks to her friends and fans, enough money was raised to give Annie Edson Taylor a proper burial in the “Stunters Rest” section at the Oakwood Cemetery in Niagara Falls, New York.

Popular Culture

Like many daredevils, Annie Edson Taylor’s story began to fade in history. However, like so many before her, Taylor’s story has bounced back just as quickly as she fell over the falls. In 1999, Beacon Press published a poem by Joanne Murray titled “Queen of the Mist.” Taylor’s Journey was also written as a short story by author Emma Donoghue. Taylor has also been featured in two children’s books over the last few years.

Along with Taylor’s many mentions in writing, she has been portrayed in multiple film productions. TV show Mysteries at the Museum spotlights Taylor’s story in their episode, “Niagara Falls Daredevil, Accidental Nuclear Bomb, Railroad Heroine.” She also made an appearance in the IMAX film, Niagara: Miracles, Myths, and Magic. Another television show called Wonderfalls was inspired by Taylor’s story when they created their episode called, “Barrel Bear.” Of course, there are only a few of the many shows which feature Taylor’s story.

Where did we find this stuff? Here are our sources:

“Annie Edson Taylor.” Info Niagara.

“Annie Edson Taylor.” Wikipedia.

“Annie Edson Taylor (1838-1921): American Daredevil.” Kate Kelly, America Comes Alive.

“10 Surprising Facts About the First Person to Survive Going Over Niagara Falls in a Barrel.” Jess Catcher, Little Things.

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