Jump to content

Cumberland Falls: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 36°50′17″N 84°20′40″W / 36.83801°N 84.34444°W / 36.83801; -84.34444
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Tag: repeating characters
 
(210 intermediate revisions by 70 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|Waterfall in the U.S. state of Kentucky}}
{{Infobox Waterfall
{{Infobox waterfall
| name = ''Cumberland Falls''
| name = ''Cumberland Falls''
| image = Cumberland Falls 2005 05 20a.jpeg
| photo = Cumberland falls 2015 1.jpg
| caption = Cumberland Falls, as viewed from McCreary County.
| photo_caption = Cumberland Falls, viewed from downstream
| location = Cumberland Falls<br />([[McCreary County, Kentucky|McCreary County]] & [[Whitley County, Kentucky|Whitley County]], [[Kentucky]], [[USA]])
| location = [[Cumberland Falls State Resort Park]], [[McCreary County, Kentucky|McCreary County]] & [[Whitley County, Kentucky|Whitley County]], [[Kentucky]], United States
| coordinates = {{coord|36.83801|-84.34444|display=inline,title|type:landmark|name=Cumberland Falls}}
| coords = {{Coord|36.83801|-84.34444|display=inline,title|type:waterbody}}
| watercourse = [[Cumberland River]]
| watercourse = [[Cumberland River]]
| type = Block
| type = Block
| height = 68 ft (21 m)
| height = 69 ft (21 m)
| height_longest =
| number_drops = 1
| number_drops = 1
| average_flow_rate =
| average_flow_rate =
| world_rank =
}}
}}


'''Cumberland Falls''', sometimes called the '''Little Niagara''', the '''Niagara of the South''', or the '''Great Falls''', is a [[waterfall]] on the [[Cumberland River]] in southeastern [[Kentucky]]. Spanning the river at the border of [[McCreary County, Kentucky|McCreary]] and [[Whitley County, Kentucky|Whitley]] counties, the waterfall is the central feature of [[Cumberland Falls State Resort Park]] and is part of the [[Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves]] designated Wild River System.
{{For|the Cumberland Falls meteorite of 1919|meteorite falls}}
'''Cumberland Falls''', sometimes called the '''Little Niagara''', the '''Niagara of the South''', or the '''Great Falls''', is a large [[waterfall]] on the [[Cumberland River]] in southeastern [[Kentucky]]. Spanning the river at the border of [[McCreary County, Kentucky|McCreary]] and [[Whitley County, Kentucky|Whitley]] counties, the waterfall is the central feature of [[Cumberland Falls State Resort Park]].


It is believed the current falls formed as the result of erosion from its original starting place at an [[escarpment]] far downstream. The site of the falls was occupied in pre-modern times by a variety of indigenous peoples, and more recently has passed through multiple private owners until eventually being donated, along with surrounding land to Kentucky in 1933.
On average the falls, which flow over a resistant [[sandstone]] bed, are 68 feet (21 m) high and 125 feet (38 m) wide, with an average water flow of 3,600 cubic feet per second (100 m³/s).


A [[moonbow]] is regularly visible at this site.
Under a [[full moon]] on clear nights, an elusive [[moonbow|lunar rainbow]] or [[moonbow]] is sometimes formed by the mist emanating from the falls.


