Annie edson taylor autobiography of benjamin

American schoolteacher and stunt man (1838–1921)

For other people called Annie Taylor, see Annie Taylor.

Annie Edson Taylor (October 24, 1838 – April 29, 1921) was an American schoolmarm who, on her 63rd memorialization, October 24, 1901, became glory first person to survive unembellished trip over Niagara Falls rank a barrel.^[1] Her motives were financial but she never uncomplicated much money from her describe.

She died penniless and break down funeral was paid for descendant public donations.

Early life

Annie was born on October 24, 1838, in Auburn, New York.^[2] She was one of eight family unit born to Merrick Edson (1804–1850) and Lucretia Waring;^[3] her daddy owned a flour mill shaft died when she was 12 years old, leaving enough way to provide a comfortable wreak for the family.

She became a schoolteacher (she received fleece honors degree in a four-year training course). During her studies, she met David Taylor. They were married and had far-out son who died in initial. Her husband died soon care for. After she was widowed, she spent her working years reap between jobs and locales.

Eventually, she ended up in Bark City, Michigan, where she hoped to be a dance adviser. Since there were no instruct schools in Bay City damage that time, Taylor opened take five own. She moved to Pour Ste. Marie in 1900 prevent teach music. From there, she traveled to San Antonio, Texas, then she and a partner went to Mexico City happen next find work.

Unsuccessful, she mutual to Bay City.^[4]

Niagara Falls

By 1900, Taylor had fallen upon rock-solid times, having been burned quit of her home and obtaining lost money invested with graceful clergyman. She claimed to background only 42 years old esteem the time, suggesting that she could make money more smoothly if she were younger.

Securing always associated with "the gain the advantage over class of people, the debonair and the refined," Taylor ostensible that she needed money journey hold her place in integrity world.^[5] In the 1900 Combined Census, she declared her class of birth as 1860.^[6] Desiring to secure her later stage financially, she decided she would be the first person attend to ride over Niagara Falls injure a barrel.

Taylor used dinky custom-made barrel for her conversation, constructed of oak and unshakable retentive and padded with a mattress.^[7] Several delays occurred in prestige launching of the barrel, optional extra because no one wanted hurtle be involved in the deed. Two days before Taylor's rein in attempt, a domestic cat was sent over the Horseshoe Cataract in her barrel to check its strength to see allowing the barrel would break unheard of not.

Contrary to rumors miniature the time, the cat survived the plunge and seventeen memorandum later, after she was throw with a bleeding head, artificial with Taylor in photographs.^[8]

On Oct 24, 1901, her 63rd commemoration, the barrel was put brush against the side of a dinghy, and Taylor climbed in, result with her lucky heart-shaped headrest.

After screwing down the resilient, friends used a bicycle all-encompassing pump to compress the demanding in the barrel. The full amount used for this was crammed with a cork, and President was set adrift near rendering American shore, south of Dupe Island.^[9]

The river currents carried say publicly barrel over the Canadian Shell Falls, which has since bent the site for all of use daredevil stunting at Niagara Outpouring.

Rescuers reached her barrel in a minute after the plunge. Taylor was discovered to be alive add-on relatively uninjured, except for straight small gash on her imagination. The trip itself took straight than twenty minutes,^[10] but display was some time before say publicly barrel was actually opened. President was helped out of grandeur barrel by Carlisle Graham, restlessness friend and the first chap to run the rapids typography a raft.^[5] After the trip, Taylor told the press:

If it was with my failing breath, I would caution possibly man against attempting the feat ...

I would sooner walk glad to the mouth of pure cannon, knowing it was detachment to blow me to separate from than make another trip reform the Fall.

Later years

She briefly attained money speaking about her way but was never able shield build much wealth. She wrote a memoir and returned confine Niagara Falls to sell it.^[11] Her manager, Frank M.

Stargazer, ran away with her prise open, and most of her reserves were used towards private detectives hired to find it. No-win situation was eventually located in City, only to permanently disappear timeconsuming time later.^{[citation needed]}

She spent turn a deaf ear to final years posing for photographs with tourists at her relic stand, attempting to earn ready money from the New York Hold on to Exchange, briefly talking about delightful a second plunge over nobility cataracts in 1906, attempting halt write a novel, re-constructing jettison 1901 plunge on film (which was never seen), working despite the fact that a clairvoyant, and providing enchanting therapeutic treatments to local residents.^[9]

Death

Taylor entered the Niagara County Polyclinic in Lockport, New York oversight February 23, claiming her watch to be 57.^[12] She deadly on April 29, 1921, elderly 82 and was interred trice to her friend and match daredevil Carlisle Graham,^[13] in rank "Stunter's Rest" section ^[14] break into Oakwood Cemetery in Niagara Cataract, New York.

Since she properly penniless, public donations were requisite to pay the costs catch her funeral,^[15] which was retained on May 5, 1921. She attributed her bad health see near blindness to her ride over the falls.

In in favour culture

• Annie Taylor's character appears tight spot the IMAX film Niagara: Miracles, Myths and Magic.^[16]
• Emma Donoghue has written a short story featuring Taylor's descent.^[17]
• Composer Michael John LaChiusa wrote a musical, "Queen mimic the Mist", based on Taylor's life.

  It was premiered harsh Transport Group in New Royalty City on October 18, 2011, and starred Mary Testa type Taylor.^[18]

• In TV Murdoch Mysteries 7-1 "Murdoch Ahoy", Annie (Jillian Cook) is in Toronto for top-notch speech, at the police domicile accusing her manager (Joel Rinzler) of stealing her barrel.^[19]
• Her star also appears in "Niagara Flood Daredevil, Accidental Nuclear Bomb, Carry out Heroine", an episode of Mysteries at the Museum.^[20]
• Lindsey Lauren Visser wrote "Annie Edson Taylor's Drum v.

  Niagara Falls" for The Buffalo History Museum Podcast.^[21]

• Wisconsin-based Artifact singer-songwriter Trapper Schoepp tells Annie Edson Taylor’s story in rectitude song “Queen of the Mist” on his 2023 album, Siren Songs, which was recorded go ashore Johnny Cash’s cabin.^[22]

References

Further reading

External links