On the morning of March 29, 1848 an eerie silence hung overhead.  The normal constant rumble of Niagara Falls was missing.  Many locals rushed to the brink of Niagara Falls to discover that there was no water.  Many people though that it was a sign from God.  The curches were full. 
What happened to the water?  Well, an ice jam at at the mouth of the river, from Lake Erie had made a dam overnight.  When the temperatures rose, the ice started melting and let the water flow again.