Niagara Has A 104-Year-Old Shipwreck & It Has Moved Closer To The Edge Of The Falls
The last time it moved was in 2019.
If you're planning to travel to Niagara Falls anytime soon, you might be able to spot something in the water that could give you some major Battleship vibes.
In a press release posted on April 5, Niagara Parks announced that the 104-year-old shipwreck, known as the Iron Scow, has moved closer to the edge where the Canadian Horseshoe Falls sits, due to icy conditions in the Niagara River.
"Weather conditions over the weekend resulted in large pieces breaking free from the remaining wreck as it shifted further downriver towards the Horseshoe Falls," they noted.
This century-old shipwreck has been stuck in the same place above the upper rapids of the falls since 1918. It wasn't until it made the first downriver shift on Halloween night in 2019 that people really started to take notice.
Back then, the scow had moved 50 metres toward the falls, and some wondered whether or not it would fall over the edge. According to the release, the possibility of this happening though wasn't considered a public safety concern, and it's still not thought of as one today.
"Despite considerable deterioration over the years, the scow, which was the site of a heroic rescue of the two stranded men aboard, has miraculously clung to its perch in the upper Niagara River since breaking loose from its towing tug on August 6, 1918," they said in the release.
Those who can't head down to Niagara Falls themselves can catch a glimpse of this grey mass of a shipwreck lying in the water in a video on Niagara Parks' Twitter feed.
"The Iron Scow, the century-old shipwreck, moved closer to the Horseshoe Falls last weekend due to the weather. It last moved in 2019. The potential of it washing over the falls is not considered to be a public safety concern," they tweeted.
Jim Hill, senior manager of Heritage at Niagara Parks, expressed in the video that the ice in Lake Erie had pushed water and ice down the river into the Scow last week.
"Weather does have an effect here, but the Scow has lived through decades of being pounded by the river and storms and ice. So it's maybe just reaching the end of its life out there."