This story started 12,000 years in the past. Since that point the Falls of Niagara have eroded 7 miles (11 km) from the Niagara Escarpment to its current location. Apart from a quick second in geological time roughly 7,000 years in the past at the area of the Niagara Glen, the Falls have always been one waterfall.


This changed roughly 500 - 800 years ago when Goat Island separated the stream of the Niagara River into two channels. The most important channel now identified as the Horseshoe Falls carried much of the water. The smallest channel, https://highway-online.com/slots/fruit-frenzy/ now know as the American channel carried little water.


Within a short time on the geological scale, the principle channel (Horseshoe Falls) eroded previous the American channel leaving the uncovered American Falls a separate waterfall. For the reason that early 1700’s, the main waterfalls began to be described as "horseshoe" formed. It became known to guests because the Horseshoe Falls.


Today the Falls of Niagara encompass the Horseshoe Falls and the American Falls (includes the Bridal Veil Falls).

Beginnings


This chapter in historical past has a starting in 1965 with an area newspaper reporter. Mr. Cliff Spieler of the Niagara Falls Gazette thought it would be a good suggestion for a collection of articles to be written concerning the imminent "death" of the American Falls.


Rock falls in 1931 and 1954 had dumped unsightly talus at the bottom of the Falls. Spieler was involved that if erosion of the American Falls were allowed to continue and rock falls continued to gather at its base, the waterfall could be destroyed. The story got here out in a front page editorial subject on January 31st 1965.


Upfront of the newspaper launch, New York State Senator, Earl Brydges and District Representative Henry Smith had been knowledgeable and had drawn up legislation on the issue to present in the United States Congress. The issue became a major problem inside the neighborhood and the federal government. The Gazette article had generated a vigorous and effective marketing campaign to "save the American Falls". In late 1965, the U.S. Congress authorized the International Joint Commission to review this issue.


In 1967, on account of this rising public outcry, the International Joint Commission (IJC) created a full time board to study the matter and make definitive recommendations. The American Falls International Board was created. After two years, this ongoing study resulted within the non permanent dewatering of the American Falls. The completed dewatering of the American Falls was made easier because only 10% of the water follows that route.


Precursor


Sunday November thirteenth 1966 - the first man-made dewatering of the American Falls occurred so as to permit workmen to clear debris from the upper American channel above the American Falls. Forty (40) Niagara Frontier State Park Commission workers carrying hip boots waded out into the channel to take away tree trunks and different assorted debris. A bulldozer was utilized to drag a ten ton pontoon float which had develop into grounded within the rapids 600 toes (183m) above the Falls in 1959.


The water diversion was accomplished by opening the gates of the International Water Control Dam a brief distance upriver in addition to maximizing water diversion to the hydro producing stations downriver. This motion cut again the conventional stream 60,000 gallons a second (8,000 cubic toes of water per second) to a manageable 15,000 gallons a second (2,000 cubic feet of water per second).


This undertaking was allowed as part of a $90,000 study undertaken by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to see what might be finished to halt erosion at the Falls. The water movement was reduced for a six hour interval. While staff cleared debris, Corps officials carried out on the spot inspections and took aerial photographs of the river mattress.


Dewatering American Falls- 1969


The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) - Buffalo District was tasked with the dewatering of the American Falls project in 1969.

The Albert Elia Construction Company of Niagara Falls, New York was awarded a $445,412 contract to construct and remove a 600 foot (183m) cofferdam from the mainland to the head of Goat Island in order to divert the water from the American channel. As well as, they were required to wash the floor of the river bed, scale unfastened rock from the face of the Falls, and install a water spray system.

The remainder of the $1.5 million was spent on the examine for the International Joint Commission.


Colonel Amos L. Wright, USACE - District Engineer from Buffalo was the primary officer accountable for this undertaking.


Shortly after the challenge started, Colonel Wright was reassigned to responsibility in Vietnam. He was changed by Colonel Ray Hansen. He was accountable for total operations of this challenge.


Captain Douglas Wilkinson of the USACE was the chief project geologist. He joined the USACE in 1959.


Captain Joseph Guertin is the USACE officer assigned to the mission due to his background in rock mechanics.


Captain L.B. Waites of the USACE from Mobile, Alabama was the location drilling supervisor


Photographs by Clifford & Madeline Valentine


Clifford Valentine died in 1997. He was an tools installer for Southern New England phone Company. Clifford's interest was images. Throughout the years, he had taken 1000's of images.


