The Niagara Falls Disasters - Historsea, Episode 3
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Discover the fascinating history behind one of the world's most iconic natural wonders - Niagara Falls. In this episode, we'll explore the construction of Niagara Falls and how it forever altered the course of American history.
From the engineering marvels of the Niagara Falls power plants to the political and economic implications of harnessing the power of the falls, this episode delves into the impact of Niagara Falls on American society.
Join us as we journey through time and uncover the secrets of this awe-inspiring natural wonder. We'll also examine the legacy of the construction of Niagara Falls and its continued importance in modern times.
Don't miss out on this informative and captivating exploration of the construction of Niagara Falls. Make sure to like, comment, and subscribe for more episodes like this!
WE visited that power station and tunnel in November last year 2023 it was AWESOME , my wife's grampa worked there for 45 years.. Excellent video Tim !!
My mother was in Castle Loma tunnel halfway to the horse stables when the 1965 black out happened. They thought they shut the light off on them by mistake at first and were upset.
I really enjoyed this video! I was born and raised in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Your analogy at the end of this was spot on. As a kid, I didn't appreciate the Falls as I should have. It was basically my back yard. Now, as an adult I feel very fortunate to have grown up there. Your video was very insightful...thank you!
In the fall of 1965 I was working for a designer in Plainfield New Jersey and attending Seaton Hall University at night In South Orange. While driving north on the parkway the radio in my car quit. I banged on my dashboard a few times in an effort to get the radio to turn back on, with no luck. I then noticed in the cars around me on the parkway that all of the drivers were banging on their dash boards also. All of the radio stations in New York City, just a few miles across the Hudson River, had shut down. A few minutes later an announcer came back on the radio, and said the they just lost power in their floor of the building and they were running their emergency generator. He then revised his announcement of power loss that the whole building was without power, then a minute later that the who block was out. Within five minutes the world realized that power was out from the Hudson River north to Canada, hundreds of miles off the east coast. Safe on the New Jersey side of the river a bunch of us from class sat on the rooftop cafe of one of the dorms and looked north towards New York City. We would often go up there after class for something to eat and sit and watch the brightly lit up New Your skyline. Tonight it was black except for an occasional light here and there. It took a week for things to get back to normal as hundreds of thousands of workers were trapped many floors up in the air in their buildings in the dark. The final result of the black out happened months later. Exactly nine months after the blackout, with thousands stranded in their buildings in the dark for almost a week, there was a massive surge of newborn infants, locally known as blackout babies.
Don Moore....Blackout babies....Yep, I can relate to that. I and my new wife were living in Richmond, Va. in 1978. That winter, a big snowstorm; a blizzard, dumped over a foot of snow on the area and most everyone was stranded in their homes/apartments because the vehicles were stuck. Well...we had to keep ourselves occupied with playing games and.....keeping the bed occupied. Nine months later our first child came into the world. From then on, we called her the blizzard baby...!!!
I grew up in Westfield N.J I was 7 at the time. My parents were out to dinner so my sisters and myself had a tea party by candlelight in the living room. Quite fun for 7, 12 and 18 year kids. Of course my parents came home early due to the restaurant having to close. Lucky we had a gas oven and stove.😊😊😊😂😂
@@s.b.7924 And lucky that gas appliances then still used continuously lit pilot lights. Today those appliances also fail when the power goes.
Near the the of your comment about the 1965 blackout you said "It hasn't happened again since". You forgot about the 2003 North East blackout. It may have started in Ohio, but the over load breaker system reached Niagara Falls within minutes and when that happened the complete North East went out and took up to 4 days for complete recovery.
great video. your delivery along with the steady flow of maps and photos kept video interesting
The class 5 rapids just downstream from the falls is immensely powerful and is worth seeing up close on the Canadian side. I can't imagine riding that jet boat thru there
It's an amazing ride. It's also quite something to get down to the water's level and see it go by inches away.
It was the most memorable thing I think I've ever done. I highly recommend it!
