Scientists wanted to see if it was possible to see what was happening behind the falls. They believed that if they could stop them from sinking, they could discover the mysteries behind them. Tempering nature is a challenge, and many wonder if what scientists predicted was possible. How is it possible to stop such a powerful force?
It may seem strange, but the amount of water changes at night. It's not something that happens; Naturally, this is due to a human factor. Local businesses are allowed to draw water from the falls, but only at night. In the 1950s, locals signed a treaty to take more water at night when there weren't too many tourists, and they didn't notice a difference.
Technically, Niagara Falls belongs to Canada and the United States. Parts of the falls belong only to the United States. American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls are two parts of Niagara Falls and belong only to America. No part of the falls belongs exclusively to Canada.
It was believed that the stones accumulating at the base of the falls could cause problems in the future. The concerns of citizens of New York reached Canada and an organization that deals with shared waters was contacted. They call themselves the International Joint Commission and they discovered that something needed to be done with the rocks accumulated at the base of the falls. They even contacted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for their thoughts on the matter.
No one could find a solution for the accumulated rocks, so they decided to close the falls. During the summer of 1969, more than 1,000 trucks hauled rocks and dirt to the falls, just to keep them from sinking. The loads were dumped upstream of the waterfall for three days. A cofferdam was created and the falls stopped flowing. The water was redirected from there to Horseshoe Falls.
Residents were very worried for two reasons. First, they knew you couldn't control water. What would happen if water was diverted in the wrong direction, causing significant flooding? They were also worried about the fate of tourists. What would happen if they couldn't get the falls to flow again? Many locals made money from tourists. If the falls stopped, the money would also dry up. Tourists stopped visiting the falls that summer, but those who came got to see something no one will ever see again. They also had the opportunity to collect incredible rocks and coins from the river bed.
People watching the waters fall over the falls as it flowed saw skeletons in the water. It is not clear whether the skeletons belonged to animals that had drowned or to people who had fallen into the falls at some point. When one of the skeletons was examined, it was determined that the man had died from jumping into the falls. The year of his death was unknown. Another skeleton was that of a woman, and there was no apparent cause of death other than drowning. It is believed that the woman saw her loved one drowning and decided to meet him at the same place.
The fact that the experts were able to stop the falls was incredible. Fortunately, the falls began to flow again and today, Niagara Falls is still as incredible as ever. If experts had failed to stop the water from removing the stones in 1969, we may have lost one of the world's greatest wonders.
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