In the summer of 1969, a group of engineers discovered that Niagra falls were hiding fascinating long-hidden secrets from the world. They realized they had to stop its water from flowing to unveil them. No one feared the unknown concealed beneath it, but they should have been.
For starters, you might think this all should be impossible – to stem the flow of Niagara Falls. Still, for these scientists, their curiosity drove them to outstanding mechanical achievements. Finally, in 1969, they stopped the water from the famous falls and uncovered something which never wanted to be found.
Nature’s Finest Work
Whether you’ve first seen the Falls in person or in a video, you were surely amazed by their vastness. Millions of tourists visit it annually and post their pictures on social media – Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. In addition, many are writing blogs and making vlogs about the Falls explaining their impressions and excitement.
Indeed, words cannot describe everything, nor can a camera depict the real sensations one can get at the actual site, so everyone should visit Niagara Falls at least once in their lives. Still, the area wasn’t as great five decades ago when the scientists decided to investigate it.
A Sinister Discovery
When the scientists decided to look ‘behind the scenes of Niagara Falls, they had no clue what might be dwelling underneath. But, when they announced their plans, the public eye was set upon them. So many people wanted to witness this extraordinary moment in history.
Tempering nature is always challenging, so many wondered if these people could do it. Were their plans based on real possibilities or just wishful thinking? Still, the moment the water in the Falls started to recede, the spectators’ trust in the scientists began to grow.
The Natural Wonder
Back in the past, well, about 18,000 years ago, to be precise, Niagara Falls didn’t exist. Instead, it was formed when ice sheets from the North Pole melted, leaving behind the significant landscape areas known as North America. It was not until the enormous chunks of ice melted that the Falls came into existence.
Upon melting the glaciers, a vast amount of water was sent into the Niagara River. The Falls didn’t form immediately. A lot of time had to pass to let the water erode the cliffs and thus create the Falls as we know them today.
The Natural Border
Today, Niagara Falls is a natural border between two similar yet very different countries – Canada and the United States. Even though many people from around the world have visited them, it is unknown how long ago they started getting their visitors. Maybe it was one thousand years ago or even much earlier than that.
We can only assume that the locals enjoyed their beauties long before the world discovered them. There are no written records about their first visitors nor the first domestic admirers. What is known is that many different indigenous communities lived in their neighbourhood.
The Europeans
Written records say that the first person from Europe who heard about Niagara Falls was an explorer from France named Samuel de Champlain. That was somewhere at the beginning of the seventeenth century. Still, he was not the first one from Europe to go there and visit the Falls.
On the other hand, not until 1678 did anyone from Europe go and see the Falls in person. The man who did that was Father Louis Hennepin, who went to Niagara Falls in search of New France. At least, that was the name they gave to this part of North America.
A New Discovery
Five years after he returned from the Falls, Father Louis Hennepin put his thoughts and impressions on paper. He wrote ‘A New Discovery’ article in which the name of the Falls first appeared. So basically, as a term, Niagara Falls came into existence in the year 1683.
The name came from the word “onguiaahra” (Iroquoian word), which means “the strait”. Upon publishing this article, Father Louis Hennepin became famous as the first person from Europe who see Niagara Falls. After that, many European visitors came to see the beauty they read about.
A New Tourist Destination
Not until the 1800s did Niagara Falls become a tourist destination. So, about two hundred years after its discovery, the first European tourists came to see and admire the vastness of the fantastic waterfalls. At this time, the first serious business people, hoteliers mostly, realized the full potential of the place, so they started making lucrative investments in the land around the waterfall.
Even at its beginnings as a tourist destination, Niagara Falls lured honeymooning couples to its site, and it has remained a favourite destination of newly-wed couples even today. The only difference is that in the 1800s, there were a few places where people could spend their money, and today, everything is overpriced.
The Development of Industry
Not only did the people who wanted to enjoy their free time and relax a bit come to Niagara Falls. But, no. Even serious industrials had seen the good sides of this site. They realized the Falls’ substantial potential (and still have, even today). They realized they could use the waterfall to power their factories and their mills.
At the end of the 19th century, the world’s first hydroelectric generating station was built near Niagara Falls. It soon started producing a significant amount of electricity that could be used.
Nikola Tesla
Even though the new hydroelectric generating station was a revolutionary invention, it couldn’t carry electricity long distances – only up to 300 feet. This was not a good thing, so something had to be improved, but no one knew how.
