My Devotional Thoughts: Niagara Falls

Friday, March 29, 2013

This Day in History March 29, 1848

Who doesn't find Niagara Falls beautiful and somewhat scary (especially if you're going over it in a barrel)? Well, it just so happens that on this date in 1848, the mighty Niagara Falls were silenced. That's right! For 30 hours, there was an ice dam at the neck of Lake Erie and the Niagara River. This is the only time in recorded history that the Falls stopped flowing. There was no roar during this time, and evidently people event ventured into the gorge and found relics from the War of 1812. Thankfully, it was returned to its normal flow by the following evening.

For more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niagara_Falls
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/reform/jb_reform_niagra_1.html
http://www.examiner.com/article/weather-history-march-29-record-temps-storms-snow-wind-flooding-2

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

This Day in History March 29, 1848

I think I have grown up hearing about Niagara Falls. After all, you can't watch Looney Toons without seeing images of one of the characters attempting to go over it in a barrel. And this is something that has been attempted--successfully, if I remember right.

Whiel the picture up top is how we are used to seeing the Falls, look at what happened on this date in 1848.

Niagara Falls actually stopped flowing for 30 hours! I had no idea. It was an American family that noticed first the missing roar of the Falls. You can imagine what was happening as a result of this tremendous ice that caused the Falls to become silent. People walked on the frozen portions and found unusual items such as guns and such for souvenirs. Fish died. Some people even thought it was the end of the world.

Just as suddenly as it had stopped, the evening of the 31st, the Falls reverted to normal. The water gushed forward with a deafening roar.