Look Inside The Schoellkopf Power Station In Niagara Falls

Spring in Buffalo and Western New York opens up a lot of great activities for us to do. As the weather starts to get better and better, we're seeing more people coming out side from their winter hibernation.

If you're looking for some great things to do and places to check out in the area as the weather is getting warmer, then you really should make sure that Niagara Falls USA is on your agenda.

There are tons of great things to do on both sides of the American-Canadian border in Niagara Falls, but one thing that is very cool that you may one want to definitely need to add to your to do list is checking out the ruins of the Schoellkopf Power Station.

What Is The Schoellkopf Power Station?

Built in 1853, the Schoellkopf Power Station was actually 3 separate hydropower generation plants that were in operation from the mid 1800s to the mid 1900s.

The original power station, Station No.1, was a hydraulic canal that used water from the Niagara River to power conveyer belts and drive shafts for the various mills that were located in Niagara Falls. Station No.2 was built right into the rock wall on the Niagara Escarpment and was a substantially larger plant that Station No.1.

Station No.3, the largest and most powerful at the powerplant, had six hydrogenators capable of producing more than 320,000 horsepower and helped to propel WNY to be one of the wealthiest regions in the country.

Everything was running as it should until June 7, 1956 when cracks began to form in the rock wall the power station was built into. Workers hurried to try and repair the cracks but the flow of water was too much and by the late afternoon the power station had collapsed. The collapse destroyed 66% of the station and damage was estimated to be around $100 million dollars (approximately $1.1 billion in today's dollars). Soon after the remnants of the station was demolished.

In 2013 the site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and some parts were restored to allow people to visit the ruins.

Take A Look Inside The Schoellkopf Power Station

Youtuber Larry W, who is an urban explorer who has visited all sorts of locations all around the globe, actually takes us down inside the power station and shows us some things that most people have never seen.

Check out his video of inside the Schoellkopf Power Station, and if you decide to head to Niagara Falls to see it for yourself, just make sure you stay in the approved areas.