I lived in Ontario for a couple of decades and never knew these things. Thank you for the well researched documentary . You’ve triggered an old passion , again thanks
What a good job you did. I've seen history hits, timeliness, national geographic, etc. Your simple production and common man approach and indepth info was most well done. Thank you
Fun fact, they control the flow of water over the falls depending on the season. During the summer time, more water flows over the falls for the tourists to enjoy. During the winter, they divert more water to the power stations. Also, if anyone ever comes to Niagara Falls, and likes hiking, don't miss out on hiking into the gorge. It's phenomenal and amazing to be up close and personal to some rapids.
And don't forget the tunnels behind Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side.
I would particularly encourage a visit to Niagara Glen just south of the whirlpool on the Canadian side.
The gorge hiking is a wonderful teen experience
I heard they closed the tunnel down behind the falls due to a partial collapse, they may have repaired it since then I’m curious to know
Don't forget to ride the falls in a wet newspaper bag
The first thing I learned today was about the Niagara Escarpment. I knew about it in the Niagara area, but had NO idea of the huge extent of it. That map of it was awesome!
You know you’re old when you remember the main event of a history video! 1965 Blackout! Our home was originally a summer cottage without electricity, and we had a fireplace, a wood/coal burning stove in the kitchen, also, a dug well and refrigerator, stove, and hot water run on propane. So everyone from the newly built “clean electric” housing development to the west of us came to store food, cook food, warm up, bathe and shower, wash and dry their laundry!
I was born in NF back in 1960 so it was a few years after the Schoellkopf power plant collapse so by then the State was in the process of building the new Robert Moses Power Project about 3-4 miles downstream in Lewiston. I'm writing this in 2023 so I'll be 63 later this year. I grew up hearing about the power plant collapse and the "big blackout" but the real reason I'm writing this is because I never, ever knew until NOW that there was actual film of the collapse of the old power plant while it was happening, and it's far more shocking to actually see what really happened than I ever pictured in my mind how the whole thing literally "went down" (pun intended). It's FAR more scary than I ever imagined it was. Naturally I've seen the still photos of the aftermath of the collapse my whole life but this video defied all expectations. This is a truly incredible documentary of the disaster that amazingly and thankfully only took one life. It was that singular disaster that ended up putting into motion the complete re-design of the Niagara Falls, NY tourist district near the falls by the mid-1960s when the old Hydraulic Canal that fed water to the old power plant was filled-in and then in 1969 a really massive urban renewal program got underway that ended up leveling and destroying the wonderful Falls St. and surrounding area that I remember as a child and teenager during the 1960's - '70's there growing up. Back then it was a wonderful place to spend your childhood doing all of the things every parent warned us NOT to do - like gorge climbing and swimming in the lower river - but it's all changed so much now. ...But really, this video of the power plant collapsing back in about 1956(?)... that's truly remarkable. WOW. I am absolutely awestruck. Thank you SO MUCH for posting this.
amazing that the collapse was caught on film................also amazing that ANYONE in the powerplant survived.
People were tougher then.
Great Video, I am a life-long resident of Buffalo, NY. Love the Falls and Great Lakes history..Keep them coming!
Go Bills
❤ Go Bills! It's truly amazing to have this natural wonder in our backyard.
Hamilton Ont. , I well remember trips to Buffalo Zoo , no passports in 1973 , just a wave from boarder guard on either side ! Marched in a few parades in Buffalo 75/76 as a cadet , we had nice British sailor uniforms , the older cadets would be served in the bar there , we walked through a black neighbourhood as we were given a few hours after parade to look around town , no trouble , they just looked at us dumbfounded . Love Up State N.Y Finger Lakes Rochester Buffalo !
@@jafo766 The good old days!! I have many great memories of our day trips to Crystal Beach, Toronto Ect.. Cheers to my great neighbors to the North!!
@@thomaslewandowski2504 Indeed we thought the early 70's was crazy, if only we had a Vietnam War to send these purple haired wokester's to today eh !
The way you weave events and people and inventions and happenings together reminds me of the British "history" show called connections hosted by James Burke. This is a good example of the way that history and the sciences could be taught spurring inquisition by students to deeper understanding. We totally enjoy the way you wrap things together.