The following footage are these taken by Clifford & Madeline at Niagara Falls within the Summer of 1969.


- Courtesy of Russell Glasson


Monday June ninth 1969 - The first major security problem occurred as employees from Albert Elia Construction Company of Niagara Falls, New York pushed rocks and earth into the Niagara River at the pinnacle of Goat Island to erect the 600 foot long cofferdam in an effort to divert the water. A lifeline was strung by helicopter from the mainland to Goat Island before the operators began. The line was to offer everybody who would possibly fall into the treacherous water something to catch before being swept downriver in the racing present to the American Falls.


Construction to build the cofferdam started at midnight.


Thursday June 12th 1969 - The waters of the American Falls were shut down. After 3 days of working two eleven hour long shifts, thirty (30) workmen from the Albert Elia Construction Company sealed off all however a small hole within the cofferdam by Thursday at 2:Forty a.m. Three truck a great deal of fill and three boulders have been pushed into place seal the cofferdam fully this morning by 10:40 a.m. The dam was now holding again the eight (8) foot (2.4m) deep water of the Niagara River.

It took 1,264 truck loads of fill to cease the circulation of water. The fill consisted of 27,800 tons of rock and earth to build the cofferdam. One truck driver received the scare of his life as a entrance tire of his automobile slipped over the gentle edge of the dam.


Mr. Pat Stoutamire, the dewatering superintendent for the Albert Elia Company was one of the first persons to inspect the dry river mattress.


As soon as the river was diverted, workmen constructed a fence along the brink of the Falls.

Police have to date discovered the remains of a man, a woman and the carcass of a deer amongst the rocks of the talus at the base of the Falls. At approximately 8 a.m., the body of a man was recovered amongst the drying talus.

In keeping with Sergeant Dominic Conti of the Niagara Frontier State Parks Police, the man was seen diving into the water of the American channel on Wednesday June 11th at about 1:50 p.m. Three visitors at first thought the man was a worker on the dewatering venture The man was 20-25 years outdated with brown hair. He was carrying a green plaid shirt and inexperienced pants. The man had walked alongside the shore till he reached the brink and jumped in.


Police officers: Sergeant Conti, Patrolmen Ronald Tobin, James McNeil and James Gizzarelli, while looking for the man, discovered the badly decomposed body of a woman jammed head first amongst the rocks about half manner up talus bank. The girl was clad in a pink and white horizontally striped jersey or costume.


During a subsequent submit mortem examination, the woman was discovered to be wearing a narrow gold marriage ceremony band with the inscription "forget me not" on the inside. The dewatering mission allowed the restoration of the our bodies from the talus. This normally would by no means have been doable. By the of the dewatering of the American Falls, the lady ironically grew to become a part of this historical past and could be remembered ceaselessly.


the United States Army Corps of Engineers
drilling on the dry American Falls


Friday June 13th 1969 - The spectacle of the dry American Falls is already drawing visitors from local and much away to see the phenomenon. Most agree the double barrel attraction of the trickle of water trailing forlornly over the rocks on one aspect of Goat Island and water flowing mightier than ever on the opposite aspect was price seeing.


Last night time site visitors was so heavy on Goat Island that cars have been backed up to parking heaps at each ends of the island.


Tourists stood behind protecting fencing on the cofferdam at the pinnacle of Goat Island to see what had stopped the Niagara River. The water was now being channeled to the Horseshoe Falls.


On the crest of the American Falls, a temporary fence blocked the method to Luna Island. Probably the most daring spectators walked onto the river bed, regardless of rocks that had been slippery from the water and moss and a stream that continued down the center. Several individuals walked over and peered over the crest of the Falls. With the water not flowing, the channel appeared like some other part of the Niagara Gorge.


A pile of 185,000 tons of unsightly talus from the 1954 Prospect Point rock fall at the bottom bear testimony for a need of a approach to forestall further rock slides in the realm and to remove among the offending materials.


Monday June 16th 1969 - Rochester Shale begins to crumble on the dry American Falls. Cranes will likely be used for scaling. Workers will begin scaling unfastened rocks from the face of the American falls on Tuesday or Wednesday. The rocks should be eliminated before USACE geologists begin studies at the base of the Falls.