==History==
===Formation===
[[File:USGS Cumberland Falls area map (cropped) (cropped).png|thumb|upright=1.5|Detail of a [[USGS]] topographical map showing Cumberland Falls, the wide [[plunge pool]] immediately downstream (northward), as well as [[Eagle Falls (Kentucky)|Eagle Falls]] on the west bank, and the [[rapids]] of Center Rock further downstream]]
It is believed that Cumberland Falls originated at the [[Pottsville Escarpment]], near modern-day [[Burnside, Kentucky]], and retreated to its current location approximately {{convert|45|mi}} upstream. In its retreat, the falls cut what is now the Cumberland River gorge, reaching depths in places of up to {{convert|400|ft}}.<ref name="mc">{{cite web|last1=McGrain|first1=Preston|title=Geology of the Cumberland Falls State Park Area|url=http://kgs.uky.edu/kgsweb/olops/pub/kgs/KGS9SP7.pdf|publisher=Kentucky Geological Survey|access-date=5 November 2017|date=1955}}</ref>{{rp|11}}<ref name="enc">{{cite book|last1=Kleber|first1=John E.|title=The Kentucky Encyclopedia|date=Jan 13, 2015|publisher=[[University Press of Kentucky]]|isbn=9780813117720|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CcceBgAAQBAJ|access-date=5 November 2017}}</ref> At its original location, the falls was taller than it is currently, and has lost height due to erosion as it moved upstream. It also carried a greater volume of water originally, because two major [[tributaries]], the [[Laurel River]] and the [[Rockcastle River]], both lie between the modern day location and the escarpment.<ref name="mc"/>{{rp|19}} The erosion of the underlying rock, and movement of the falls downward in height, and upstream in location will continue until the falls eventually disappears, and the river again becomes [[Stream gradient|smoothly graded]].<ref name="mc"/>{{rp|18–9}}


===Pre-modern history===
==References==
The area surrounding Cumberland Falls was inhabited by [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans]] going as far back as 10,000 years.<ref name="park"/><ref name="road">{{cite book|last1=Ludwick|first1=Cameron M.|last2=Thomas Hess|first2=Blair|title=My Old Kentucky Road Trip: Historic Destinations & Natural Wonders|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|isbn=9781626198166|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q9_NBgAAQBAJ|access-date=6 November 2017|year=2015}}</ref>{{rp|22}} By 1650, the area had been visited by those from the [[Shawnee]], [[Cherokee]], [[Chickasaw]], and the [[Muscogee|Creek]] peoples. The Cumberland, as well as the nearby [[Eagle Falls (Kentucky)|Eagle Falls]] were both considered sacred by many.<ref name="park"/>


===Modern history===
{{reflist}}
In 1750 the Cumberland Falls was rediscovered by the explorer [[Thomas Walker (explorer)|Thomas Walker]] who named it after the [[Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn]].<ref name="road"/>{{rp|22}}{{efn|In his published papers [[Keen Johnson]] disputes this, saying that Walker and certain [[Longhunter|long hunters]] "evidently had been in the region," but that Matthew Walton and Adam Shepherd were the first to see the falls.<ref name="keen"/>{{rp|314}}}} The first recorded landowners of the falls were Matthew Walton and Adam Shepard in 1800, both engineers who served under [[George Washington]] during the [[American Revolution]].<ref name="road"/>{{rp|22}}<ref name="keen">{{cite book|last1=Johnson|first1=Keen|author-link1=Keen Johnson|title=The Public Papers of Governor Keen Johnson, 1939-1943|date=1982|publisher=[[University Press of Kentucky]]|isbn=9780813106052|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MJL6rhoJeq4C|access-date=6 November 2017}}</ref>{{rp|314}} Walton and Shepard surveyed the land in 1814, and were issued a [[land patent]] in 1828.<ref name="keen"/>{{rp|314}}
the cow says MOOOOOOOOOO!


The first landowners to settle permanently at Cumberland Falls were Lewis Renfro, a [[Baptists|Baptist]] minister, and his wife Mary, who built a cabin there in 1850, which would later be used as a hospital during the [[American Civil War]].{{efn|Ludwick and Thomas Hess record one Samuel Garland at the location prior to Lewis Refro.<ref name="road"/>{{rp|22}} They do not include a definite date, but say he "intended to build a water mill but instead built a cabin where he resided." According to the official Kentucky Parks website, Garland built a "cabin in which he resided for a while before returning to Virginia."<ref name="park"/>}}{{efn|The tract of land granted to the Renfros accounted for {{convert|200|acre}} and was valued at $1,000.<ref name="keen"/>{{rp|314}}}} The falls and 400 acres of surrounding land were purchased in 1875 by Socrates Owens, who there built the Cumberland Hotel, which was taken over by his wife Nannie and his son Edward following his death.<ref name="park"/> The land and hotel were purchased in 1902 by Henry Brunson, who managed it along with his two daughters until 1931.<ref name="keen"/>{{rp|314}}<ref name="manning">{{cite book|last1=Manning|first1=Russ|title=The Historic Cumberland Plateau: An Explorer's Guide|date=1999|publisher=[[University of Tennessee Press]]|isbn=9781572330443|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZtfyLnSBF8sC|access-date=5 November 2017}}</ref>{{rp|103}}
==Further reading==


