Discovery

There is some controversy over who first discovered gold in the area. It is claimed that John Alway was first, pegging a claim on 22 January 1895 whilst others Dorrie Doolette and Charley Northmore, made a claim in February of that year. The Doolette and Northmore claim became the Challenger Mine the basis for the town of Niagara. Later in 1895, the Challenge Gold Estates Proprietary was floated in London with 225 000 pounds capital. Of this 180 000 pounds went to the original prospectors, making them instant millionaires by today’s standards. Eight leases were purchased from the prospectors totalling 114 acres.

Early History

A town called Niagara, named after the nearby Niagara Falls (a 3-metre ledge crossing the Niagara Creek) rapidly developed, although only ever amounting to two streets, and by the very early 1900s had closed down in favour of Kookynie The falls had been named as a joke, the small waterfall only running occasionally during heavy rains. In 1897-98 the Railways Department built a large concrete wall dam here, known as Niagara Dam
By February 1896 the rapid growth of the area was such that the Niagara Progress Committee wrote to the Government requesting the declaration of a Townsite. The Land Department gazetted the townsite in November 1896.
Early mines in the area included Challenge, Orion, Emperor, Mikado, Golden Monarch, Lady Betty and Sapphire. Although seven streets in the townsite were gazetted only two, Challenge and Waterfall were developed. By 1900 over sixty buildings existed within the town and a one hundred and fifty stamp head was listed on the area. Niagara had a telegraph (the Kalgoorlie-Niagara telegraph line being completed on the 6th August 1896) and post office, mines registrar's office, bank, and a number of thriving stores and was unique in Australia in having four hotels, one on each corner, on the crossroads in the centre of the township.
Police were stationed at Niagara in August 1896 and a police station was built there in 1897. The station was closed in August 1901, and the station, cells and fence were removed to be erected at Kookynie. There had also been a local Police court that had been removed to Kookynie by May 1901.
By July 1896 a more substantial brick and iron hospital with two wards had been built. The doctor departed by February 1898 and the hospital staggered on until it was closed in about May 1900.
A government school was opened in 1900 in the Mechanics Institute, but by 1904 the building was needing maintenance so in September 1906 the old school buildings from Batavia were shifted to Niagara. Teachers’ quarters were erected alongside the school in 1908. The last classes were held in August 1912
One source reports that there were eight or maybe nine hotels. The Niagara Hotel was, like most buildings in Niagara, constructed from mud brick, and was built in 1897 at the intersection of the two main streets. It was the first hotel built in the settlement. The hotel was still operating in 1908. [5]
After 1900 Kookynie took over as the district centre and by 1903 Niagara was in decline with a population of 75. By 1905 many of the mud-brick buildings were derelict and by 1909 the town was abandoned. The last run of the Niagara State Battery occurred in 1913 when 809 tons of ore were processed for the return of 830 ounces (24 kg)