Taughannock Falls State Park

HistoryEdit

The region surrounding Taughannock Falls State Park was home to the Cayuga people prior to their displacement from the area during the Clinton-Sullivan Campaign following the American Revolutionary War. Taughannock Creek was used as a source of power for mills and a gun factory in the early 19th century. In the 1870s, steamboats, railroads and Victorian hotels were built in the region to serve tourists who traveled to view the falls.

Taughannock Falls State Park was created in 1925 on a 64-acre (0.26 km²) parcel of land acquired by New York State. Roads and trails at the park were improved by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s. The park has since grown to its current size of 750 acres (3.0 km²).

Origin of nameEdit

Several possible sources have been proposed for the name Taughannock, all of which describe Native American origins. One translation suggests that the name is derived from a combination of Iroquois and Algonquin terms meaning "great fall in the woods". An alternate theory suggests that the name may refer to a Lenni Lenape (Delaware) chief named Taughannock who died near the falls during a battle.

Park descriptionEdit

Taughannock Falls State Park offers hiking and nature trails, camping and picnicking. The park includes a stretch of Cayuga Lake's shoreline, where swimming, fishing, and a boat launch are available. In the winter, the park offers facilities and trails for ice-skating, sledding, and cross-country skiing.

In addition to the 215-foot (66 m) Taughannock Falls, two additional waterfalls are located along Taughannock Creek within the park. A 20-foot (6.1 m) cascade, known as Little or Lower Falls, is located downstream of Taughannock Falls, while the 100-foot (30 m) Upper Falls are found upstream of Taughannock Falls.

Views of Taughannock Falls are available from two trails. They may be viewed from below by walking along the 1-mile-long (1.6 km) there-and-back-again Gorge Trail, which also passes by Lower Falls, or they may be seen from above by following the 2.6-mile (4.2 km) Rim Trail, a loop hike which also offers views of Upper Falls.

The Gorge Trail is open all year long, unlike the Rim Trail which is closed to the public in winter. Swimming under the waterfall is hazardous and strictly forbidden.

Taughannock FallsEdit

Taughannock Falls' main cataract is a 215-foot drop (66 m), making it 33 feet (10 m) taller than Niagara Falls. It is the tallest single-drop waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains. The waterfall is located along Taughannock Creek, which flows through a long gorge with cliffs up to 400 feet (120 m) high.

Geology and natural historyEdit

The waterfall and gorge comprise an example of a hanging valley, formed where Taughannock Creek's stream-carved valley meets the deeper glacially carved valley that contains Cayuga Lake. The gorge has continued to retreat westward from Cayuga Lake as easily eroded shale near the fall's base is worn away by the stream, which supports erosion-resistant siltstone and sandstone found in the upper portions of the gorge. Annual freeze and thaw cycles also act upon small faults in the rock, causing large sections to occasionally break away, further expanding the gorge.

The gorge supports a "Shale Cliff and Talus" community of plants, including three regionally rare species classified as threatened in New York State: Butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris), birds-eye primrose (Primula mistassinica) and yellow mountain saxifrage (Saxifraga aizoides).

In popular cultureEdit

In The Midnight Sun, episode 75 of the American television series The Twilight Zone, Taughannock Falls is implied to be the subject of Norma's oil painting.