[[File:US-KY(1891) p277 CUMBERLAND FALLS.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Illustration of the falls from the ''King's Hand-book of the United States'', 1891]]
*[[Harry M. Caudill|Caudill, Harry]], "Night Comes to the Cumberlands", 1962. ISBN 0-316-13212-8
In 1927 the [[Kiwanis|Kiwanis Club]] sponsored a trail to be built from nearby [[Corbin, Kentucky]], and dedicated to Kentucky governor [[William J. Fields]].<ref name="keen"/>{{rp|315}} Construction occupied some 200 laborers over nine weeks.<ref name="road"/>{{rp|22}} However, as late as 1929, the [[Izaak Walton League]] wrote of access to the falls saying:
*Huffman, Noah, [http://digital.library.louisville.edu/u?/etd,570 "Hanging the Moonbow: Tom Wallace and the Cumberland Falls Fight, 1926-1931"], 2005.


<blockquote>The unspoiled charm of Cumberland Falls is due to the fact that the falls are difficult to reach ... Road maps show roads leading from Corbin, twenty miles to the northeast, and from Williamsburg, eighteen miles from the southeast, but both these are so rough as to be practicable only for saddle-horses.<ref>{{cite book|title=Outdoor America, Volume 8|date=1929|publisher=[[Izaak Walton League|Izaak Walton League of America]]|page=23|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A1blAAAAMAAJ|access-date=6 November 2017}}</ref>{{efn|See also [[Williamsburg, Kentucky]].}}</blockquote>
== External links ==


In 1928, a proposal to accept the falls as a park was brought to the floor of the [[Kentucky Senate]] but was defeated.<ref name="keen"/>{{rp|315}}
[[Image:Cumberland River 2005 05 20.jpeg|thumb|300px|right|[[Canoe]]rs just upstream from Cumberland Falls.]]
*[http://www.state.ky.us/agencies/khc/cumber.htm Kentucky tourism site]
*[http://parks.ky.gov/findparks/resortparks/ Kentucky state parks information page]
*[http://www.escapingtoparadise.com/kentucky_waterfalls.htm Cumberland and Other Kentucky Waterfalls]


In the late 1920s, there were plans to build a [[Hydroelectricity|hydroelectric power station]] upstream, and divert the river through a mountain tunnel to a point below the falls.<ref name="keen"/>{{rp|314–5}} However, the [[Cumberland Falls Preservation Association]], formed by businessman Rober Blair, convinced [[T. Coleman du Pont]] to purchase the falls and surrounding land, and stipulate they were never to be used for hydroelectricity.<ref name="palmer">{{cite book|last1=Palmer|first1=Tim|title=Endangered Rivers and the Conservation Movement|date=2004|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=9780742531413|url=https://archive.org/details/endangeredrivers0000palm_p4a5|url-access=registration|access-date=5 November 2017}}</ref>{{rp|60}} In 1930, following his death, the family of du Pont made the decision to donate the {{convert|539|acre}} to the state.<ref name="park">{{cite web|title=Cumberland Falls History|url=http://parks.ky.gov/parks/resortparks/cumberland-falls/history.aspx|website=Kentucky State Parks|access-date=6 November 2017}}</ref><ref name="manning"/>{{rp|103–5}} On March 10, 1930, the [[Kentucky House of Representatives|Kentucky House]] and Senate overrode the veto of Governor [[Flem D. Sampson]], and voted to accept the land from the du Pont family. The park was officially opened on September 7, 1931.<ref name="keen"/>{{rp|315}}
[[Category:McCreary County, Kentucky]]
[[Category:Waterfalls of Kentucky]]
[[Category:Whitley County, Kentucky]]


In the 1950s, plans were again announced for the development of upstream hydroelectric power, but were again defeated by the Preservation Association.<ref name="palmer"/>{{rp|60}}
[[de:Cumberland Falls]]

