Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1924-08-27
Niagara's Edge May
Need Patching Up

lifeless on her waterworn rocks. But
finally the seekers for her crown gave
up; the last not many more centuries
ago than the days of Tut-Ankh-A Amen.
Niagara is said to take it's name
from the Indian title nee-agg- arab,
which appropriately means across the
neck" The Niagara river cuts across
the neck of land separating Lake Erie
and Lake Ontario. Just east or
Buffalo the river collects the entire
natural discharge of the four upper
Great Lakes, rushes it through mar
rowing river for Is miles, pushes it
! over a sheer drop of PIP feet, churns
it seven miles through canyon, and
then carries it gently by seven miles
of lowland to Lake Ontario
Our Niagara was born when the
| glaciers melted back, exposing the
ridge the water now tumbles down.
Like the glaciers of the Rockies, these
enormous sheets of ice moving down
from Labrador poured out streams
of water. These streams collected
ages ago at the foot OF the huge ice
Iobes in depressions extending into
Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. Accumu-
| lated water sometimes rose hundreds
| of feet higher than the present level
Of the Great Lakes and poured out into
| the Mississippi over the present site
of Chicago and through outlets in Ohio
and Indiana.
Finally, as the ice melted northward,
prehistoric Lake Tonawanda formed
on the edge oe the plateau over which
Niagara pours. There We're then five
outlets from this lake-at Holley, Me-
dina, Gasport, Lockport and Lewiston.
The spillway at CARA
won out. Lockport gorge now con-
tains flight of steps for the New
York barge canal.
Early Niagaras Numerous.
| About the time Niagara was begin
ming to triumph, the melting glacier
moved back to Lake Simcoe, Ontario.
The tickle waters of the upper lakes
! lost little time in finding the Trent
/ valley, ragged series of lakes and
rivers leading into Lake Ontario.
Trent valley gorges tell IF many early
Niagaras. At that time only Is per
cent of the present flow went over
! Niagara, forming the narrow lower
gorge. Nature came to the rescue, tip
Ding a great block of land, ever SO
i slightly, but enough to shut off the
Trent faucet and make even more
water go over Niagara than the spec
tator sees today. But the Chicago out
| let, predecessor of the drainage canal.
again cut down the flow. The Whirl-
pool was made at this time.
Once again Niagara was flouted when
the outlet shifted to North bay.
Ontario, sending the waters down the
Ottawa over the portage which Cham
plain was TO take to discover Lake HUI
ron. The upper narrow gorge was
j then carved, but again the huge rock
saucer, which has the Great Lakes pud-
dies in the bottom, tipped. leaving Nj
agara triumphant.
Niagara started to spill over the
bank at Lewiston about 10000 years
| ago. In 300 centuries II has shoveled
its way seven miles. AT its present
rate of excavation, more than four feet
annually, Niagara will dig back the re-
manning 16 miles to Lake Erie about
the year A. d. 1924 Before this
time, however. man may take hand
8 since the peril to the famous Horse
shoe falls. by the recent erosion, has
| brought forth the suggestion of rein
forcing the lip of the falls