Agreed. That was an excellent show (as well).
I grew up on Toronto, so consequently called electricity “Hydro”. It wasn’t until I came back to England that I found out that no one knew what I was talking about.
The thought of electric lighting is now a fantasy in South Africa, going back to candles and hurricane lamps at night !
You should have treated everybody equal maybe.😮
Coming to a town near us all soon!
@Jay Hopkins Says you. I'm absolutely certain you've done racist and horrible things in your life. You should be ashamed of the colonialism YOUR ancestors started. You're probably a Brit and your nation is beyond the pale. Grow up a little and think before you make accusations like that. Little boy.
Never !
We're not far behind. Maybe some mostly peaceful protests and a clown that takes bribes, divides citizens based on identity politics and attacks on national pride will help. Oh wait..
Back in the late 1990's, I took my GF for a weekend to Niagara falls. While cruising on the American side parallel to the Niagara river, we stopped at the small park there. After a short picnic we headed up the highway toward Goat Island,(The strip of land between the American and Horseshoe falls). The sky was cloudless and sunny as we enjoyed our motorcycle ride.. All of a sudden, it began to rain, and it poured!! Ten minutes later, the sky was blue and cloudless again. Turns out on humid afternoons, the falls mist make a cloudburst that we were later told was quite common.
I enjoy videos about Niagara Falls my family used to go there every summer
We had just moved to Toronto and were coming to the falls from that direction. Looking north at the horseshoe falls you can see a park on the west (left). We stopped there first and it was terrifying. The sheer power is just too much. The roar, ground vibration and SPEED of the water was so powerful. I’ve never felt like jumping from heights and can’t imagine thinking I’d ever jump into one of these.
It happens to me too.
Try the tunnels that take you underneath the falls. The water is only a few feet in front of you. It's a neat feeling
Just found this episode. In November of '65 I was a junior in high school, livng just outside Rochester, NY. I had just walked into my house, where mom was cooking dinner, when the lights flickered and went out all along our street. We all groaned, but suddenly everything came back on! It was only for a second or two, however, and we were right backin the dark. A few minutes later mom was wondering why dinner wasn't ready. Then we realized she was cooking in the electric frying pan and supper wouldn't be getting done anytime soon. Fortunately, we had a gas stove and she was able to feed us. Suddenly, the transistor radios that parents hated because they all played rock and roll, became our only connection to the outside world. As a college student a couple years later, four of us hit upon the brilliant plan to climb down into the Niagara Gorge below the whirlpool and head for the falls. Lots of dangerous places down there, but when we reached the Shoellkopf power plant there were huge gaping holes where the penstocks had exited the plant! There would have been no coming back from a fall into them, and the structure was obviously compromised. It felt like staring into the gates of hell! This was only eleven or twelve years after the collapse. I had never heard of Schoellkoph. We did make it past the rubble and eventually took the elevator at the falls observation tower to get out of the gorge. At that time, in the late sixties, Niagara Falls, NY still had the remains of some of the water diversion canals visible through the city, although partially filled in.
I have been fascinated by Niagara Falls since I was a child. I have read numerous books and watched endless videos on this subject. Saying that, I have learned much new information from your video. I am very impressed with this channel.
The Niagara escarpment formed in a geological second. Hundreds maybe even tens of years as the Younger Dryas began taking place. When glacial lakes like Lake Agassiz, which dwarfed our current Great Lakes, began spilling out the flow of water was so violent and destruct, it literally ripped through hundreds of feet of bedrock leaving behind massive rivers of melt water, miles wide, which changed the earth's surface forever. It didn't take millions of years, places such as Niagara Falls, like I mentioned, were created in a geological instant. Randall Carlson has an incredible KZhead channel called "The Randall Carlson" developed by two of his buddies, who are also brothers, that name their podcast "Kosmographia" The hour plus videos that are posted will suck you right in! Randall uses USGA topographical maps that include these ancient riverbeds, scablands, drumlins, Carolina Bays and potholes, along with numerous other undeniable pieces of evidence of catastrophic ancient floods. I like your channel, bro!
