<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (May 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> The Maid of the Mist is a boat tour of Niagara Falls, starting and ending on the American side, crossing briefly into Ontario during a portion of the trip . (The actual boats used are also named Maid of the Mist, followed by a different Roman numeral in each case .) The boat starts off at a calm part of the Niagara River, near the Rainbow Bridge, and takes its passengers past the American and Bridal Veil Falls, then into the dense mist of spray inside the curve of the Horseshoe Falls, also known as the Canadian Falls . The tour starts and returns on the U.S. side of the river . </P> <P> The original Maid of the Mist was built at a landing near Niagara Falls on the American side of the border . The boat was christened in 1846 as a border - crossing ferry; its first trip was on September 18, 1846 . The two - stage barge - like steamer was designed primarily as a link for a proposed ferry service between New York City and Toronto . It was a 72 - foot - long side - wheeler with an 18 - foot beam which was powered by steam produced from a wood - and coal - fired boiler . It could carry up to 100 passengers . </P> <P> The ferry did well until 1848, when the opening of a suspension bridge between the United States and Canada cut into the ferry traffic . It was then that the owners decided to make the journey a sightseeing trip, plotting a journey closer to the Falls . </P>

When did the maid of the mist begin