Cave of the Winds (New York)

43°05′00″N 79°04′16″W / 43.083417°N 79.070991°W / 43.083417; -79.070991

19th century photograph of the entrance to Cave of the Winds

The Cave of the Winds was a natural cave behind Bridal Veil Falls at the Niagara Falls. The cave was some 130 feet (40 m) high, 100 feet (30 m) wide and 30 feet (9 m) in depth. It was discovered in 1834, and originally dubbed Aeolus's Cave, after the Greek god of winds.[1]

Guided tours began officially in 1841, through Goat Island and descending down a staircase closer to the falls, into the cave.[2] A rock fall closed the tour in 1920. It officially reopened in 1924, bringing visitors to the front of the Bridal Veil instead of behind it, on a series of decks and walkways. Tropical storm-like conditions can be experienced, as winds can reach up to 68 mph (109 km/h) underneath the falls.[3] The cave was obliterated in a massive 1954 rockfall and subsequent dynamiting of a dangerous overhang.

  1. ^ Parsons, Horatio Adams (1840). Steele's Book of Niagara Falls. Oliver G. Steele. pp. 37–38.
  2. ^ Strand, Ginger (2008). Inventing Niagara: Beauty, Power, and Lies. Simon and Schuster. pp. 69–70. ISBN 978-1-4165-6481-2.
  3. ^ Gromosiak, Paul; Stoianoff, Christopher (2012). Niagara Falls: 1850-2000. Arcadia Publishing. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-7385-7695-4.