I can remember as a young man the time the American Falls was coffer dammed off just above the falls by the U.S. Corps of Engineers to study if anything could be done to stop the erosion of the American Falls.
In 1969 I was managing one of Niagara’s hotels- the Sheraton Foxhead Hotel located directly across from the falls. The falls were “turned-off” on June 12th and studies continued until November 25th when the coffer dam was removed. A lot of hoteliers thought it would bring more visitors to our doors but it had the reverse effect. Most visitors thought there was no reason to visit because the falls weren't flowing. They didn’t realize the Canadian Horseshoe Falls was still flowing. Business was poor during that time period.
After studying the information for seven years, the Corps of Engineers it was decided not to remove the huge piles of talus (rocks) at the base of the falls and leave the falls to erode naturally. Environmentalists were happy.
