Andrew Jenkins

At Waterloo Region Museum there is a unique bicycle on which Andrew Jenkins, owner of the Branchton Inn, crossed Niagara Falls in 1869. A long balancing-pole, with a weighted ball at each end, lashed across the bottom hoop at right angles to the stout tightrope, made the vehicle very stable. Jenkins peddled with both hands and feet. A friction brake that closed on the rope immobilized the vehicle for rest periods.

In 1871 Jenkins received a gold medal for his exploits at a wider gorge at Rocky River, Ohio. He also performed indoors at Montreal and other cities. He later became a skillful photographer.

His father was Benjamin Jenkins, the contractor who built the Great Western Railway line from Harrisburg to Galt. The Branchton Inn was later occupied as a residence by descendants of the Jenkins family.