Installation of water pipes with sprinklers are being installed sooner then originally planned. They are going to moisten the shale layer which has been undermining the dolomite on the crest of the Falls.


A 70 ton crane have to be moved out onto the river mattress earlier than scaling operations start. A 50 ton crane is already in place. The crane growth will suspend workmen in cages whereas scaling unfastened rock.

An entry highway has been built across the mossy floor of the river mattress. A protective fence stretches from Prospect Point to Luna Island.


Photographs by Lory Watts


My Dad's identify is Lory Watts, he died in 2009. He was an aeronautical engineer (in logistics) with Rockwell for over 30 years and spend quite a bit of time in Buffalo on the Bell facility. Since he often traveled back to Buffalo for business he turned fascinated with the falls and simply occurred to be there once they "turned it off". That catch phrase became a household term when I used to be a teen. - Bonnie Baker


Tuesday June 17th 1969 - Sprinklers for dry Falls are nearing completion. Albert Elia Construction Company installed a spray system to moisten the face of the American Falls, completing the set up 3 weeks after the installation began. Nearly 800 toes (243.8m) of six inch diameter water pipes are required to carry water to continually moisten the below laying shale layer on the face of the Falls to stop the shale from crumbling. Three traces extending from the cofferdam will channel water to the spray areas. A permanent spray system was erected before geological research started to maintain the shale repeatedly moist. If left exposed to the solar and wind, the shale will deteriorate extra rapidly than normal.


Thursday July 3rd 1969 - regardless of mans finest efforts and expertise, some waters continue to trickle by way of the 600 foot long cofferdam at the head of Goat Island and wind their method to the American Falls. With evaporation it is predicted to dry a lot of the swimming pools in the upper river channel.


If water keeps falling, drill crews may not start testing the talus at the bottom of the Falls at the top of July. Engineers will divert any remaining streams of water in the direction of Luna Island.


Wednesday July ninth 1969 - The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) continue drilling within the dry river mattress of the American Falls. The drilling crews at this time will end drilling one gap to a depth of 180 toes. Then gravity strain checks will probably be made in the opening to determine the permeability of the rock. Workmen will stuff packers at 5 foot intervals and fill the area with water to gauge the absorbency of the various sections of the rock.

Early this morning a survey crew came to the Canadian facet to view the American Falls in order to organize a contour map of the dry falls to strive to find out where a platform should be located for a second drilling probe.

constructing the cofferdam to dewatered American Falls


Friday July eleventh 1969 - Samples of rock from the American Falls are stored in packing containers before being despatched to the USACE laboratory for assessments.


Tourists are still unable to stroll on the dry river bed above the American Falls. Two display boards are being prepared to depict events of this geological project.


For the reason that venture was announced in late winter, officials deliberate to permit vacationers to stroll on the dry river mattress, a possible as soon as in a lifetime expertise. The principle issues are liability in case anybody is damage and maintaining tourists from interfering with workmen. Original plans called for a walkway to inside ten toes of the brink of the Falls said Arthur Williams, manager of the Niagara Frontier State Park Commission. He further said a gathering could be held to attempt to resolve the problem.

Workmen are continuing to use air-water jet streams with 100 pounds stress per square inch to clean algae from the rocks within the river mattress. Sand blasting tools is then used when water stress alone will not be enough. All fractures and joints within 500 feet (152m) of the Falls have to be flushed to a depth of three inches to allow mapping of the area. All unfastened debris lower than 2.5 inches in diameter must be eliminated with the natural growth.


Drill crews are persevering with penetration of the rock above the Falls and survey crews are working on a contour map of the vertical face of the Falls.

Monday July 14th 1969 - Thousands of spectators inspect dry American Falls. Niagara Falls, New York attendance data at the Niagara Reservation Park continue to be broken as hundreds flock to view the dry American Falls.


On Saturday and Sunday a total of 89,790 individuals visited the park close to the dry falls. Police ordered scores of spectators and rock collectors off of the dry Niagara River bed during the weekend. Persons strolling on the dry river bed, police stated are risking harm. Niagara Frontier State Park Police stated many individuals are walking on the dry river bed every so often and police are arduous pressed to get them off.