In 2016, two men, Dane Jackson and Nicholas Troutman, were charged with misdemeanor trespassing after intentionally going over Cumberland Falls in [[kayak]]s.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Estep|first1=Bill|title=Two charged after going over Cumberland Falls in kayaks|url=http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/article66017212.html|access-date=6 November 2017|newspaper=[[Lexington Herald-Leader]]|date=March 14, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107014025/http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/article66017212.html|archive-date=7 November 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Moonbow==
During or near a [[full moon]] on clear nights, a lunar rainbow or [[moonbow]] is sometimes formed by the water of the falls.<ref name="park"/><ref name="con">{{cite book|last1=Klotter|first1=James|title=A Concise History of Kentucky|date=September 12, 2010|publisher=[[University Press of Kentucky]]|isbn=9780813124988|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NO2gpVGaRGwC|access-date=6 November 2017}}</ref>{{rp|44}} The formation of a moonbow at Cumberland Falls is aided by a combination of steep gorge walls, which reduce dissipation of the waterfall's mist by wind, and a wide gorge which allows increased levels of moonlight.<ref name="bbc"/>

It is the only location in the [[Western Hemisphere]] where moonbows are known to appear with regularity,<ref name="palmer"/>{{rp|60}}<ref name="con"/>{{rp|44}}<ref name="bbc">{{cite web|last1=Koontz|first1=Katy|title=Where to find the rare white rainbow|url=http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20161213-chasing-the-rare-white-rainbow|website=[[BBC]]|access-date=6 November 2017}}</ref> and the Kentucky Department of Parks publishes schedules for visitors.{{efn|As of 2017, schedules are published online at the Kentucky Department of Parks website.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cumberland Falls|url=http://parks.ky.gov/parks/resortparks/cumberland-falls/|website=Kentucky Department of Parks|access-date=5 November 2017}}</ref>}}{{efn|Moonbows would previously regularly occur at [[Niagara Falls]], but can no longer been due to high levels of light pollution.<ref name="bbc"/>}}

The ability of visitors to see a moonbow may vary with water level. At low levels, the falls may not produce sufficient mist for the phenomenon. Conversely, if conditions include substantial downstream wind, this may increase the level of mist and make a moonbow more likely to be visible.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Preston|first1=McGrain|title=The Geologic Story of Kentucky|url=https://www.kgs.uky.edu/kgsweb/olops/pub/kgs/GeoStory.pdf|publisher=Kentucky Geological Survey|access-date=6 November 2017|page=30|date=1983|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304023057/http://kgs.uky.edu/kgsweb/olops/pub/kgs/GeoStory.pdf|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Cumberland Falls Moonbow panarama.jpg|thumb|center|upright=3.0|Cumberland Falls moonbow]]

==Statistics==
{| class="wikitable floatright"
|+ Highest and lowest water flow years (1908–2015)<ref name="usgs"/>
! Year
! Average
|-
| 1927
| 5,196&nbsp;ft<sup>3</sup>/s
|-
| 1994
| 5,143&nbsp;ft<sup>3</sup>/s
|-
| 1974
| 5,117&nbsp;ft<sup>3</sup>/s
|-
| 2011
| 4,974&nbsp;ft<sup>3</sup>/s
|-
| 1973
| 4,684&nbsp;ft<sup>3</sup>/s
|-
! Year
! Average
|-
| 1981
| 1,657&nbsp;ft<sup>3</sup>/s
|-
| 1931
| 1,622&nbsp;ft<sup>3</sup>/s
|-
| 1966
| 1,499&nbsp;ft<sup>3</sup>/s
|-
| 1941
| 1,423&nbsp;ft<sup>3</sup>/s
|-
| 1988
| 1,324&nbsp;ft<sup>3</sup>/s
|}

