Here’s Why Engineers Drained Niagara Falls In 1969
It seemed almost impossible, but in 1969, engineers managed to do the unthinkable – stop the powerful flow of Niagara Falls! What could have been their motivation for such a daring feat?
Determined to discover what mysteries lay hidden behind the majestic falls, they were in for quite a surprise.
Niagara Falls Is A Majestic Landmark
I still remember my first time seeing Niagara Falls. Its grandeur and size left me in awe. Every year, millions of people come to take pictures and share them with their loved ones. Surprisingly, 53 years ago, the falls were at risk of being lost forever! Scientists had become worried about it and investigated what could be done – without realizing that their actions might have caused more harm than good.
The Public Had Doubts
Scientists announced their plans to explore Niagara Falls, but the public were skeptical. Could they really tamper with nature and get away with it?
Questions ran through everyone’s minds as to whether they had a plan or not. But soon enough, when the water started receding, people began to believe in what science could do.
How The Falls Came To Be
18,000 years ago Niagara Falls didn’t exist. Glaciers from the North Pole had left their mark on what we now call North America. As these huge chunks of ice melted away, the falls formed gradually over time.
The water that filled the Niagara River was a result of melting glaciers and it took many years for erosion to shape the cliffs into what we know today as Niagara Falls.
People Have Been Visiting The Falls For A Very Long Time
For centuries, Niagara Falls has been a natural border between Canada and the United States. Over time, more people have come to visit this magnificent attraction. Although there is no record of how long it has been visited for, it’s likely that people have been drawn to its beauty for thousands of years.
Unfortunately, we will never know who was the very first person to experience the wonder that is Niagara Falls.
The First Discoveries Of Niagara Falls
Samuel de Champlain, an explorer from France, was the first European to hear of Niagara Falls in the early 17th century.
He wasn’t the first from Europe to visit them, though; Father Louis Hennepin went there while exploring New France (North America) and became the first person to witness it in person.
It Became A Tourist Destination In The 1800s
In the 1800s, Niagara Falls became a tourist destination 200 years after its discovery.
Business people saw potential and invested in hotels and other enterprises near the Falls. This made it a popular honeymoon spot, which continues to this day.
Developing An Industry
Coming to Niagara Falls to relax and spend your free time was one thing, but the potential that it carried was another beast. Those who wanted to capitalize on the great waterfall saw its vast potential and knew they could make good use of it.
By the end of the 19th century, the world’s very first hydroelectric generating station came about, built right near Niagara Falls. It started to produce an insane amount of energy that could be put to good use.
Enter: Nikola Tesla
The hydroelectric generating station was a brilliant and revolutionary invention, but it carried a flaw. It lacked the ability to carry electricity further than 300 feet, and this wasn’t good at all.
No one knew how to improve this fault until Nikola Tesla came along and impacted the world. He discovered a way to send electricity long distances by using alternating currents. The first experiment sent electricity over to Buffalo, New York, which is nearly 20 miles from the power plant!
Still Producing Electricity
The invention might’ve come around more than a hundred years ago, but it still works the same way it did when Tesla was alive. It’s still as important as it was back then, too! Electricity from renewable sources is one of the best forms there is.
It’s even more valuable this century due to how overpopulated cities have gotten over the years. Overpopulation fuels pollution, so it’s always great to bring in clean energy whenever there’s a way.
North America And Canada
With Niagara Falls being the natural border between the U.S. and Canada, it belongs to both countries. Both sides send at least 15 million tourists a year to witness the natural wonder.
Six million cubic feet run down the falls in one minute. It’s scary to think about how much damage can result from that if let outside the falls. It has the potential to destroy whole cities! After all, “Water and fire are dangerous servants, but fearful masters.”
Changes In The Water
The water levels in Niagara Falls changes during the night. During nightfall, there is less water in Niagara Falls, believe it or not. This is possible due to the human factor and isn’t something that happens naturally.
During the ’50s, a treaty signed gave local companies the ability to take more water at night due to their being fewer tourists around. Any curious tourist who showed up after dark would hardly be able to tell the difference.
Winter Time Falls
Has it ever crossed your mind about what happens with the Falls during the freezing winter months? Does the waterfall freeze in temperatures below 0 degrees Celsius? Well, the answer to that is that they partially become frozen.
It only happens in some parts, but the flow never stops. Another thing that takes place is that the water turns into clouds of vapor. It’s an amazing sight to see and another reason for tourists to stop by!
Three Different Falls
Technically speaking, Niagara Falls belongs to both Canada and the United States, but there are different parts that belong to the U.S. solely. The Bridal Veil Falls and American Falls are the two American waterfalls that are American.
Conversely, there aren’t any parts that are only Canada’s. The largest fall, called Horseshoe Falls, is the one that represents the natural border between the neighboring countries. A very appropriate name after you’ve looked at it from a high position.
Concerns From New York
Only regular visitors of Niagara Falls have the ability to see the changes it experiences with time. Each gallon that falls off the cliff lessens the charm of the Falls. At least, that’s how the citizens of New York feel that live near Niagara and see it often.
