Chris Zimmer: Niagara Falls

Sunday, October 9, 2016

Niagara Falls – Then and Now

Niagara Falls - view from the American side

I’ve been to Niagara Falls three times in my lifetime: 1972, 1976, and 2016. Each time, I took photos and video of the area, but the quality greatly improved in that 40 year period due to the changes in digital cameras and photo processing software. I thought I'd share some of these old and new photos to show how things looked then and now.

Two photos below show Niagara Falls taken from the American side, one in 1972 and the other in 2016. The most noticeable differences are the Canadian skyline and the shape of Luna Island, the latter visible in the center of the 1972 photo and in the upper left quadrant of the 2016 photo. Luna Island was closed in 1954 due to ground instability and reopened in 1972. As I don’t have an exact date for my 1972 photo, it was likely taken before the island was reopened, as what looks like a crane is faintly visible on the island. I have also included before and after views of the American Falls, taken from the Luna Island vantage point in 1976 and 2016.

When we visited last week, the weather was spectacular, with bright blue skies and comfortable temperatures. We ventured to the Canadian side first to get a close view of the Horseshoe Falls. The only downside was that the mist from both the American and the Canadian Falls were being blown in our direction, and the mist turned to big raindrops as we got closer to Horseshoe Falls. People walking away from the area closest to Horseshoe Falls were coming back drenched, and, as we weren’t dressed for that kind of moisture, we didn’t get as close as we did in our 1976 visit. I have also included photos (below) of the view of Horseshoe Falls; one from 1976 and a few from 2016. While one can see the frontal views of all the falls from the Canadian side, there is nothing that beats standing right next to them on the American side.

After the photos is a very short video from our recent visit which conveys the sound and the power of the rushing water. All in all, Niagara Falls is an amazing natural wonder and it never gets old seeing it. (Click on any image for a larger view.)

Niagara Falls, American Falls - 1972