Muddy Run: Niagara Falls’ forgotten river

In addition to the Niagara River, Muddy Run was an important river for the early settlers of Niagara Falls in both recreation and industry. Even though it was known as Muddy Run, it was described as “a stream of clear, sparkling water.” It is thought that it earned its name because the river became swollen and muddy during the spring thaw.

The river originated in a bog between Drummond and Dorchester and flowed diagonally across the city, cutting across Stanley Avenue, Victoria Avenue, and Queen Street, and emptied into the gorge in a beautiful cascade.

In 1791, John Donaldson built a sawmill near the end of this river, the start of the river being used by settlers for industry. There were tanneries as well as ice houses that stored ice harvested from ponds specially made to produce ice in the winter. The first Clifton Hotel, built by Monty Crysler in 1833, used ice made from Muddy Run. In 1896, the Niagara Falls Electric Light Company built a generating station that was to be powered by the river.

In addition to industry, Muddy Run’s water was used for recreational purposes such as swimming in the cool clear waters in the summer and skating during the winter. Apparently it was so clear skaters could see fish swimming underneath the ice as they were skating on top.

Muddy Run was not all fun and games, it could also be a hindrance. During the Battle of Lundy’s Lane in 1814, General Drummond called for reinforcements from Fort George. These soldiers were slowed down by having to cross a bridge single file at Portage Road where it intersected the river. In the spring, the river would swell with melting snow and flood the surrounding banks covering the wooden sidewalks along Victoria Avenue, while also carrying and spreading debris. In 1865, a tunnel was built to carry the water under the newly constructed Great Western Railway. There was flooding along the river at the same time the first train was to arrive in Niagara Falls — so much so that the train engineer stopped the train because they thought they were headed into a river.

In addition to these nuisances, the river could also be a place of danger. In the winter of 1887, two young sisters and their sled were swept down the river and carried into the tunnel under the town. They were miraculously saved at the outlet of the river by residents waiting for them to be spit out. There was even an incident in the 1890s with a hack driver’s horse which fell into the Muddy Run sewer due to a cave-in. Thankfully, the horse was not injured.

As mentioned above, a new sewer system was started in 1896 and in 1919, a storm sewer was built on the bed of the river. In 1925, Muddy Run was placed in a trunk sewer from Fourth Avenue to Queen Street, which diverted the water into the Niagara River. The old river was filled in and contained as Valley Way was laid on top. During the late '20s and into the '40s, beautiful new homes were built along the previous banks of Muddy Run, which is now Valley Way. This explains why Valley Way is shaped like a river, and why there are no visible traces left of Muddy Run, a forgotten river that meant so much to the early settler residents of Niagara Falls.