Bobby Verne....Yes sir...Randall Carlson is great and his knowledge is even greater..!! I would like to also recommend a man named Nick Zentner, a Geology teacher/researcher at Central Washington University, in Ellensburg Washington. He researches and talks about and visits many of the incredible and almost impossible to believe geological places. His stuff correlates well with Carlson's stuff. I would like to see them get together..it would be amazing.
I have always had a fondness for the technology of hydro-power, and Niagara Falls, being a resident of Southern Ontario, Canada. Thank you for this wonderful presentation.
Only just discovered your channel and I'm so glad I have as your delivery and narration of your clearly exceptional knowledge is both easy to follow and very enjoyable to watch, Bravo!
I was an 8 year old child in Niagara Falls, NY, shopping with my mother on Falls Street, maybe ten blocks away from the rock collapse. Of course all the lights went out. So for many years we had school trips to the new power project, to replace the collapsed plant. During the 1965 blackout, we were watching TV, a quick flash on the TV, but we didn’t lose power. The TV told us about the blackout as it crossed NY State to NYC.
Absolutely loved it. Grew up in Buffalo felt like a tour guide for many many years for Niagara Falls and it was beautiful especially loved learning about Tesla that had never been mentioned in anything that I’ve heard anyway so thank you so much for that very interesting and a chuckle.
Thanks for all the hard work Tim.
Superb video! I'd never heard about the disaster, and I lived in the NIagara region for 8 years starting when I came to Brock University in St. Catharines. You're absolutely right, when you live right beside the falls, you don't really think about the truly amazing natuiral wonder that they are. Keep up the good work!
Great high quality video! So many interesting points tied together
Found thus channel in my reccomended and it's become one of my favourites. This channel is very underrated.
Great video! I lived for 25 years in the Niagara Region, and still learned a few things.
thanks for your efforts! excellent work!
Another great Historsea! Please keep them coming.
Enjoyed! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us
I’m hooked, you were amazing, totally enjoyed,thank you.
Ty so very much for sharing this information and a great job of narration 😊
Only trucks have "maxi" brakes where the brakes automatically apply with a loss of air pressure. Trains still have manually activated parking brakes
Correct, parking brakes.
Former Niagara Falls resident. Great job fella. I think I saw a picture of Websters falls as well half way through the video. That place has a sad history and some wierd things happening with shadows at dusk. 8 of us saw it and felt it. Especially the kids.
wow, I have never heard this story, I'm definitely sharing this one. Thank you so much! Keep the videos coming.
Well thought out and presented program, as well an interesting part of history. Thank you!
I really enjoy your channel, I'm glad it showed up in my recommended videos playlist. Subscribed and liked :)
This is amazing Tim, thanks!
Great video Tim, I would love to see an episode on the Mount Hood or Port Chicago Disaster. I am a mature student in Plymouth UK studying Marine Biology however, my studies have veered off into more maritime history combining both my loves of marine and history. I am on an extended minimum 6-month break having suffered a head injury. Your videos are one of the things that keep me going.
I hope you are recovering well kind stranger. Please remember to be kind to yourself while recovering. We are are only human after all.
i hope you have a full recovery
Thanks for this interesting bit of history. Enjoy how you tell a story.
Very insightful. I never heard about this before
This was a great video! I been there so many times & I didn't know any of this. Thanks!
I really enjoyed your presentation, it makes me want to move to your area of the country. It would be fantastic taking photographs around the area that holds so much history. Thank you so much for sharing your video with us.
The end of this video reminded me of the first episode from James Burke's "Connections" series. Flipping awesome stuff, Tim!
Great history doc. Informative! I've been to the falls ...what a fantastic & spetacular place. An experience I will never forget.
I am from Australia and have stood right next to the swatter as it falls and saw the power stations what a wonderfully thing to behold
I live in Niagara for 30 years and today I learned tons of new thing where I do business and raise my family , totally involve in the cities affair , and you my friend just gave me an education....wow ,thanks man .....got my sub and I will be talking about you to many Niagara resident ......dam I’m pleasantly surprised .