One day, a famous scientist named Nikola Tesla came and significantly impacted the world we know today. What does this mean? This man found a way to send electricity long distances using alternating currents. At first, as an experiment, the electricity was sent as far as Buffalo, New York, which is about 20 miles distance from the power plant.
The Falls Still Produce Electricity
Even though this invention was made more than a hundred years ago, it still works the way it did at the time Tesla lived. Therefore, it’s as important today as it was in the previous centuries. After all, what electricity is better than the electricity produced from renewable sources? Today, these waterfall power plants produce more than two million kilowatts.
This century has become even more significant than in previous centuries since the cities have become overpopulated and polluted. Only the energy produced from renewable sources like water, wind, and the sun can save us from our destructive nature.
Canada and the USA
Since Niagara Falls is a natural border between Canada and the USA, it naturally belongs to both countries. From both sides, it gets more than 15 million tourists annually or more than 30 million tourists yearly. So, both countries share the benefits these waterfalls provide them.
At the Falls, six million cubic feet run down in one minute. Amazing, right? Just imagine what damage could that much water make if let outside of the Falls – it could ruin entire cities. The saying goes: “Water and fire are dangerous servants, but fearful masters”.
The Amount of Water Changes
Believe it or not, the amount of water in Niagara Falls changes at night. So it happens that there is less water in the Falls at night. How is that possible, you might wonder? Well, because of the human factor. It is not something that usually happens naturally.
The situation is such that the local companies are allowed to take more water from the Falls at night. In the 1950s, a treaty was signed allowing local companies to take more water at night because there are not many tourists, and even those who come to the site wouldn’t notice the difference.
Niagara Falls in Winter
Do you wonder what happens with the Falls during the cold winter months? Can a waterfall freeze when the temperatures fall below 0 °C that is 32 °F? The Falls partially freeze in some places, but the flow never stops. At least, not because of low temperatures, that is for sure.
Another thing that happens during the winter and other seasons are that a certain amount of water turns into vapour clouds. Have you seen that site where there is water only in the upper part of the Falls and only huge clouds beneath? It’s amazing!
Three Separate Waterfalls
Even though technically speaking, Niagara Falls belongs to both Canada and the USA, some parts of it belong only to the United States of America. For example, the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls are solely American parts of Niagara Falls.
On the other hand, no part belongs only to the Canadian side. Horseshoe Falls play the most significant role, representing the natural border between the countries. On which side of the border have you been while visiting Niagara Falls?
New York Had Some Concerns
Only people who visit Niagara Falls often can see the changes this waterfall experiences over time. With every new gallon of water down the cliffs, the Falls lose a bit of its charm. Well, at least that’s according to the citizens of New York who live near the Falls and visit them regularly.
For every new visitor to the site, the Falls have been astonishingly beautiful – whether it was one hundred years ago or a day ago. Still, there is the fact that some stones accumulate at the Falls’ bottom, which might cause some problems in the future.
The International Joint Commission
Since the concerns of the New York citizens living at the Falls reached American and Canadian authorities, an organization that takes care of the shared waters was contacted. The name of that organization is the International Joint Commission.
Since the Americans were concerned about the American Falls, they were those who suggested that something had to be done with the accumulated rocks at the bottom of the waterfall. Even the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was asked for their expert opinion on the matter.
The Operation Began
Since there were no other solutions to the problem of the accumulated rocks at the bottom of the cataract, the engineers decided to shut it down. However, this was temporary until they removed all the stones and Earth from beneath the water.
In summer 1969, more than one thousand trucks carried rocks and Earth to the Falls to stop the flow and clear the area beneath the cliffs. The loads were being dumped upstream of the waterfall for three days. What do you think? Did they succeed in stopping Niagara Falls from flowing?
A Cofferdam
A cofferdam was a temporary structure the engineers made at Niagara Falls between the mainland and Goat Island. It was constructed from 27,000 tons of rocks and Earth brought to the site by around 1,200 trucks. The total length of this structure was 600 feet (182.88 meters).
What do you think – did these loads of rocks and Earth stop the water going towards the Falls? Did the seas perhaps flood the island between the Horseshoe and Bridal Veil Falls called Goat Island?
The American Falls
As you can see from the picture above, the engineers succeeded in preventing water from going toward the American Falls. Instead, the water was redirected from there towards the Horseshoe Falls. Thus, the waters that were tumbling down the cliffs of Niagara Falls were silenced for some time.
Only the waters of the American Falls were stopped because it was impossible to simultaneously prevent the whole Niagara Falls. We already realized there are three different waterfalls within Niagara Falls, so an enormous amount of water had to go somewhere.
