When the Falls were shut off – Summer 1969

Like I mentioned yesterday, we made one last family trip to Niagara Falls during the summer of 1969. It was a special once-in-a-lifetime occasion, because the American Falls were "turned off." (It was such a big event we even brought along Grandma to see it.)

From the middle of June until the end of November that year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers diverted the flow of water over the American Falls so that erosion could be studied to determine if the rock formations at the base could be removed to improve the appearance. It was ultimately decided that the best thing to do was let nature take its course, because the huge pile of rocks may well be holding everything up.

It was a weird thing to see and something I'll never forget.

Here's the view from Prospect Point.

If this sort of thing is interesting to you, here's some more photos on the NBC News Photo Blog website.

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Well, thanks for letting me indulge myself this week with my nostalgic look at Niagara Falls. Next week, I'll return to my normal Lorain County topics!