The Niagara Falls Preservation Attempt of 1969

Averting a Tourism Disaster

Jenna Stroeder

Port2Port - 2024

Figure 1. Niagara Falls Gazette

Human invasion remains the biggest threat to maritime cultural landscapes of all types, in all places. This fact rang true though the Great Lakes, more specifically the Niagara Region in June of 1969 when the flow of the American Falls would be stopped entirely for "upkeep purposes".

On January 31, 1965, the Niagara Falls Gazette published an article, pictured in Figure 1. which triggered public uproar regarding the seemingly critical condition of the famous American Falls, the portion of Niagara Falls residing entirely on the American side of the border.1

Citizens were told that the American Falls were slowly deteriorating due to erosion and an unsightly buildup of talus. 'Talus' described large pieces of any kind of rock which have fallen from a steep drop and now rest at the base.2 The deterioration became an aesthetics issue for the American Falls and began to ignite public concern that tourism would be tarnished. This same worry persisted when the idea of dewatering the falls began to circulate as a means to maintain their "natural" beauty. Daniel Macfarlane noted in his article "Saving Niagara from Itself" that we as humans tend to "use technology to rationalize [our own] perceptions". 3 In this case, the idea was to instill structures which would not only stop waterflow for repair purposes, but permanently alter the flow water over Niagara Falls so as to maintain a "fuller appearance".4

Figure 2. Map of Niagara Falls Waterflow

In 1950, the United States and Canada signed the Niagara River Diversion Treaty which would stipulate that half of the waterflow coming from the Great Lakes would flow over Niagara Falls. Whereas the other half would be diverted to the hydro-power facilities located nearby on both the Canadian and American borders of the Falls. Due to this agreement, the 1950's was a period of immense human disruption in Niagara Region. The Horseshoe Falls was stopped of waterflow in stages for building purposes, many hydro-power plants were erected, and waterflows of both the Niagara River and Niagara Falls was artificially reconfigured to best supply power plants in times of power shortage and recession.5 This constant disruption throughout the decade is ultimately what leads to the publication of the concerned Niagara Gazette article, as the aftermath of human greed and invasion was becoming visible at the base of the falls in the form of debris. The article included the flow chart of the American Falls pictured to the right in Figure 2.6

The International Joint Commission (IJC), which controlled affairs which impacted water levels and flows, called a brief trial in 1966 which results in the decision to "shut off" the falls in 1969. 7 Twenty-seven thousand tonnes of rocks and dirt are dumped into the falls, which stopped the waterflow from June to November of 1969, pictured in Figure 3.8 However, it was ultimately decided that the removal of all of the talus, approximately 280,000 tonnes, would both weaken the rock surface at the base of the falls, and cost about \$26 million, so the original repairment plans were cancelled.9

How might such a significant and seemingly unnecessary infringement impact the overall structural integrity of the Great Lakes? During these dry six months, some rock was cleared away, along with the addition of scattered drainage holes which would decrease the concerning levels of erosion. The most significant addition would be warning sensors which were installed to detect rock movement.10 These man-made, aesthetically driven insertions are telling of the ways in which we as humans hold a sense of national identity when it comes to the many Great Lakes maritime landscapes within our borders, in this case specifically Niagara Falls. The public concern for tourism and the demand to "save the falls" was an extension of colonial tendencies where elements of nature were mistaken as property meant for us to "fix".11 Where is the line between hero and colonizer? It seems we are still on the hunt for answers.

Figure 3. American Falls, Waterless (1969)


  1. Figure 1. Don Glynn. "June 12, 1969: The Day They Turned off the Falls." The Niagara Gazette, June 9, 2019. 

  2. "Geologic Units Containing Talus." Interactive maps and downloadable data for regional and global geology, geochemistry, geophysics, and mineral resources; USGS Mineral Resources Program. Accessed October 6, 2023. 

  3. Daniel Macfarlane. "Saving Niagara from Itself." ResearchGate, November 2019. 

  4. Daniel Macfarlane. "Saving Niagara from Itself." ResearchGate, November 2019 

  5. Daniel Macfarlane. "Saving Niagara from Itself." ResearchGate, November 2019 

  6. Figure 2. Daniel Macfarlane. "Turning off Niagara Falls ... Again: 1969 Redux." NiCHE, April 23, 2021. 

  7. "Home: International Joint Commission." International Joint Commission. Accessed October 6, 2023.. 

  8. Figure 3. Daniel Macfarlane. "Turning off Niagara Falls ... Again: 1969 Redux." NiCHE, April 23, 2021. 

  9. Daniel Macfarlane. "Turning off Niagara Falls ... Again: 1969 Redux." NiCHE, April 23, 2021. 

  10. Daniel Macfarlane. "Turning off Niagara Falls ... Again: 1969 Redux." NiCHE, April 23, 2021.