The Vale of the Three Falls

The land before you was called Seh-ga-hun-da, the Vale of the Three Falls.
Upper FallsAt 70 feet high, the Upper Falls, is a deep horseshoe shape. The top of the falls is part of the strata named the Nunda Sandstone. Similar stone, known locally as Portage Bluestone, was quarried south of Portageville. In low water you may notice some concrete at the crest of the falls that was placed there in 1878 to slow erosion.
Middle FallsThe largest of the three falls, the Middle Falls, is 107 feet high and 285 feet wide. It has changed very little since Letchworth's time because of its many hard, resistant sandstones. The Senecas believed that the great beauty of Ska-ga-dee, the Middle Falls, inspired the sun to stop at midday in admiration.
Lower FallsAround the bend downstream and out of view is the Lower Falls, which is constantly changing because the softer shales that dominate in the lower canyon erode easily. The harder caprock of the Lower Falls, known as Table Rock, forms dozens of waterfalls on tributaries throughout the park.

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Hornby Lodge
Pages of Geologic Time
Genesee Valley Canal
William Pryor Letchworth 1823 - 1910
Glacial History
First New York Dragoons / 136th New York Infantry
Camp Portage
Civil War Parade Ground
This Ancient Seneca Council House
To the Memory of Mary Jemison

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