Everything about Cumberland Falls totally explained
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 and
Whitley counties, the waterfall is the central feature of
Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, which itself is surrounded by the
Daniel Boone National Forest.
On average the falls, which flow over a resistant
sandstone bed, are 68 feet (21 m) high and 125 feet (38 m) wide, with a water flow of 3,600 cubic feet per second (100 m³/s).
Under a
full moon on clear nights, an elusive
lunar rainbow or
moonbow is sometimes formed by the mist emanating from the falls. The site is promoted as the only one in the world to feature this phenomenon, with
Victoria Falls at the border of
Zambia and
Zimbabwe having lost its status due to forest cultivation. Actually, almost any waterfall can produce a moonbow under ideal conditions; however, many comparable sites have
too much light for this feature to be visible.
History and preservation
Long known to
Native Americans of the area, Cumberland Falls received its name from Zachary Green, whose party discovered it during an expedition in
1770. From the
1860s to the
1930s, Cumberland Falls and the surrounding land were privately held. The Moonbow Inn, a popular hotel dating to around
1875, was perched on a ledge overlooking the falls.
The area was a favorite vacation destination for
T. Coleman du Pont, a Kentucky native and
U.S. Senator from
Delaware. Disturbed by plans to build a
hydroelectric dam at the site,
Louisville Times editor and conservationist
Tom Wallace spearheaded a campaign to save the Falls from 1926-1931. In
1930, Wallace and other conservationists persuaded DuPont to purchase and donate 600 acres (2.4 km²) surrounding the falls to Kentucky, urging the commonwealth to set aside the property as a
state park. Despite DuPont's death later that year, additional land was purchased, and in
1933 the state
legislature designated the property as Kentucky's third state park. Much of the early work at the park, including construction of DuPont Lodge and cabins for guests, was undertaken during the
Great Depression by
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and
Works Progress Administration (WPA) employees.
With a reported 700,000 to 1 million visitors per year, the park remains one of Kentucky's busiest and most profitable state parks.
There are currently plans to build a golf course nearby as part of the state resort park.
The Falls in entertainment and popular culture
The Falls have appeared in three
films:
Further Information
Get more info on 'Cumberland Falls'.
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