Wednesday July 16th 1969 - United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) drillers are scheduled to start boring a 320 foot (97.5m) vertical hole from a point about forty five feet (13.7m) from the brink of the American Falls right now close to Prospect Point. The opening will be three inches in diameter and can sink as deep because the river bed at the base of the dry American Falls. The aim of this part of the examine undertaking is to check rock formations. Once they completed the outlet, they are going to do completely different checks inside this similar hole to examine engineering capacities of the rock and wheat might be executed with it and to it.


Tuesday July 22nd 1969 - Tourist Walkway is still Unsettled. Drilling operations on the 320 foot vertical gap is about forty five toes from the brink of the Falls has reached a depth of 50 ft.


spectators picking coins from the dry riverbed
only feet from the brink of the Falls

Thursday July twenty fourth 1969 - "Our geologists are in a dream world" says Colonel Amos L. Wright, District Engineer from Buffalo. He added "We are wanting forward to an exciting and unusual summer".


The explorations to determine ways to stop future erosion at the Falls and perhaps rectify the outcomes of previous rock falls contain each civilian and military personnel.


Six geologists should describe the rock sorts including chemical evaluation and microscopic inspections in order to learn the explanation why varied rock sorts are susceptible to the weathering course of, to determine the power of the joints between the rocks above the Falls and to review the strength of the rocks a low temperatures. To do this, they're drilling a series of holes under and via the face of the Falls for core samples.


There are three army drill crews consisting of three males every with an overall supervisor Chief Engineer, Howard Simonson from Mobile Alabama. Simonson is answerable for something not falling under the geology class.


Workmen from Albert Elia Construction Company that constructed the 600 foot cofferdam are continuing to wash the horizontal rock floor with an air-water jet spray.

The Army officials estimate it will be 1972 before all the assessments are completed and recommendations are ready.


Friday July twenty fifth 1969 - A as soon as in a lifetime probability to walk on the dry river bed of the American Falls is to change into reality shortly according to Arthur B. Williams, General Manager of the Niagara Frontier State parks Commission.


Tuesday July 29th 1969 - Work began right now on a walkway stretching about 20 feet (6.1m) out onto the dry river bed and running for a distance of about eighty feet (24m) along the shoreline. Visitors will likely be able to come back inside 200 ft (60m) of the brink of the Falls. Steps shall be located at each end of the walkway. Two wooden railings about 5 ft (1.5m) apart will probably be constructed. Here visitors will walk on the dry river mattress. Williams mentioned there have been too many dangers to allow visitors to walk any further out onto the river bed.


Since Thursday work has been focused on the 200 foot (60m) space at the base of the Bridal Veil Falls. The spokesman for the USACE said construction of three platforms 20 ft (6m) by 25 ft (7.6m) would start by the end of the week. A drill crew will then punch seven horizontal holes into the talus to take samples for evaluation.


Friday August 1st 1969 - Tourists right this moment start strolling on the dry river bed of the Niagara River for the first time when the walkway built by the Niagara Frontier State Parks Commission was open to let visitors go on the river bed 20 toes from the shore from Prospect Point for a distance of eighty toes.


the dry higher channel resulting in the American Falls

courtesy of the Niagara Falls Review

Saturday August 2nd 1969 - Geologists at the dry American Falls have discovered indicators of one other part of rock are able to collapse as soon as the water begins flowing once more. Douglas Wilkinson, chief geologist of the venture said drillers boring a vertical hole 32 toes (9.7m) from the precipice ran into a void and misplaced a drill in the rock core at a depth of forty ft final week. A test made with blue dye confirmed the hole prolonged another 30 ft (9m) with dye rising in three locations alongside the cliff edge indicating vertical seepage from the top layer of the rock into the secondary shale.


Tuesday August fifth 1969 - Traffic snarled the Queen Elizabeth Highway (QEW) in Niagara Falls, Ontario as guests flock to dry Falls.


Tuesday August nineteenth 1969 - The only undermining to this point found within the rock at the dry American Falls is in the area of Prospect Point. In response to the USACE, Prospect Point was the site of the final major rock falls in 1954 when approximately 185,000 tons of rock crashed into the river under.


Dye poured into a fracture forty toes (12m) from the brink of the Falls close to Prospect Point appeared in three spots on the vertical face of the Falls.


Tests in the Luna Island space have turned up no proof of undermining.