On average the falls, which flows over a resistant [[sandstone]] bed, is 68 feet (21 m) high and 125 feet (38 m) wide.<ref>[http://www.ksnh.org/conferences.html Kentucky Society of Natural History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727002336/http://www.ksnh.org/conferences.html |date=2011-07-27 }} Retrieved May 29, 2010</ref> Cumberland Falls is the second largest waterfall east of the [[Rocky Mountains]], and the largest waterfall as measured by water volume in the [[Eastern United States]], south of [[Niagara Falls]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Explore Kentucky Must List: Waterfalls (Pt 2)|url=https://www.explorekentucky.us/must-list/the-explore-kentucky-must-list-waterfalls-pt-2|website=explorekentucky.us|access-date=6 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107013313/https://www.explorekentucky.us/must-list/the-explore-kentucky-must-list-waterfalls-pt-2|archive-date=7 November 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Cumberland Falls Area Trails|url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprd3827679.pdf|website=[[United States Department of Agriculture]]|access-date=6 November 2017|archive-date=7 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107033227/https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprd3827679.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> The falls divides the river into two sections, the Upper and Lower, or "below the falls" section.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cumberland River - Stearns|url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/dbnf/recarea/?recid=75010|website=[[US Department of Agriculture]]|access-date=6 November 2017}}</ref>

===Water flow===
The water which flows through the Cumberland Falls gathers from a drainage area of {{convert|1977|sqmi}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=Peak Streamflow for the Nation USGS 03404500|url=https://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/peak/?site_no=03404500|website=[[United States Geological Survey]]|access-date=5 November 2017}}</ref> In data collected between 1908 and 2017 by the [[United States Geological Survey]], peak annual water flow at the falls occurred in 1927, at an average rate of 5,196 [[cubic foot|ft<sup>3</sup>]]/s, and the all-time low occurred in 1988, during the [[1988–89 North American drought]], at an average rate of 1,324&nbsp;ft<sup>3</sup>/s.<ref name="usgs">{{cite web|title=USGS Surface-Water Annual Statistics for the Nation, USGS 03404500|url=https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/annual?referred_module=sw&amp;site_no=03404500&amp;por_03404500_59160=262449,00060,59160,1907,2015&amp;year_type=W&amp;format=html_table&amp;date_format=YYYY-MM-DD&amp;rdb_compression=file&amp;submitted_form=parameter_selection_list|website=[[United States Geological Survey]]|access-date=5 November 2017}}</ref> The all-time highest recorded water volume was on Jan. 28, 1918, at a rate of 59,600&nbsp;ft<sup>3</sup>/s, and the lowest recorded annual peak water flow was on Feb. 02, 1985, at 17,500&nbsp;ft<sup>3</sup>/s, but was partially due to [[Interbasin transfer|water diversion]]. The lowest naturally occurring annual peak water flow was on Feb. 17, 1964, at 18,200&nbsp;ft<sup>3</sup>/s.<ref name="usgs2">{{cite web|title=Peak Streamflow for the Nation USGS 03404500|url=https://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/peak?site_no=03404500&agency_cd=USGS&format=html|website=[[United States Geological Survey]]|access-date=5 November 2017}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
;Film
* ''[[The Kentuckian (1955 film)|The Kentuckian]]'', a 1955 movie starring [[Burt Lancaster]], filmed on location<ref>{{cite web|last1=Burton|first1=K. Melissa|title=On Location|url=http://www.kentuckymonthly.com/culture/arts-entertainment/on-location/|website=[[Kentucky Monthly]]|access-date=6 November 2017|date=2014-01-28}}</ref>
* ''[[Raintree County (film)|Raintree County]]'', a 1957 film starring [[Montgomery Clift]], [[Elizabeth Taylor]] and others, filmed on location<ref name="shock"/>
* ''[[Fire Down Below (1997 film)|Fire Down Below]]'', a 1997 movie starring [[Steven Seagal]], includes a flyover of the falls<ref name="shock">{{cite web|last1=Shockley|first1=Jenn|title=This Unbelievable Kentucky Waterfall Is Hiding In Plain Sight… No Hiking Required|url=http://www.onlyinyourstate.com/kentucky/waterfall-hiding-in-plain-sight-ky/|website=Only in Your State|accessdate=6 November 2017|date=July 2016}}</ref>

;Literature
*Cumberland Falls serves as the setting and a metaphor in the popular poem "[https://poets.org/poem/cumberland-falls Cumberland Falls]" written by Kentucky Poet Laureate [[Silas House]]. It was selected by the [[Academy of American Poets]].