Each new visitor can’t deny how amazing the falls look, dating 100 years ago or even today. Still, there are some stones that have accumulated at the bottom that could cause some issues in the future.
International Joint Commission
The concerns that New York citizens had reached both American and Canadian authorities, so an organization that handles shared waters intervened. They’re called the International Joint Commission.
With the Americans growing concerned over Niagara Falls, they were the ones that suggested that someone needed to do something about the rocks at the bottom of the waterfall. They even went as far as asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for their expertise on the matter.
Starting The Operation
There weren’t any other solutions for the sediments at the bottom of the Falls, so the engineers chose to shut it down. That choice of action was only temporary until they got rid of all the rocks and earth from under the water.
In 1969, over one thousand trucks took rocks and earth to Niagara Falls to pause the flow of water so they could clean the area of concern. They dumped the deposits upstream of the falls for three days.
What Is A Cofferdam?
Engineers ended up creating a cofferdam, which was a temporary structure constructed between Goat Island and the mainland. They made it from 27,000 tons of rocks brought to the site thanks to all those trucks.
The length of this cofferdam was 600 feet. On paper, it sounds like a rather ambitious move to create a dam preventing the water from falling down. While many believed it would work, others had plenty of doubts.
American Falls
Well, the engineers ended up succeeding! Their plan of action to stop water from falling towards American Falls was a success. They switched the path from there to Horseshoe Falls.
It was impossible to stop the whole Niagara Falls from having water drop, so only the American Falls portion halted for some time. Due to that insane amount of water getting stopped from flowing, it had to travel somewhere else, didn’t it?
The Locals Grew Fearful
The locals had good reasons to become fearful. For one, they feared what would happen when you block the natural path of a river because that’s not something you’d ordinarily do. What if it flooded their land?
Their other concerns were with the tourists. They feared the lack of water would diminish the number of people that came to visit the Falls. Meanwhile, some thought the exact opposite. They thought this unique sighting of what was under the Falls would bring in a ton of new people!
Visiting Numbers Went Down
Unfortunately, preventing the water from falling had a negative response with visitors. Drying up American Falls led to a huge loss in the number of tourists. By the end of 1969, the number of people who came dropped lower than any previous year.
Still, that didn’t stop those who do go to visit from experiencing the unique opportunity to take home something from the site. Some would take rocks, while others lucked out and found coins from the riverbed.
Skeletons?
During the planning of this operation, no one expected to discover anything as vile as skeletons. As the water receded, spectators started to notice bones underneath the water. How creepy is that?
At that moment, no one knew if the bones belonged to people who lost their lives or larger animals that drowned in the current. One thing was certain, the lack of tourists ended up being a good thing because it might’ve prevented people from coming back if they saw that!
A Woman And A Man
Shockingly, the first pair of skeletons engineers found belonged to a man and a woman. After closely examining the bones, it turned out the man died by jumping into the waters, but that didn’t reveal the year of his death.
As for the woman, no possible causes of death showed themselves other than drowning. Many speculate that she witnessed her love perish in the waters, so she chose to meet him in death in the same manner.
A Place To Say Goodbye
As more water went away, more skeletons started to pop up. Niagara Falls was a place that many folks went to say goodbye to this world. While it was more common then, experts say that about 40 people per year still do the same today.
People with no intention of living go to the falls because once you leap, there is nothing that can save you. Perhaps a miracle, but no human can fight off the cold and treacherous waters.
Risking Their Lives
Not only did folks who no longer wished to live lose their lives in the falls, but there were many accidents involving people falling in and disappearing. Stunt people would go there to do the impossible of jumping from the cliffs and swimming towards the shore.
Sadly, that was never possible and never will be due to the water being so fierce. No human can defeat it so don’t let anyone you know attempt this.
Annie Edson Taylor
As crazy as this next fact might sound, it did happen. In 1901, a woman named Annie Edson Taylor wanted to become famous and connected to her favorite place on Earth in a unique way.
She trapped herself inside of a massive barrel and asked people to push it from the shore into the Falls. She ended up surviving, but it was an awful experience. She highly advised no one to ever try and duplicate what she did. Still, some didn’t listen and tried.
A Scary, Unpredictable Time
Those present during the time of waters receding began telling stories about their feelings concerning the findings under the Falls. They talked about how they liked it, but also how they had fear over the power of the waters.
After seeing the skeletons, they discussed how fragile and inferior they felt compared to the immortal waters. The engineers also had a battle of concern, admitting they had no clue it would turn out to be a tough undertaking.
A Dangerous Place
Interestingly enough, the engineers didn’t know all the facts before taking on this project. When they saw the situation, that’s when they chose to change their course of action. They had no clue the rocks under the water supported the cliff.
That meant that removing the rocks could have possibly destroyed the whole thing! Hard work aside, the new aspect was more vital than everything else they assumed. It was more than just moving the rocks because damages would have happened.
Permanent Dam
Upon realizing that removing the rocks would be a horrible thing to do, they went with building a permanent dam. Still, it wasn’t the best solution since the dam would weaken American Falls.
The engineers gave up on that idea as well, and in the end, they didn’t get rid of the bones nor build the dam. Was it all in vain? The answer to that is yes and no at the same time.