Testing on the talus beneath the Falls began this morning. The picket platform protected by steel and tile roofing has been erected to hold the rig and equipment. Testing will be carried out on rock only covered by the water flowing over the Falls. Shale has been falling off the vertical face of the Falls in a single foot intervals


Friday August 22nd 1969 - A layer of shale on the dry American Falls to return under close scrutiny for the subsequent 5-6 weeks as drill crews probe its secrets and techniques. The aim of drilling is to learn if fractures located at the highest of the Falls prolong into the shale. It research a sequence of closely spaced vertical joints parallel to the face of the Falls.


Shale is the softer rock just below the highest layer of Lockport Dolomite. It's a consolidation of clays, mud and silt. It erodes quicker than the highest Dolostone layer. When the shale is cut by the water, the higher Dolostone layer is left with no assist. Stress and the added water stress cause the dolomite to break off.


A drill crew will concentrate on the vertical face beneath the Bridal Veil Falls. Here 5 holes might be drilled to a depth of 100 feet. Two of the holes will likely be drilled horizontally. Two holes will probably be drilled: one at a 10° diploma angles and one at a 30° diploma angle.


Work is expected to last till late September.


Wednesday August 27th 1969 - Eleven members of Brock University’s Geological Science Department toured the dry river bed in the Falls on Tuesday afternoon for greater than two hours. Melvin Hill, a USACE geologist escorted them on the tour.


Thursday August twenty eighth 1969 - Quiet Tourist Season in 1969 - Dry Falls Blamed for Decline


Saturday August thirtieth 1969 - The Horseshoe Falls is just not drawing the identical attention that Dry Falls is getting. Although its billed as greater and higher than ever, the Horseshoe Falls is neither dry nor attracting many visitors or as a lot attention as its American counterpart. The additional 2 % in water tumbling over the 2,200 crest can’t compete with the dry American Falls. During daytime hours 92,000 cubic feet of water per second plunges 176 ft drop of the Horseshoe Falls. At night the movement is lowered to 50,000 cubic toes of water per second to allow for hydro diversion. Now the whole 100,000 cubic toes of water per second is flowing over the Horseshoe Falls.


While consideration focuses on geological research to find out methods to retard future erosion, the cleansing up of the talus at the bottom of the American Falls stays problematic. The Horseshoe Falls eroded at even stages at a charge of about 2.2 toes per year. The Horseshoe Falls has never had a major rock slide of the magnitude of these plaguing the American Falls.


Wednesday September 10th 1969 - Safety is primary concern at Dry Falls Project. Safety options built into the study of the dry American Falls are as necessary as any technological equipment getting used.


An outcrop of rock close to Prospect Point that was undermined and in hazard of breaking off with pools of water nonetheless mendacity within the channel - rocks are slippery to walk on. Anyone slipping off the brink or having a rock break off beneath them, it could be a long fall to the jagged rocks beneath.


As an added precaution, any men having to go to the sting of the Falls past the safety fence wore safety belts connected to safety lines which were pinned to the rock on the opposite aspect of the fencing.


The tiniest and most accurate and vital safety gadget are the Extensometers. They function on an air bubble principal and measure any horizontal or vertical motion of the rock to the nearest 1/a centesimal of an inch. Shifting rock signifies to geologists that a rock slide is imminent. To this date, the meters have recorded no motion in any of the rocks at the Falls.


Some metal caps called monuments are also used to ensure the rock doesn’t change place. Their major objective is as reference factors for geological studies in mapping. They will be left in the rock even when the water begins flowing over the Falls once more.


Wednesday September 17th 1969 - The Cofferdam is just not inflicting excessive water in Lake Erie. Although there had been early estimates that the dewatering of the American Falls may trigger the water degree in Lake Erie to rise up to 5 (5) toes this has not been the case. High water levels in Lake Erie will not be caused by the cofferdam above the Falls said Colonel Ray Hansen of the Buffalo District USACE.


July 1969 - Lynn Paul and her family visited
Dry American Falls
(house photographs)


Saturday September 20th 1969 - Drill crews from the USACE have completed greater than half the holes to be drilled on the American Falls rock mattress for geological research.


A tenth hole was completed on Tuesday September 16th. Six extra are scheduled within the sequence. One hole shall be 230 feet (70m) deep and the other five about 15 feet (4.5m) deep. Six holes 30 toes (9m) deep have been drilled into the talus at the bottom of the American Falls.


Geologists are uncertain as to the composition of the rock layer beneath the talus and how much of it is talus rock that has damaged off from the gorge wall and fallen to the underside.