;Video Games
* ''[[Red Dead Redemption 2]]'' features a waterfall inspired by the falls. This waterfall is also called Cumberland Falls.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Lee|first1=Michael|title=Red Dead Redemption 2 Player Shows Real-World Inspiration For Gorgeous In-Game Area|url=https://gamerant.com/red-dead-redemption-2-real-world-inspiration-cumberland-falls/amp |website=Gamerant|access-date=20 July 2022|date=3 March 2021}}</ref>

==See also==

{{Portal|Kentucky}}
* [[Daniel Boone National Forest]], in which Cumberland Falls is located
* [[List of waterfalls of Kentucky]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikivoyage|Cumberland Falls State Resort Park|Cumberland Falls}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050206183558/http://www.state.ky.us/agencies/khc/cumber.htm Kentucky tourism site]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110924165135/http://parks.ky.gov/findparks/resortparks Kentucky state parks information page]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070706010226/http://www.escapingtoparadise.com/kentucky_waterfalls.htm Cumberland and other Kentucky waterfalls]
*{{YouTube|52Xlb9ivEoU|Cumberland Falls' Moonbow, Kentucky Life}} from [[Kentucky Educational Television]]

{{EMCF Attractions}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Landforms of McCreary County, Kentucky]]
[[Category:Waterfalls of Kentucky]]
[[Category:Landforms of Whitley County, Kentucky]]
[[Category:Daniel Boone National Forest]]
[[Category:Cumberland River]]
[[Category:Sacred natural sites]]

Latest revision as of 04:21, 24 September 2024

Cumberland Falls
Cumberland Falls, viewed from downstream
Map
LocationCumberland Falls State Resort Park, McCreary County & Whitley County, Kentucky, United States
Coordinates36°50′17″N 84°20′40″W / 36.83801°N 84.34444°W / 36.83801; -84.34444
TypeBlock
Total height69 ft (21 m)
Number of drops1
WatercourseCumberland River

Cumberland Falls, sometimes called the Little Niagara, the Niagara of the South, or the Great Falls, is a waterfall on the Cumberland River in southeastern Kentucky. Spanning the river at the border of McCreary and Whitley counties, the waterfall is the central feature of Cumberland Falls State Resort Park and is part of the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves designated Wild River System.

It is believed the current falls formed as the result of erosion from its original starting place at an escarpment far downstream. The site of the falls was occupied in pre-modern times by a variety of indigenous peoples, and more recently has passed through multiple private owners until eventually being donated, along with surrounding land to Kentucky in 1933.

A moonbow is regularly visible at this site.

History

[edit]

Formation

[edit]
Detail of a USGS topographical map showing Cumberland Falls, the wide plunge pool immediately downstream (northward), as well as Eagle Falls on the west bank, and the rapids of Center Rock further downstream

It is believed that Cumberland Falls originated at the Pottsville Escarpment, near modern-day Burnside, Kentucky, and retreated to its current location approximately 45 miles (72 km) upstream. In its retreat, the falls cut what is now the Cumberland River gorge, reaching depths in places of up to 400 feet (120 m).[1]: 11 [2] At its original location, the falls was taller than it is currently, and has lost height due to erosion as it moved upstream. It also carried a greater volume of water originally, because two major tributaries, the Laurel River and the Rockcastle River, both lie between the modern day location and the escarpment.[1]: 19  The erosion of the underlying rock, and movement of the falls downward in height, and upstream in location will continue until the falls eventually disappears, and the river again becomes smoothly graded.[1]: 18–9 

Pre-modern history

[edit]

The area surrounding Cumberland Falls was inhabited by Native Americans going as far back as 10,000 years.[3][4]: 22  By 1650, the area had been visited by those from the Shawnee, Cherokee, Chickasaw, and the Creek peoples. The Cumberland, as well as the nearby Eagle Falls were both considered sacred by many.[3]

Modern history

[edit]

In 1750 the Cumberland Falls was rediscovered by the explorer Thomas Walker who named it after the Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn.[4]: 22 [a] The first recorded landowners of the falls were Matthew Walton and Adam Shepard in 1800, both engineers who served under George Washington during the American Revolution.[4]: 22 [5]: 314  Walton and Shepard surveyed the land in 1814, and were issued a land patent in 1828.[5]: 314 

