The Fall Line and the Gorge

The Fall Line and the Gorge (HM24OO)

Location: Silver Spring, MD 20903 Montgomery County
Buy Maryland State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 39° 1.826', W 77° 0.252'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 1191 views
Inscription
You are about to enter the most scenic and rugged section of the Northwest Branch. This rocky gorge marks the "Fall Line," where the tough metamorphic rocks of the Piedmont, meaning "foot of the mountain," give way to the sandy sediments of the Coastal Plain. The rapid change in gradient creates a series of waterfalls, also referred to as the "Torrent and Gorge" section of the Northwest Branch. Below the Fall Line, the stream widens and slows down.

Northwest Branch is a tributary of the Anacostia River. The rugged beauty of this area contributed significantly to the state of Maryland identifying the Anacostia as a "Scenic and Wild River" in 1984 under the Maryland Scenic and Wild Rivers Act.

On larger streams and rivers, the Fall Line generally marks the limit of travel by ships. Many large cities like Washington, D.C. and Baltimore were established just below this geographical barrier where ports could be established.

This spectacular, scenic, steep-sided stream valley was a favorite of President Theodore Roosevelt. President Roosevelt wrote of the area to his son:

"Mother and I had a most lovely ride the other day, way up beyond Sligo Creek to what is called North-west Branch, at Burnt Mills, where is a beautiful gorge, deep and narrow, with great boulders and even cliffs.

Excepting



Great Falls it is the most beautiful place around here. Mother scrambled among the cliffs in her riding habit, very pretty and most interesting. The roads were good and some of the scenery really beautiful.

We were gone four hours, half an hour being occupied with the scrambling in the gorge."


(The White House, June 21, 1904)

"Hearing can be a source of ...exquisite pleasure ... Take time to listen and talk about the voices of the earth and what they mean—the majestic voice of thunder, the winds, the sound of surf or flowing streams." — Rachel Carson, The Sense of Wonder (posthumously 1965)
Details
HM NumberHM24OO
Tags
Placed ByMontgomery Parks
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Wednesday, January 17th, 2018 at 7:03pm PST -08:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 326519 N 4322064
Decimal Degrees39.03043333, -77.00420000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 39° 1.826', W 77° 0.252'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds39° 1' 49.56" N, 77° 0' 15.12" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)410, 301
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling West
Closest Postal AddressAt or near Northwest Branch Trail, Silver Spring MD 20903, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Nearby Markersshow on map
Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. This marker needs at least one picture.
  10. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  11. Is the marker in the median?