Two stress measurement holes might be drilled about the center of the river mattress about 50 ft (15m) from the sting and the opposite 60 ft (18m) from the brink. Instruments shall be put in in these holes to find out the presence or absence of abnormal rock strain.

Geologists assume that these rock stresses will influence the rate of recession at each the American Falls and the Horseshoe Falls.


All five holes in the horizontal sequence have been drilled. They are one hundred toes (30m) deep.


Tuesday October 21st 1969 - Only some exams remain before the USACE complete their studies on the American Falls. The purpose of this $1.5 million greenback mission is to study ways to forestall future erosion and decide the feasibility of eradicating a few of the talus from the bottom of the Falls.


One hole is still to be drilled near the cofferdam between Goat Island and the mainland and another in the laboratory check series. Corps officials hope to take away the earth and stone cofferdam between November 15th and December 1st.


Thursday October thirtieth 1969 - The date to remove the cofferdam and restoring the circulate of the American Falls will likely be announced in a week. A group of geological consultants and engineers visiting the location as we speak have Friday to review and consider the sphere work to this point. If present tests have offered sufficient knowledge the cofferdam could be removed in mid-November.


Monday November twenty fourth 1969 - Full circulation of the Falls will come progressively. Anyone anticipating the parched American Falls to roar again on like a giant when the cofferdam diverting the water is eliminated is doomed to disappointment.


The USACE in command of the five month lengthy erosion research on the Falls is doing its greatest to make sure the water is restored only steadily. Workers will start removing the massive boulders at 10 am. and the primary water movement ought to appear by 3 pm. A sudden burst of water is apt to endanger the men from Albert Elia Construction Company who might be eradicating the dam.


At Prospect Point where the rock construction is weak, a sudden heavy circulation of water could set off a rock slide. The complete movement will likely be reached in about 24 hours - gradually rising as the cofferdam is eliminated. Crowds are expected to observe because the earthmovers and trucks take away the cofferdam.


Pipes used to keep the shale and river bed moist had been eliminated final week


Based on Colonel Hansen, there isn't any option to know whether the Indian Head (rock formation on the brink of the American Falls) close to Prospect Point will cave in. Pins have been positioned on both aspect of the cracks to measure any rock movements however none has occurred since June.


Tuesday November 25th 1969 - There is water flowing over the American Falls Again. At 10:05 am this morning a drag-line lifted out the primary scoops of earth and rock from the 600 foot (182.8m) lengthy cofferdam that had been in place since June twelfth. At 10:Forty three a.m. the first trickle of water flowed by means of the dam however it was mid afternoon earlier than water once again plunged over the falls.


About 2,650 individuals watched from various vantage factors with cameras and newsreels as employees started removing the dam. Normal movement is expected by tomorrow morning as crews work across the clock to restore water movement.


A breach of the cofferdam began about 30 feet (9m) from the Goat Island shore. It was originally planned to begin at the middle however Colonel Hansen defined that a mushy spot within the dam was discovered this morning and the decision to start work close to the island was made.


There was a little bit ceremony to mark the start of the return to normalcy. David Kennis, age 11, of Lockport, New York symbolizing the subsequent technology, pulled a cord which operated a horn. The blast from the horn signaled the drag-line operator to start work. The first gush of muddy water spurted by the dam at 11:05 am. There was not a noticeable difference within the river bed till noon when water slowly started to fill the fissures and holes.


Tuesday November 25th 1969 - The roar of Niagara is returning to regular.


Thursday April twenty third 1970 - Luna Island and Cave of the Winds closed.


Friday April twenty fourth 1970 - Luna Island was closed Thursday when 24 giant cracks have been discovered on the floor. Fractures ranging from four feet (1.2m) to 12 toes (3.6m) long and up to ½ inch in width were discovered within a 9 foot (2.7m) arc pattern. The cracks may have been brought on by the burden of the debris from the Bridal Veil Falls. Luna Island had simply re-opened following the winter season.


Thomas Wilkinson, USACE District Chief Geologist described the fractures as a "sloping failure" of a slide nature as opposed to a rock slide. The fractures started approximately 20 feet (6m) from the Bridal Veil Falls.

Wednesday June 30th 1971 - Large cracks have been discovered in the American Falls and Horseshoe Falls. The United States Army Corps of Engineers plan a further $four million greenback research. Remedial work presently underway costs $2 million dollars.


