Niagara Falls Power Plant
- Date Range
- 1881 – 1881
- Title
- Niagara Falls Power Plant
- What occurred
- In 1881 the first hydropower plant was developed in Niagara Falls, making use of the water and elevation drop of the Niagara River. Canals were built through the city that diverted water from the Falls to the power plant. Today up to as much as 75% of the water that would go over the falls is instead diverted and used for hydropower. In 1896 desires to utilize Niagara Falls to power more distant places resulted in the invention and first use of long distance transmission developed by Nikola Tesla, and energy was sent 20 miles south to power Buffalo. Now that Niagara Falls had a value for producing energy, its values of sublimity and grandeur came second to providing energy to the cities of the Northeast. Not only was water over the falls reduced, effectively reducing its impact and power, but the power plants situated themselves along the vista of the Niagara River Gorge, roughly half a mile downstream of the Falls, therefore marring the appearance of the whole area.
- Location
- 570 Whirlpool St, Niagara Falls, NY 14303
- Image Citation
- McFarland, J. Horace. “How the Power Companies Beautify Niagara.” Brock University Digital Repository, 1 Oct. 1906, https://dr.library.brocku.ca/handle/10464/13131.
- Student name(s)
- Thomas Schrader