The spiritual history of Niagara Falls is deeply rooted in the traditions of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) and Anishinaabe peoples, who lived near the falls for thousands of years before European arrival. For the Indigenous peoples, the falls were a place of immense power and a gateway to the spirit world. The thunderous roar was believed to be the voice of He-No, the Spirit of Thunder, who lived in a cave behind the Horseshoe Falls. Many legends, including the widely debated "Maid of the Mist" story, speak of the falls as a site of sacrifice, reverence, and cleansing. In the 19th century, during the "Second Great Awakening," the falls became a center for Spiritualism and Transcendentalism, with thinkers like Ralph Waldo Emerson viewing the overwhelming scale of the water as a manifestation of the "Sublime"—a place where one could experience the divinity of nature firsthand. Even today, the falls remain a site of modern pilgrimage for various spiritual groups who believe the "mist and the roar" create a unique energetic vortex. This combination of ancient Indigenous reverence and modern mystical fascination continues to define the falls as more than just a geological wonder.