Saturday August 28th 1971 - A small space at Prospect Point was barricaded to stop people from interfering with equipment and workmen.


Tuesday August thirty first 1971 - Cracks have been found in the rock wall at Prospect Point. They're situated midway between Prospect Point and astro cat slot machine the Prospect Point Observation Tower. As a result of these finding, the rock face will have to be scaled.

Tuesday January 20th 1972 - The Luna Island mission which began in November 1971 when a 175 foot (53m) cofferdam was erected from Goat Island to Luna Island, shutting off the water movement to the Bridal Veil Falls. A parks commission crew spent 10 days constructing the earth cofferdam to dewater the Bridal Veil Falls.


Thursday July 20th 1972 - Remedial work at Luna Island and Prospect Point start on July twenty fourth in keeping with Keith R. Hopkins, Regional Administrator of the Niagara Frontier State Parks Commission. A $99,223 contract was awarded to Herbert F. Darling Construction Company with supervision provided by Acres American Incorporated of Buffalo, New York.


At Prospect Point, exploratory trenching and take a look at pitting will take place.


Friday July 28th 1972 - New warning gadgets part of a $300,000 program will be installed at Terrapin Point and at Goat Island's flank. Two such devises have operated for a yr and are monitored by the Niagara Frontier State Parks Police.

Ross Steel Erection Company of Niagara Falls, New York were awarded a contract in the quantity of $121,695 to construct a platform to facilitate installation of warning units at the bottom of Terrapin Point. Work will start so as to add 4 extra sensor gadgets at Terrapin Point, Goat Island's flank and two at Prospect Point.


Saturday August 19th 1972 - Remedial work on Luna Island and the Cave of the Winds which started in July of 1972 needs to be completed by September fifteenth. The Herbert F. Darling Construction Company is putting in tendons within the rock face and clearing away rock debris from rock slides which have closed Luna Island since early 1970. Although Luna Island will likely be open as quickly as work has been completed, the cave of the Winds will not re-open until 1973.


Monday September 11th 1972 - Due to a recently discovered crack at Terrapin Point, it has been fenced off to maintain members of the general public out. It is a precautionary measure. An extensometer has been put in to watch any motion in the earth. The system is monitored by the State Parks Police. A program is now underway at Luna Island to shore up the rock following the discovery of cracks two years in the past. The remedial work is being carried out by the Herbert F. Darling Construction Company of Williamsville, New York.

Friday December 1st 1972 - USACE engineers have determined that Terrapin Point and Prospect Point may topple at any time as a result of instability of rock formations.


A a number of position extensometer is placed in a hole in the rock and connected by phone line to State Park Police Headquarters. There are many of those sensors now being put in in harmful areas to detect rock movement.


The Niagara Frontier State Parks Commission has installed greater than 200 ft (60m) of trench at Prospect Point. The trench is covered with boards to create a boardwalk look. These wood sidewalks can be raised to allow geologists access to the rock cracks beneath.


In June of 1973, the International Joint Commission distributed 220,000 brochures with ballots in Niagara Falls, Ontario and Niagara Falls, New York so as to acquire a public consensus of what needs to be finished concerning the talus of the American Falls. The ballots contained varied proposed options for the American Falls. There have been four primary options:


1. Remove the talus at the base of the American Falls

2. Increase the circulation over the American Falls


3. Restore the Maid of the Mist Pool stage

4. Make no bodily changes within the American Falls appearance


In 1975, the International Joint Commission presented their results, conclusions and recommendations in a report entitled "Preservation and Enhancement of the American Falls at Niagara. These results had been made public.


The talus at the base of the American Falls is estimated by engineers at 358,000 tons (280,000 cubic yards) with the talus reaching 135 ft (41M) high in places decreasing the water fall from 100 feet (30m) to a mere 45 toes (13.7M). The depth of the talus ranges from 25 toes (7.6m) to 50 toes (15m).


The talus was accumulated because of major rock falls in January 1931, July 1954 and December 1959 which cumulatively deposited roughly 130,000 cubic feet of talus at the bottom of the American Falls.


Throughout the dewatering course of, assessments included 46 core borings totalling 4,882 ft (1488m). As well as to numerous mapping and probing processes, piezometers had been put in to measure water stress on rock joints and extensometers to measure rock movements.


