The American Rapids begin at the upstream end of Goat Island. From there, they drop about 50 feet (15 meters) in elevation to the brink of the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. Although no more than a few feet deep, these swift rapids are extremely dangerous. The hard dolostone riverbed has been worn smooth by water, but is also quite fractured and covered with numerous potholes. In the 1750's, Daniel Chabert de Joncaire built a sawmill and dug a small canal along these rapids. The canal created an island that was later called Willow Island. During the French and Indian War, Joncaire burned the sawmill to keep it out of British hands. In 1805, Augustus and Peter Porter and other local businessmen purchased land near the falls. The sawmill was rebuilt, and along with other industries, helped establish the village that would eventually become Niagara Falls. During the construction of the Robert Moses Parkway in the 1960s, Joncaire's canal was filed in. In the spring of 1969, a cofferdam made of boulders, gravel, and soil was built from the mainland to the upper end of Goat Island to prevent water from flowing over the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. Between June and November, scientists and engineers conducted an in-depth geologic study of th erock. They determined that the talus, or rocks below the falls, should not be removed and that Niagara Falls be allowed to retreat upstream through its natural process. Canal channel, rustic bridge, and part of Willow Island to the right. Photograph courtesy of the Niagara Falls Public Library. Construction of cofferdam out from the mainland. Cofferdam being removed from the American Rapids channel. Rapids above the American Falls, ca. 1868 postcard. The lower section of the American Rapids has been illuminated at night since 1989, and the upper section since 1998.
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