The First Falls View Suspension Bridge was built by Samuel Keffer in 1867.
The towers measuring 30 m tall were built of 12 inch by 12 inch pine timbers. Each leg of the tower consisted of four timbers. The 16 were grouped together under the saddle plate for the support of the main cables.
Between 1872 and 1880 the bridge towers had been enclosed with wood and corrugated metal into a single structure. The top of the Canadian tower had an outside observation platform at the top of this structure. A steam powered elevator was installed in the Canadian tower to take tourists to an enclosed observation deck at the top of the tower. Tourists would then walk up a flight of stairs to an outdoor promenade on the roof of the tower. The view from this tower wasn’t the best and led to its financial downfall.
In 1880, the towers were reconstructed to replace the wooden towers with steel towers. The elevator was abandoned and the observation deck not replaced.