in 1831, town leaders built a dam across the mohawk river to harness the power of the falls to fuel the turbines of the city's burgeoning textile industry. over the next several decades, the predominant company, harmony mills, became the largest manufacturer of cotton in the united states, thanks to its control of local water rights. when all the mills closed in the wake of the great depression, city leaders neglected the potential of the falls for tourism. they leased the flow rights to a series of power companies, including niagara mohawk and orion power.