For 150 years, people have been drawn to this area to see the falls and enjoy its natural setting, which has remained a natural oasis for reflection, social events, and recreation. The historic Augusta Canal, recognized as one of the most unique and intact canal systems in the United States, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been designated a National Historic Landmark by the Secretary of the Interior. Excursion boats powered by mule or steam brought people from the city to the headgates for social events, and as early as 1845 advertisements offered pleasure boat trips up the canal for fifty cents. Water for the original 1845 Augusta Canal was impounded by a wing dam extending part way across the river, creating an upper level pool to divert water into the canal. The backwater served as a layover area for river barges and Petersburg boats hauling raw materials to Augusta, and boats entered the canal through a narrow lock under a dropgate. When the canal was enlarged in 1875, a new stone dam was extended across the river to the South Carolina shore, making it one of the longest dams in the South, while a new stone bulkhead, headgates, and second lock were placed between the original structures and the new dam. The gate keeper and his family lived in the Victorian cottage built about 1875. During the 1930's, a dance pavilion, barbecue pit, and picnic shelter were built along the canal bank for day-long locks parties, continuing a tradition begun in the mid-19th century. The backwater area above the dam and extending to Stevens Creek Dam is known as 99 Islands, and upstream lies Stallings Island, an archaeological site where the earliest known Native American pottery, dating to 2000 B.C., has been found.