Save Niagara Falls – from this
Subject(s): Factories, New York (State)--Niagara Falls, North America--Niagara Falls, Ontario--Niagara Falls, Tourism, Tourists
Click on image to zoom in
The waterfalls at Niagara Falls are being diverted to provide power for the factories that have been built along the river ahead of the falls, leaving a cliff and a series of pipes where the water used to be. New tourist attractions, such as a barrel jump chute and a “Whirlpool” carousel, have been developed to take advantage of the dry riverbed.
Comments and Context
Relatively forgotten in history (except in the environs of Niagara Falls) and in Theodore Roosevelt’s disputes and presidential victories, is the controversy over Niagara Falls that roiled in 1906. It is interesting, beyond its long-range significance, as an example of Roosevelt’s winning skills in such matters.
The matter was, coincidentally, similar to the Alaskan Boundary Dispute: the President appointed able surrogates, yet kept a close watch on negotiations; he contended with foreign powers as well as domestic commercial interests; and he kept his conservation priorities paramount.
The Falls, on the exact boundary of the United States and Canada, portended difficulties for that reason alone. But when issues of navigation, drainage, and the tourist economy were submerged by development of hydro-electric facilities and massive construction challenges, many complications arose. As noted, Roosevelt was keenly aware that development might permanently mar the sacred and natural beauty of the Falls.
It fell to Puck to find, or seek, humor in the situations when water was diverted from the Falls, or when such a permanent situation was threatened. Cartoonist J. S. Pughe dredged up many stereotypes and humorous possibilities about the dry cataract. A few months later, Puck‘s L. M. Glackens would draw a black-and-white interior cartoon of hordes of engaged couples lobbying the White House to preserve the legendary honeymoon spot.
Roosevelt’s successful management of negotiations, complicated by interests as far away as the Great Lakes and as powerful as regional cities and utility trusts, are as notable as his skillful attention to the Alaskan boundary, as noted, or the 1902 Coal Strike, or the Moroccan crisis.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1906-04-18
Creator(s)
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909
Period
U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)
Repository
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Page Count
1
Record Type
Image
Resource Type
Rights
These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
Save Niagara Falls – from this. [April 18, 1906]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o278530. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909. Save Niagara Falls – from this. [18 Apr. 1906]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o278530.
APA:
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909., [1906, April 18]. Save Niagara Falls – from this.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o278530.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
APA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
