Just south of Niagara Falls on the shores of the Welland River (locals call it Chippawa Crick) about a mile above the Falls is the lovely village of Chippawa.

In 1796 there were two hotels located here. There were the Fairbanks House built by John Fairbanks and the John Fanning Hotel. Guess who built this hotel?

In 1800, James Macklem opened a tavern in Chippawa and Holder’s Tavern was located north of Ushers Creek (later spelled Usshers).
Today, there are a number of motels and taverns in Chippawa.

Chippawa is also the village where movie director James Cameron grew up. In his movie Titanic, if you listen carefully, you’ll hear the word Chippawa spoken in one of the scenes.