Queen of the Falls by Chris Van Allsburg*

When Annie Taylor's charm school attendance declines,  she devises a plan to earn some money.  She designs a barrel and announces she will travel over Niagara Falls in it.  At age 62 years old, she is successful, but unfortunately when she and her manager travel around the country sharing her story, people became disinterested because of her age.  Her manager (and her second manager) steal her barrel and she never earns the money she had hoped.
An amazing but sort of sad story.
*Highly recommend.
-Borrowed from the library.