The first landowners to settle permanently at Cumberland Falls were Lewis Renfro, a Baptist minister, and his wife Mary, who built a cabin there in 1850, which would later be used as a hospital during the American Civil War.[b][c] The falls and 400 acres of surrounding land were purchased in 1875 by Socrates Owens, who there built the Cumberland Hotel, which was taken over by his wife Nannie and his son Edward following his death.[3] The land and hotel were purchased in 1902 by Henry Brunson, who managed it along with his two daughters until 1931.[5]: 314 [6]: 103 

Illustration of the falls from the King's Hand-book of the United States, 1891

In 1927 the Kiwanis Club sponsored a trail to be built from nearby Corbin, Kentucky, and dedicated to Kentucky governor William J. Fields.[5]: 315  Construction occupied some 200 laborers over nine weeks.[4]: 22  However, as late as 1929, the Izaak Walton League wrote of access to the falls saying:

The unspoiled charm of Cumberland Falls is due to the fact that the falls are difficult to reach ... Road maps show roads leading from Corbin, twenty miles to the northeast, and from Williamsburg, eighteen miles from the southeast, but both these are so rough as to be practicable only for saddle-horses.[7][d]

In 1928, a proposal to accept the falls as a park was brought to the floor of the Kentucky Senate but was defeated.[5]: 315 

In the late 1920s, there were plans to build a hydroelectric power station upstream, and divert the river through a mountain tunnel to a point below the falls.[5]: 314–5  However, the Cumberland Falls Preservation Association, formed by businessman Rober Blair, convinced T. Coleman du Pont to purchase the falls and surrounding land, and stipulate they were never to be used for hydroelectricity.[8]: 60  In 1930, following his death, the family of du Pont made the decision to donate the 539 acres (218 ha) to the state.[3][6]: 103–5  On March 10, 1930, the Kentucky House and Senate overrode the veto of Governor Flem D. Sampson, and voted to accept the land from the du Pont family. The park was officially opened on September 7, 1931.[5]: 315 

In the 1950s, plans were again announced for the development of upstream hydroelectric power, but were again defeated by the Preservation Association.[8]: 60 

In 2016, two men, Dane Jackson and Nicholas Troutman, were charged with misdemeanor trespassing after intentionally going over Cumberland Falls in kayaks.[9]

Moonbow

[edit]

During or near a full moon on clear nights, a lunar rainbow or moonbow is sometimes formed by the water of the falls.[3][10]: 44  The formation of a moonbow at Cumberland Falls is aided by a combination of steep gorge walls, which reduce dissipation of the waterfall's mist by wind, and a wide gorge which allows increased levels of moonlight.[11]

It is the only location in the Western Hemisphere where moonbows are known to appear with regularity,[8]: 60 [10]: 44 [11] and the Kentucky Department of Parks publishes schedules for visitors.[e][f]

The ability of visitors to see a moonbow may vary with water level. At low levels, the falls may not produce sufficient mist for the phenomenon. Conversely, if conditions include substantial downstream wind, this may increase the level of mist and make a moonbow more likely to be visible.[13]

Cumberland Falls moonbow

Statistics

[edit]
Highest and lowest water flow years (1908–2015)[14]
Year Average
1927 5,196 ft3/s
1994 5,143 ft3/s
1974 5,117 ft3/s
2011 4,974 ft3/s
1973 4,684 ft3/s
Year Average
1981 1,657 ft3/s
1931 1,622 ft3/s
1966 1,499 ft3/s
1941 1,423 ft3/s
1988 1,324 ft3/s

On average the falls, which flows over a resistant sandstone bed, is 68 feet (21 m) high and 125 feet (38 m) wide.[15] Cumberland Falls is the second largest waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains, and the largest waterfall as measured by water volume in the Eastern United States, south of Niagara Falls.[16][17] The falls divides the river into two sections, the Upper and Lower, or "below the falls" section.[18]

Water flow

[edit]

