A few weeks ago, a photo was posted to a Niagara Falls Facebook page that includes old photos of the Cataract City and its natural wonder. The photo showed a group baptism at Loop Lake (more familiarly known as the Loop Pond, or sometimes Jones Pond). This body of water no longer exists but it is still in the memory of some of the older residents of Niagara Falls. It was not familiar to this writer so curiosity led to this article.
The development of the Niagara Falls Reservation State Park, which included portions of the upper and lower Niagara River shorelines in the immediate area of the American Falls, part of the Horseshoe Falls as well as Goat Island, began in the 1880s in the New York State Legislature. Prior to the establishment of this park, those areas were lined with mills and other industries with very few public places to view the Falls and property owners charging visitors a fee to get a glimpse of this natural wonder.
It was fortuitous that Thomas Welch of Niagara Falls was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1882, the same year as Theodore Roosevelt. He worked with other assemblymen to write legislation to create a “reservation” around Niagara Falls to return, and then protect, the natural landscape of the immediate area. The bill creating the Reservation, and a commission to oversee the planning and the condemnation of the private property surrounding the Falls, was signed by Gov. Grover Cleveland in 1883. Although neither Welch nor Roosevelt served on the official commission, both offered their advice and support.
After two years of preparation, Gov. David B. Hill signed the Niagara Appropriation Bill in April 1885 authorizing the funding for the establishment of the State Reservation at Niagara Falls. This bill paved (or unpaved!) the way for Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux to transform the grounds along the banks of the American Falls, as well as Goat and Bath Islands, into both a natural and a landscaped park. The new State Park opened on July 15, 1885.
Getting back to the Loop Pond, this was not an original feature of the State Park. An exact date for when the pond was created is uncertain. In the Tenth Annual Report of the Commissioners of the State Reservation for the Fiscal Year From October 1, 1892, to September 30, 1893, under improvements in the State Park, among other things, it states that “a pond has been formed in the grove…” Two years later in the Twelfth Annual Report of the Commissioners, for the fiscal year ending in 1895, while discussing the construction of a loop road at the eastern end of the Reservation, it says, “The pond, which the roadway encircles, has been cleared of all grass and weeds, and will form an attractive feature of the Reservation.” This implies that the pond was already there in 1895. The pond was shaped almost like a paddle.
The western, or narrower end, started behind the homes at the foot of Sixth Street and then widened and extended to Quay Street which coincides with present-day John Daly Parkway. The eastern end of the pond extended to Buffalo Avenue but did not encroach on the fine old homes, several of which are still there, on that street in the vicinity of Sixth Street (see map for clearer visual of pond boundaries). There was an outlet into the river at the eastern end of the pond with a “stone arched bridge” over it. The continuation of Riverway Drive in a loop around the pond, made it easier, and more attractive, to stroll or carriage ride through the State Park.
The commissioner’s annual report in 1910, explained that the pond was excavated to create the Loop Road and was then constructed with rock removed from the digging of the hydraulic canal. Due to the outlet to the river at the east end, there was a constant build-up of silt and heavy growth of eelgrass in the pond which had to be dredged almost on a yearly basis. In 1912, an island was formed in the middle of the pond from the material that was dredged. In the early years of the pond’s existence, group baptisms were regularly performed in the pond. An exciting event occurred there in 1913 when Vitagraph Studios filmed a 20-minute silent movie entitled “The Diver” at the pond and the American Falls (this movie can be viewed on YouTube, but the only version available has Dutch subtitles. The Niagara Falls scenes start 10 minutes into the film).
Despite periodic dredging, by the 1930s, the Loop Pond was being described as an “eyesore,” a “wretched spectacle” and a “disgrace to tourists.” Rotting eel grass created a stench. Residents were calling for the cleaning up or the filling in of the pond. In 1938, $6000 was expended to restore the Loop Pond to “a state of natural beauty.” The pond was dredged and “luxuriant vegetation” was added to the island. The Loop Road was also widened and paved. For the next 20 years, there was not much mention of the Loop Pond in the papers, but that changed in the mid-1950s. At that time, there was talk of building a public swimming pool at the Loop Pond location but the idea was rejected by the State Park Commission.
In March of 1957, a North Tonawanda man was robbed and murdered by two youths from that city and his body was thrown into the Niagara River. The current brought the body through the outlet and into the Loop Pond where it was found the next day. The two young men were convicted three months later and one of them was executed the following year. With the negative publicity from the murder, and the continuous maintenance work and expense, the Loop Pond’s days were numbered. In 1960, with the announcement of the route of the Robert Moses Parkway through the city of Niagara Falls, the Loop Pond and its island were filled in. The northern portion of the pond became parkland but the area closest to the river was used to create the new roadway. The end of the Loop Pond was welcomed by some who were relieved to be rid of the stench, but lamented by others who saw it as another landmark lost to progress.
Today the Loop Pond area includes several winding paths as well as a much smaller pond to remind visitors of how this spot may have once been.