Splendid episode Tim! Well presented, and to quote my son, "he has a good voice and cadence. I actually listened instead of zoning out." Great photos of Clifton Hill, but no mention of the ballet?! 😂😲😂 Honestly didn't know that PBR first showed up at the World's Fair, I'll have to keep that nugget in my "useless trivia" bucket for bar trivia nights.
The way you articulate these factors of invention and application history reminds me of the style of James Burke's excellent TV series "Connections" (1978). It's a pleasure to cogitate as you elucidate, and integrate.
Great documentary in a relatively short time. I love his other channel, but I was surprised how well he fits as a narrator in these videos. Great entertainment!
Great channel Tim. Facsinating topics
Just found this channel and I subscribed very informative. Keep the videos coming great channel.
Fantastic video, great storytelling! I grew up in the area, Things I’ve never heard or seen before and only piqued my curiosity
Thank you boss. That was awesome. Niagara Falls has been the initial big attraction for many miles around. I live about an hour and a half from there: and not very many other options at that time so we were there quite often. I was born in 1967. You have filled in some of the history there. Looking into the gorge as we drove by there are several areas we didn't explore nor know the history of. Prior to my birth, my mother with seven children aging 10 to newborn, lived in the country. From 1956 onward. As we had relatives living in Niagara Falls they learned of this disaster yet not sure if it really affected us at all. We did not have access to electricity until 1965 due to the lines not being installed yet. The road we lived on didnt get paved until 1963. We grew up country. Had larger veggie gardens, had a well that wasnt tainted until 1980s, fresh water anytime. Then grew up with a cistern installed giving us running water in 1973. Until then we had an indoor bucket and out house. Hahaha oh the good ole days. Hahaha my dad was high steel worker that helped build the current Niagara falls hospital on pine street area USA side. He also mentioned working to help repair the train bridge over the gorge. He passed away in 1978 due to lung issues. My mom and dad met on the corner at pine street. Thats where their lineage starts from. Not far from the hospital where my dad worked and where mom had to catch her bus to go to work. So, familiar with the area well.
pine ave.
Nice to hear a beautiful narration voice after some of those computer generated disastrous messes. Thank you for such a pleasant natural voice. Could you hang some blankets or some other sort of sound deadening material to get rid of the "Too Live Studio" echo? Thanks, it will enhance your narration even further. 😊
Awesome video! Well spoken and informative
Informative vid. Thanks
Great video. Glad i found this channel.
Great video! Thanks.
Awesome job my friend!!
Nice series!! You just got my subscription. I'd like to see something on the Colombia River. Growing up here in Oregon, I know it was once called the graveyard of the Pacific, and in less than 100 years went from being challenging for Lewis and Clark to navigate to one of the largest commercial waterways on the West Coast.
Excellent content of history from the beginning
I guess through You Tube, magic your channel found me. I am so glad it did. I absolutely enjoy each of your videos productions. They are well researched nicely edited and very well narrative. I have become a fan of your channel and wish you guys success.
Love the vibe you project, when telling a story
Thanks so much! I'm loving watching this channel grow before my eyes.
Tim you are an absolutely wonderful storyteller. Hopefully you can do an episode on the Panama Canal thanks captain Robert.
Thanks so much! Will do
So glad I stumbled onto your new channel. I grew up in Niagara Falls New York and still consider it home. Fascinating seeing the Schoellkopf Power Station collapse - where did you get this footage?! I've never seen it before. Fantastic and entertaining video. I love your presentation style interspersed with historical photos/videos. Well done. I grew up there so saying you taught me something is saying a lot.
Very well done video! Loved it!
