Chippawa, Ontario

About two miles above the Falls at the junction of the Welland (Chippawa) River and the Niagara River sits the village of Chippawa. Originally the French built a stockade here. During the American Revolutionary War a blockhouse was built that became known as Fort Welland.

Fort Welland, manned by a dozen or so militia, provided protection to the few settlers that began to inhabit the area. In 1837, when Reformers threatened Canadian territory Colonel Alan McNab used Chippawa as a headquarters that enabled him to keep a watchful eye on the enemies' movements across the Niagara River on Navy Island.