The water which flows through the Cumberland Falls gathers from a drainage area of 1,977 square miles (5,120 km2).[19] In data collected between 1908 and 2017 by the United States Geological Survey, peak annual water flow at the falls occurred in 1927, at an average rate of 5,196 ft3/s, and the all-time low occurred in 1988, during the 1988–89 North American drought, at an average rate of 1,324 ft3/s.[14] The all-time highest recorded water volume was on Jan. 28, 1918, at a rate of 59,600 ft3/s, and the lowest recorded annual peak water flow was on Feb. 02, 1985, at 17,500 ft3/s, but was partially due to water diversion. The lowest naturally occurring annual peak water flow was on Feb. 17, 1964, at 18,200 ft3/s.[20]

[edit]
Film
Literature
Video Games

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ In his published papers Keen Johnson disputes this, saying that Walker and certain long hunters "evidently had been in the region," but that Matthew Walton and Adam Shepherd were the first to see the falls.[5]: 314 
  2. ^ Ludwick and Thomas Hess record one Samuel Garland at the location prior to Lewis Refro.[4]: 22  They do not include a definite date, but say he "intended to build a water mill but instead built a cabin where he resided." According to the official Kentucky Parks website, Garland built a "cabin in which he resided for a while before returning to Virginia."[3]
  3. ^ The tract of land granted to the Renfros accounted for 200 acres (81 ha) and was valued at $1,000.[5]: 314 
  4. ^ See also Williamsburg, Kentucky.
  5. ^ As of 2017, schedules are published online at the Kentucky Department of Parks website.[12]
  6. ^ Moonbows would previously regularly occur at Niagara Falls, but can no longer been due to high levels of light pollution.[11]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c McGrain, Preston (1955). "Geology of the Cumberland Falls State Park Area" (PDF). Kentucky Geological Survey. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  2. ^ Kleber, John E. (Jan 13, 2015). The Kentucky Encyclopedia. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 9780813117720. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Cumberland Falls History". Kentucky State Parks. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d e Ludwick, Cameron M.; Thomas Hess, Blair (2015). My Old Kentucky Road Trip: Historic Destinations & Natural Wonders. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781626198166. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Johnson, Keen (1982). The Public Papers of Governor Keen Johnson, 1939-1943. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 9780813106052. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  6. ^ a b Manning, Russ (1999). The Historic Cumberland Plateau: An Explorer's Guide. University of Tennessee Press. ISBN 9781572330443. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  7. ^ Outdoor America, Volume 8. Izaak Walton League of America. 1929. p. 23. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  8. ^ a b c Palmer, Tim (2004). Endangered Rivers and the Conservation Movement. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9780742531413. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  9. ^ Estep, Bill (March 14, 2016). "Two charged after going over Cumberland Falls in kayaks". Lexington Herald-Leader. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  10. ^ a b Klotter, James (September 12, 2010). A Concise History of Kentucky. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 9780813124988. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  11. ^ a b c Koontz, Katy. "Where to find the rare white rainbow". BBC. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  12. ^ "Cumberland Falls". Kentucky Department of Parks. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  13. ^ Preston, McGrain (1983). "The Geologic Story of Kentucky" (PDF). Kentucky Geological Survey. p. 30. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  14. ^ a b "USGS Surface-Water Annual Statistics for the Nation, USGS 03404500". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  15. ^ Kentucky Society of Natural History Archived 2011-07-27 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved May 29, 2010
  16. ^ "The Explore Kentucky Must List: Waterfalls (Pt 2)". explorekentucky.us. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  17. ^ "Cumberland Falls Area Trails" (PDF). United States Department of Agriculture. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  18. ^ "Cumberland River - Stearns". US Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  19. ^ "Peak Streamflow for the Nation USGS 03404500". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  20. ^ "Peak Streamflow for the Nation USGS 03404500". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  21. ^ Burton, K. Melissa (2014-01-28). "On Location". Kentucky Monthly. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  22. ^ a b Shockley, Jenn (July 2016). "This Unbelievable Kentucky Waterfall Is Hiding In Plain Sight… No Hiking Required". Only in Your State. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  23. ^ Lee, Michael (3 March 2021). "Red Dead Redemption 2 Player Shows Real-World Inspiration For Gorgeous In-Game Area". Gamerant. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cumberland Falls.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Cumberland Falls.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cumberland_Falls&oldid=1247404901"