Bobby Leach born in Cornwall, England was a circus stuntman. How he arrived in North America we do not know. His goals were to complete a "triple challenge" of the Falls and the Niagara River.

• a barrel trip through the Rapids to the Whirlpool

• a barrel trip over the Falls

• a parachute jump from the Upper Suspension Bridge into the River, just upstream from the Rapids

In the summer of 1910 he made his first attempt, but became stuck in a eddy in the Whirlpool and had to be rescued by the famous Niagara Riverman "Red Hill Senior". On July 25, 1911 he made the trip successfully, but not undamaged. He received two broken knee caps and a broken jaw. His became the first successful navigation of the Falls. He returned to Niagara Falls in the 20s for his final stunt, parachuting off the Upper Suspension Bridge. Rumour has it that he did not parachute from the Bridge but rather from a plane and that the wind forced him to land in a corn field in Canada. While visiting New Zealand, Bobby Leach slipped on an orange peel, fracturing his leg. Gangrene set in and Bobby Leach died on April 26, 1926.
 

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Arriving for his parachute jump circa 1920s	In his barrel circa 1911	With is barrel after his 25 July 1911 trip over Horseshoe Falls	Arriving to go over the Falls with a  parachute
Letter written from Toronto by a tourist pg. 1	Letter written from Toronto by a tourist pg. 2	Letter written from Toronto by a tourist pg.3	Bobby Leach's awful plunge July 25 1911
Posing with his barrel	His grave in New Zealand		A formal pose