The general public response was overwhelming. Five thousand pay as you go playing cards had been returned together with 70,000 different replies. The conclusion of this process was that a majority of respondents chose to not change the American Falls.


The International Joint Commission came to 5 fundamental conclusions:


1. whereas it is technically possible to remove the talus which has collected at the base of the American Falls, it isn't desirable to do so at the present time


2. whereas structural solutions are available to arrest erosion at the crest of the American Falls, the Falls shouldn't be stabilized by artificial means


3. a broad environmental study should be jointly carried out by Canada and the United States to determine and provides precedence to those measures which greatest enhance the total setting and beauty of the Niagara Falls area


4. that the two flanks of the American Falls and the Goat Island flank of the Horseshoe Falls are sufficiently unstable to warrant remedial action ...

5. a statistically minor element of risk from unpredictable rock movement will remain and must be accepted by the viewing public.

Information INDEX
Information Index Accidents & Rescues Aero Car American Falls Attractions Attractions Price List Aviary of Niagara Barge (Scow) Books & Authors Botanical Gardens Boundary Waters Treaty Bridges History Butterfly Conservatory Carillon Tower Casino Niagara Cave of the Winds Clifton Hill Climate Customs Regulations Daredevils Dewatered Falls Directions & Parking Dufferin Islands Environmental Issues Events & News Falls Facts & History Festival of Lights Fireworks Over Falls Floral Clock Floral Showhouse Frequently Asked Questions Geology Greenhouses Horseshoe Falls Hydro Diversion Ice Bridges / Ice Boom Illumination Lights Links to Educational Sites Maid of the Mist Municipalities of Niagara News & Events Niagara Glen Niagara Gorge Niagara Parks Niagara River Niagara River Treaty Niagara Tunnel Project Oakes Garden Theatre Parking & Directions Power History Rankine Power Station Rescues & Accidents Scow (Stranded Barge) SITE MAP Spanish Aero Car Towers of Niagara Falls Urban Developments Weather Whirlpool Whirlpool Aero Car Whirlpool Rapids


Historical ARCHIVE
History Index Barge (Scow) Accidents & Rescues Accounts Historic American Falls Dry 1969 American Revolution Barnett, Thomas Bender, Phillip Birth of the Cities: a history Bridges: a History British in Niagara Burning Springs Caroline, the Steamboat Center, the Chippawa - a History City of the Falls Project Clifton, Town & Village of Commerce (Early) Crysler, Harmanus Daredevils Hall of Fame Devil's Hole & Massacre Dewatered Falls Drummond Hill Early Settlers Explorers Accounts Forsyth, James Freedom Trail of Niagara French in Niagara Frontier Amusement Park Geology - a History Great Gorge Route Historic Accounts Honeymoon Bridge Collapse Hotels & Campgrounds Ice Bridges Ice Bridge Deaths Incline Railway Crash (1907) Indian Nations Islands of Upper Niagara Lorreto Academy MacKenzie Rebellion Michigan, the Schooner Mill District of recent York Mowat Gates Muddy Run Creek New York, Western Niagara Falls 1800's Niagara Parks - a History Oakes, Harry Pioneer Families Post American Revolution Portage Road Power - a History Powerhouse at Queenston 1954 Prospect Point Rockfall Railroads - a History Rankine Power Station Schoellkopf Power Collapse Scow(stranded barge) SITE MAP Skyview Airlines Streetcars & Trolleys Subchaser Superior, the steamboat Table Rock - a History Terrapin Point - a History Toll Roads - a History Tower Terminal Inn Towers - a History Townships: a historical past War of 1812, Rumours of War of 1812 Battle of Queenston Battle of Newark Battle of Beaverdams Battle of Chippawa Battle of Lundy's Lane Battle of Cooks Mills War of 1812- Ending Post War Development Water Works Yesterday 1909 Zimmerman, Samuel


Pictures & SLIDESHOWS
Photo Index American Memories (hyperlink) Fireworks Over Falls Historical Pictures Page #1 Historical Pictures Page #2 Honeymoon Bridge Collapse NF Library Collection (link) Panoramic Pictures Powerhouse at Queenston 1954 Small Town America (link) Yesterday 1909


Date last updated: September 07, 2019


The following locations and information about them are but a few of many famous websites & points of interest to be present in Niagara Falls. The best of it's FREE to see...so think of Niagara Falls when planning your subsequent trip.