Cave of the Winds

Cave of the Winds was a natural cavern behind the Bridal Veil Falls in Niagara Falls, New York.   An overhanging rock ledge behind the falls created a space behind the cascading water.  People were able to walk behind the falls and it became a popular tourist attraction.  The opening of the Biddle Stairs in 1829 made it possible to easily reach the Cave of the Winds.     Guided tours would begin from Goat Island where tourists would descend the stairs to reach the cave. 

Unfortunately, the rocks around the cavern proved to be unstable.  A rockfall in 1857 resulted in injuries to several tourists in the Cave of the Winds.   In 1920, rocks fell from the ceiling of the cavern, causing three deaths and injuring several others.    Nonetheless, it remained a popular attraction and elevators were installed in 1925 to more easily transport tourists to the site.  But major rockfalls at Prospect Point and Terrapin Point led to an examination of Cave of the Winds by engineers.  They determined that the rock which formed the ceiling of the cavern was in danger of collapsing.   In 1955, the cave was destroyed by a controlled dynamite blast.   The attraction operates today as a series of wooden walkways that allow tourists to explore the base of the Bridal Veil Falls at close range.  

A 19th century handbill advertising the Cave of the Winds notes that "the visitor passing in front of the Fall here obtains the only grand view of the great Cataract.  Nothing can equal the sublimity and grandeur of the scene.  It is the only place on the GLOBE where rainbows form an entire circle, sometimes three at once, the visitor passing through them."

The Cave of the Winds even inspired a poem, which was printed on an 1860 handbill advertising the attraction.  

Cave of the Winds