⚡Wow⚡I'm impressed. That was quite a ptesentation of the importance of the Niagara Falls region and importance. You taught me one thing that I didn't know. That was the disaster in the sixties (I forget the specific year). I did not know how many customers lost power during those days. I was only 11 years old in 1967. I may have misunderstood you in that during that article I think you mentioned that the loss of power was the worst one since. I immediatly thought about the blackout of the Eastern Seaboard that happend three decades later when we lost power in Toronto (and everywhere else east of the Mississippi) for about four days (maybe more). After the power went out, I remember driving out to our cottage near Port Perry, just to find out there wasn"t and electricity there either. It was a few months after the power came back on that i went and purchased our 12kw gas generator. Haven't used it since.! So, the disaster power outage in the 60's wasn't the last one to date. I may be wrong. When you get to 67 after a stroke, you tend to loose a few details. 😊
I live in SW Ontario about 5 km from the edge of the Niagara Escarpment overlooking Hamilton, Ontario. There are old water mills dotted along dozens and dozens of rivers and streams as they head downstream to spill over the escarpment. Hamilton has over 100 waterfalls that start on the upper city and plunge down to the lower city. It is a geographical gem. We are about 50 miles from Niagara Falls and I’ve seen it many, many times during my life. I am still in awe when I see it. On the Canadian platform above the Horseshoe Falls, the force of the water is palpable. ❤️🇨🇦
Best explanation of the great lakes basin thankyou👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Your a good teacher ! very detailed !
New sub lad. Great stuff. Extremely informative and well presented. Thanks for the high quality content. As a grade 7 teacher, I can appreciate your effort in terms of research alone never mind production values. 👍🙏
Really great video tim! -Spence
I live on the Hamilton mountain and the Bruce trail escarpment goes straight through our city. Such a beautiful place we have about 70 waterfalls in Hamilton.
Were about to have a $tinking Gas Line run down that corridor to $telco as well !...NDP NFG !...Move the whole ME$$ out to Nanticoke !
@@jafo766I know right? Imagine how beautiful it would be without the steel companies. Our geography is absolutely amazing.
@@thecynic9232 Indeed time for the $teel Mill'$ to be re-located to Lake Erie , mention it to MOENEEK TAYLOR !
So much information thank you
Brilliant, throughly enjoyable. Thank you very much. A New Zealander.
Great job. loved the history. From Hamilton Ontario
Great video, I appreciate the smart and brilliant men before my time.
Just came across your video keep up the good work 👍
Really enjoying your new channel Tim :) I love watching your sailboat videos, more for 'fascination' of what these boats are as i've a small wooden classic and so not in the same league! - but probably mostly it's your narration, as many i'm sure say. You really present well, really well, so again, this new channel is perfect. Cheers!
Thank you so much! I'm really loving watching this channel grow. It's amazing
very enjoyable and educational , thanks
I work in Niagara Falls ON - you made it sound really nice! 👍🏻
Can’t help laughing at some of the comment. I suspect they were expecting something along the lines of TikTok! I like it. Nice moments away from people screaming at each other over the wars du jour.
Loved your information
Well done! I remember the 1965 power loss- in CT. My family also visited the falls, & before that my parents honeymooned there. I’m surprised it only powers 3.6 M homes, however. Perhaps that is more a product of distribution than output. I’m also surprised there is a seasonal varient - because it is so big! Thanks for doing this. I learned a lot!
Very informative thank you
I enjoy your content and presentation. As an amateur historian, it is refreshing to go over these topics presented in a unique style. Keep up the good work. There are so many uniquely North American topics to keep you going for some time. 😊
Because you followed some of the lesser known occurrences you held my interest past what I thought would be the end of the individual stories. There’s also the lead up to the subject that helps connect events showing cause and effect. Great extra details for those who’ve often seen most of the story and get an unexpected surprise due to your extra research.👍👍
Great job very well done.
You are a very good presenter. Nice video, TY!
Great, interesting episode expertly narrated. Welcome to the KZhead community Historsea!
I lived in Niagara Falls for 8 years and this was the first time I ever saw that video showing the collapse of the power station. Excellent job. Graduated from Niagara University which is right next to the power station. Excellent museum there showing the history of the entire power system.
😮. This is so good, i have watched it again. 😊
Very interesting, thanks!😊
Very well done. Thanks