The Local People Were Terrified
There were two primary concerns the locals had regarding this operation. First, they were afraid of the waters because it is always dangerous to block a river’s natural path. So, what if the waters didn’t obey and flooded their land?
The second concern was about the tourists. They were afraid that the lack of water would cause a decrease in the number of people who would want to come and see the Falls. But, on the other hand, others thought precisely the opposite – that this unique opportunity to see what was hiding beneath the Falls would attract a number of people they couldn’t handle.
he Number of Tourists Decreased
Unfortunately, the drying up of the American Falls resulted in the loss of many tourists. At the end of that year, 1969, the number of tourists who came to see the rocks without the water was lower than the numbers from the previous years when the Falls were at their most entire volume.
Nevertheless, those who visited Niagara Falls during the summer months of 1969 had a unique opportunity to take something from the site and bring it home. Some took rocks, while others, luckier, got great coins from the riverbed.
The Skeletons
While planning and executing this operation, no one could even dream of finding anything gruesome as skeletons. However, while the water was receding, the spectators noticed some bones beneath the water.
At the time, it wasn’t clear whether the bones belonged to some unfortunate people or perhaps they were of some big animals which drowned in the waters of the Niagara River. One thing was for sure – it was better there were not so many tourists because that awful scene would prevent them from coming to the Falls ever again.
A Man and a Woman
The first two skeletons the engineers stumbled upon were of a man and a woman. After they were examined, it turned out that the man met his death by jumping into the waters of Niagara Falls. Still, they didn’t give us the year of his death.
As far as the woman’s skeleton is concerned, no other possible causes of death were visible besides drowning. Therefore, it was speculated that the woman witnessed her lover drown and decided to meet him at the same spot.
More Deaths
As the waters receded, more skeletons emerged from beneath. In the past, this site was where many people decided to say goodbye to this world. Still, this fashion isn’t only related to past times. The experts in the matter say that even today, every year, about 40 people come here to commit suicide.
It is understandable why suicidal people have always been attracted to this place – once you jump into the Falls, nothing can save you. Well, maybe only a miracle would do the trick. But, unfortunately, no human arm can fight the cold and vicious waters.
Artists Risking Their Lives
Not only suicidal people lost their lives in the waters of Niagara Falls. In the past, many accidents happened in which some happy people accidentally fell and disappeared. Even some stunt people came here to make their shows and try to do the impossible – to jump from the cliffs into the water and then swim towards the shore.
Of course, this was never possible, nor will it ever be, since the water is fierce and no human can defeat it. So, if you know someone who plans to do it, please read them these lines and make them change their mind.
Annie Edson Taylor
Believe it or not, in 1901, a woman named Annie Edson Taylor did something not many people would even think of. This 63-year-old teacher decided to become famous and connect to her favourite place on Earth uniquely. She entered a giant wooden barrel, trapped herself in it and asked some people to throw the barrel from the shore into the Falls.
Yes, she did survive, but her experience was so bad that she said it was a wrong decision and that no one should ever again do such a crazy thing. Still, some people followed her steps. Some succeeded; others, unfortunately, lost their lives.
Karel Soucek
Karel Soucek was a Canadian stuntman who, back in 1984, did the same thing as Annie Edson Taylor and survived. After some time, he decided to repeat his stunt in the Houston Astrodome in Texas but unfortunately, this time, he wasn’t so lucky.
Jesse Sharp, an American stuntman, wanted to travel down the Falls in his canoe and did it, but no one ever saw him after that. Some speculations say he survived, but that’s unlikely because he would probably appear somewhere publicly to boast about his achievement.
Removing the Talus
Those people who were present while Niagara waters started receding were telling stories about their personal feelings about the findings beneath. They said they enjoyed the site but feared the unimaginable power the waters had. At one point, they believed they would break the damn and take an act of revenge for being tamed.
Upon spotting the skeletons, they described how small and fragile they felt in those immortal, omnipotent and unpredictable waters. Even the engineers who took that operation on their backs admitted they didn’t know it would have been such a complex undertaking.
So Dangerous
Before embarking on this undertaking, the engineers didn’t know all the facts, but now when they saw the exact situation on the spot, they decided to change their plans. They didn’t know beforehand that the rocks beneath the waters supported the cliff, so removing the stones would probably have destroyed the whole place.
