When Engineers ‘Shut Down’ Niagara Falls, They Made an Eerie Discovery

In 1969, engineers halted Niagara Falls for research, uncovering chilling secrets beneath the waters, including human remains and lost coins.

History is often filled with awe-inspiring feats and remarkable achievements. Yet, hidden within these stories are darker mysteries and eerie legends. One such mystery emerged at Niagara Falls in the late 1960s, when a seemingly routine research project led to a shocking discovery.

Niagara Falls, a majestic formation of three waterfalls, straddles the U.S.-Canada border. The iconic Horseshoe Falls lies primarily on the Canadian side, while the American Falls and the smaller Bridal Veil Falls are in the United States. Together, they make up one of the world’s most renowned natural wonders.

Typically, water flows freely over all three falls, but there have been times when the flow has been diverted for scientific study. One notable event occurred in 1969 when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers rerouted the water on the American side for research. With the falls temporarily silenced, the team made a spine-chilling discovery lurking beneath.

In the dry riverbed, the team found human remains—those of a man and a woman. The identities of these individuals and how they ended up at Niagara Falls remain unknown. The mysterious tale gained enough traction that SNOPES, a fact-checking website, revisited it in 2020. They located a news report from 1969, confirming this haunting discovery.

According to a report dated Friday, June 13, 1969, police documents revealed the unsettling sequence of events. “The bodies of an unidentified man and woman have been found here in a grisly beginning to a major engineering feat that has all but halted flow of the Niagara River over the American Falls,” the report stated. It further explained that the decomposed body of the woman was discovered as police searched for the man, who had been seen leaping over the edge. His body was found the next day. Engineers had redirected the water to flow solely over Horseshoe Falls to examine the American Falls for signs of erosion.

Niagara Falls is known for its breathtaking beauty and dangerous currents, which have claimed many lives over the past centuries. Online records document numerous fatalities at the falls, making the 1969 discovery a sad yet unsurprising revelation. Given the millions of visitors who come to Niagara Falls each year, it is no wonder that some chilling secrets lie beneath its powerful waters.

Over the past 50 years, Niagara Falls has remained a top tourist destination, drawing around 13 million visitors annually. With so much traffic, the riverbed hides various objects, from coins to forgotten mementos. During their project, engineers also discovered millions of coins that had been tossed into the falls, an unexpected yet fascinating find.

For about six months, water was redirected to flow exclusively over Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side. Erosion concerns had been growing since rockslides in 1931 and 1954 threatened the American Falls’ stability. This research project aimed to study the erosion patterns and preserve the falls. Chief geologist T.A. Wilkinson explained that the Horseshoe Falls carried about 90% of the water flow, making it less vulnerable to erosion than the American Falls.

Today, Niagara Falls continues to captivate visitors, preserved partly due to the engineers’ efforts. Although their project unearthed strange and eerie discoveries, their work helped ensure this natural wonder remains accessible for generations to come.