In June 1969, American engineers pulled off an almost unbelievable feat. They completely shut off the flow of water over the American Falls, one of the three waterfalls that make up Niagara Falls. Over several days, workers dumped more than twenty seven thousand tons of rock and earth into the Niagara River to build a temporary cofferdam, diverting all the rushing water toward the neighboring Horseshoe Falls.
The United States Army Corps of Engineers needed to inspect the bedrock because massive rockslides in 1931 and 1954 had left piles of rubble at the base. Officials worried the natural wonder was rapidly deteriorating and losing its dramatic vertical drop. Once the riverbed dried out, millions of coins tossed by tourists over decades were revealed, along with the tragic remains of two people.
Over the next five months, engineers drilled deep into the riverbed, bolted loose rocks together, and installed instruments to track future erosion. Eventually, they decided that completely clearing the fallen boulders at the bottom would be far too expensive. In November 1969, the cofferdam was blown up, and the mighty river reclaimed its natural course.
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Disclaimer: This video is for educational and entertainment purposes. Historical facts are sourced from public archives and imagery is used for illustrative purposes.
