Unique History: The Day Niagara Falls Stopped Flowing

On a Cool Day in 1848, the Mighty Waters of Niagara Falls Suddenly Ceased

There are some things that everyone takes for granted. The sun will rise in the East every day, we must pay taxes and the Niagara Falls will flow for eternity. At least, that's what we thought until the amazing events of March 29, 1848. One of North America's first tourist attractions, Niagara Falls has fascinated scientists and laymen alike for centuries.

According to best estimates, the Falls are approximately 12,300 years old. While this means they have been in place for far longer than the span of recorded human history, it's just a blink of the eye in geological terms. While the Falls themselves have been running for only a relatively short time, the Niagara Escarpment-the underlying cliff formation that allows for the Falls-has been in existence for much longer. Originally, the cliff existed at what is now Lewiston, New York. Towards the end of the Ice Age, however, giant glaciers began to melt, sending torrents of water down the Niagara River. The power of this rushing water was so great that, through erosion, it wore away the Niagara Escarpment, gradually moving the Falls upriver until it reached its current resting-place. Even today, the unending deluge of water is gradually wearing away at the Escarpment. Failing some kind of powerful human intervention, it is inevitable that the Falls will continue moving upstream.

It is a virtual certainty that natives living in the region were the first to discover the Niagara Falls long before Europeans stumbled upon the continent. In fact, it is from the Iroquois that we get the name "Niagara," which is derived from the word "Onguiaahra" meaning "the strait" in their language. The first European to report on the falls was a French priest named Father Louis Hennepin. During an expedition he was amazed at the sheer size and power of the waterfalls he found. Upon returning to France, Hennepin wrote and published an account of his adventures called A New Discovery. This book brought Niagara Falls to the attention of Europeans for the first time and sparked the first wave of tourism to the famous waters.