Engineers Made Grim Discovery After Completely Shutting Down Water Flow At Niagara Falls

If you're not familiar with the vast world of the internet, let me enlighten you: it's a breeding ground for countless rumors and myths.

It's likely that there are numerous myths, legends, and tales being spun about the iconic landmarks or treasures unique to your state.

Niagara Falls, straddling the border between the US and Canada, is enveloped in its own shroud of tales and historical anecdotes, much like any other place of renown.

On platforms across social media, there have been various claims suggesting that engineers stumbled upon something unsettling, though details on this supposed discovery are scant.

Snopes, a website dedicated to investigating and debunking online myths and legends, has conducted a thorough investigation to ascertain the truth behind these claims.

The claim revolves around an event in 1969, during which engineers embarked on a mission to redirect the waterfall's flow and purportedly uncovered something astonishing.

In 1969 engineers made a shocking discovery as they attempted to divert water. Credit: Bob Olsen/Toronto Star via Getty Images

Snopes confirmed that the Army Corps of Engineers indeed initiated a project to divert the flow from the American side of the falls to the Canadian side for a few months to evaluate erosion concerns.

During this undertaking, engineers encountered the remains of two unidentified individuals.

This discovery was significant enough to make headlines, as detailed in a Vancouver Sun newspaper article from the time.

On June 13, 1969, the paper reported: 

"The bodies of an unidentified man and woman have been found here in a grisly beginning to a major engineering feat that has all but halted flow of the Niagara River over the American Falls."

"Police said today the decomposed body of the woman was discovered Wednesday while they searched for the man, who was seen leaping over the precipice."

"His body was found Thursday."

"The water was shunted to the channel flowing over the Horseshoe Falls so engineers can study the face of the American Falls in an attempt to halt erosion."

Engineers found two unidentified dead bodies. Credit: Affluent Times

The identities of the two individuals, as well as the specifics of how or when they ended up in the water, remain uncertain.

In addition to this disturbing find, the engineering team encountered an unexpected sight: millions of coins.

The accumulation of coins at the bottom of the falls was attributed to tourists from both America and Canada, who had either dropped or tossed them into the water, given the location's popularity as a tourist destination.

The thought of what lies at the bottom of the falls now, years after the water was last redirected, leaves much to the imagination.