Putting aside the hard work they had to do by removing the rocks, this new aspect was more important than all the previous assumptions. They simply couldn’t remove the stones without causing considerable damage to the site, and that was it. But what after all this work had already been done – did they simply leave everything as it were?
A Permanent Dam
When they realized removing the rocks was terrible, they built a permanent dam instead. Still, even that solution wasn’t perfect since the barrier would have weakened the American Falls. So, finally, they gave up on that idea also. So, the engineers didn’t remove the talus nor build the damn, but was the whole operation conducted in vain?
Well, yes, and no at the same time. Although, of course, they did realize the significance of the rocks below the Falls and also found the bones of many people who died there but still, what was to be done with the look of the waterfalls? Was there anything else they could do when they’d made the efforts and made the Falls waterless for some time?
After Six Months
For six months in 1969, Niagara Falls didn’t have water. Well, only the American part of the Falls, the so-called American Falls. The engineers worked on stabilizing the waterfalls for future generations. Even though there was a real danger of landslides, it didn’t happen.
The experts had introduced landslide sensors to alert the people if the ground started moving. Fortunately, they knew what they were doing, and no mistakes were allowed. Numerous bolts, cables, and anchors were built on the cliffs of the Falls.
Protecting Niagara Falls
The cofferdam between the Goat Island and the mainland was destroyed in November 1969 by dynamite. That exact moment, when the dynamite went off, the vast amount of water hurried along its old route, reviving American Falls.
The previous worries of the citizens of the small city of Niagara Falls had now proved unneeded since the tourists started coming in flocks again. It was good that nothing had been changed by this big job the engineers had done. Still, the Falls proved to be stronger than anyone imagined.
The Industry Changed Everything
Though the absence of water from the Falls didn’t change anything about the Falls, what made a significant impact on them Falls was the development of the industry. Generally, this newly-developed area of human work has influenced the whole world somehow, but nature suffered the most.
The businesses that used the waterfalls’ power for their purposes almost changed the downstream. Well, it happened in every step of its development – industry apparently couldn’t let nature work on its own without marring it somehow.
The Conservation Versus Industry
Since the development of the industry interfered with the conservation work at the Falls, something had to be done to regulate these two independent fields not to affect each other. But unfortunately, while the experts cared only for the beauty of the Falls, the business people cared only for power production.
While the industrials were taking more and more water from the site, the nature experts noticed that and complained. Then they all asked for a debate to find a mutually acceptable solution.
The Industrials’ Viewpoint
The industrials believed they were helping Niagara Falls by limiting the water going towards the cliffs. They thought that the less water there was in the Falls, the slower the erosion would have been.
The truth was that the erosion did happen at the rate of 4.5 feet per year. So, according to the industrials, the less water there was in the Falls, the slower the erosion would be. This makes sense but did that happen that way? Were the facts saying in favour of this belief?
The Agreement
Since neither Canadian nor American officials wanted their industry to stagnate, they agreed with the business people. They accepted their point of view but was that the right thing to do? Were they working towards destroying this natural beauty?
This would be known in the years to come, but since Niagara Falls exist and attract millions of tourists from around the world to its coasts, we can say that they made the right decision. The industry continued with its development, and the natural beauty remained the same.
An Innovative Solution
Since the two countries cooperated quite well on the matters related to this mutual gift from nature, they also agreed upon an innovative solution for the industrials. Since there are few tourists at night and in the winter months, they decided that the factories could use up to 75% of the water from the Falls.
During the days of spring, summer, and autumn, the amount of water the industries could take was up to 50%, no more than that. What also allowed the industrials to change the lip of the Horseshoe Falls. That way, they made a fantastic illusion of a powerful flow.
And Today?
Well, not much is different today. All the points they agreed upon back in the 19th century are recognized even today, and all the tourists who come to the Falls more than once can say that they are always the same. Maybe at some point in the future, some experts will again decide to dry the Falls to check what’s beneath simply.
Since this check-up already happened in the past, we can predict what is there beneath – more stones piled up very high, some coins, and unfortunately, many skeletons. It is estimated that around 40 people lose their lives in Niagara Falls in a year.
In The End
An announcement was made back in 2016 by the Niagara Frontier State Park Commission saying that their plans include checking the bottom of the Falls shortly. We can hardly wait for it to happen. We hope there will be some live streaming for the social media users interested in looking beyond.
What do you think, what other waters should be temporarily dried out simply to check what secrets their riverbeds hide? We can only assume what could be found at different waterfalls, rivers, or even seas bottoms. What are your thoughts?