At Niagara’s Cave of the Winds, dismantling the seasonal walkways includes deciding which boards can return. Nails are knocked out, timber is inspected, and usable pieces are stacked. In an account published by Destination Niagara USA, chief deck builder Brendan Walsh described removal as preparation for another season, not the disposal of an entire structure. [1]
Winter supplies the reason. Walsh pointed to ice falling onto the decks and the weight of ice accumulating below them. He described a seven-person crew of state park employees, many arriving with little or no carpentry experience. An experienced builder separates the structure piece by piece with a pry bar, passing the material back to colleagues. [1]
Where is this place?
Cave of the Winds, Niagara Falls State Park, New York. This map locates the town or region, not a verified exact historic event site.
The account allows about four weeks for taking the decks down. Salvaged wood goes to a nearby warehouse for power-washing and staining; replacement lumber is also stained. About 30 percent of the lumber used each year is new, according to that account. [1]
Extending the visitor season did not require making those decks permanent. In October 2017, New York State announced a year-round pavilion at the attraction, replacing an outdated complex and former park police office with indoor exhibits and timed admission. Its announcement gave the room where summer visitors received their sandals a second assignment: when the decks closed, a video wall would show the falls through the seasons. [2]