Niagra Falls Freezes 1848

"THE NUMBER one question everyone asks about this set of images is, "Does Niagara Falls ever really freeze over like this?" And the answer is yes. During an extended winter cold snap a hardened crust of ice can accumulate over parts of the falls — American Falls in particular — creating an amazing, naturally-formed ice sculpture, if you will, that has been known to reach a thickness of 50 feet. Neither the river nor the falls ever freezes solid, mind you. The water continues to flow beneath the ice at all times, albeit reduced to a mere trickle on rare occasions when ice jams block the river above the falls."

The photo above: a sepia-toned photograph listed as an Internet find on the website of the Niagara Falls Public Library, is of unknown date and origin, according to the documentation. It also appears on the Niagara Falls Live website, where its placement implies it was taken during the historic freeze of March 1848, when the falls actually "went dry" for a few days due to the formation of an ice dam on Lake Erie.

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