Cumberland Falls by day. On clear moonlit nights, the mist from the falls occasionally produces a moonbow.

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. Image File history File links Cumberland_Falls_2005_05_20a. ... Image File history File links Cumberland_Falls_2005_05_20a. ... Photograph of a Moonbow (Lunar Rainbow) A moonbow (also known as a lunar rainbow or white rainbow) is a rainbow that occurs at night. ... Hopetoun Falls near Otway National Park, Victoria, Australia A waterfall is usually a geological formation resulting from water, often in the form of a stream, flowing over an erosion-resistant rock formation that forms a sudden break in elevation. ... Length 1,106 km Elevation of the source 480 m Average discharge 3,217 m³/s Area watershed 46,830 km² Origin Oven Fork, Kentucky Mouth Ohio River Basin countries United States The Cumberland River is an important waterway in the southern United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Frankfort Largest city Louisville Area  Ranked 37th  - Total 40,444 sq. ... McCreary County is a county located in the state of Kentucky. ... Whitley County is a county located in the state of Kentucky. ... The Daniel Boone National Forest is the only national forest completely within the Commonwealth of Kentucky. ...

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). Sandstone near Stadtroda, Germany Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-size mineral or rock grains. ...

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 being one of only two in the world to feature this phenomenon, with Victoria Falls, at the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, as the other. 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. The Galileo spacecraft took this composite image on 7 December 1992 on its way to explore the Jupiter system in 1995-97. ... Photograph of a Moonbow (Lunar Rainbow) A moonbow (also known as a lunar rainbow or white rainbow) is a rainbow that occurs at night. ... Photograph of a Moonbow (Lunar Rainbow) A moonbow (also known as a lunar rainbow or white rainbow) is a rainbow that occurs at night. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This photo of New York City shows excessive Sky glow, one form of light pollution, partly caused by many unshielded lights. ...

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. This article is the current U.S. Collaboration of the Week. ... 1770 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... // Events and trends Technology The First Transcontinental Railroad in the United States is built in the six year period between 1863 and 1869. ... This article or section is missing references or citation of sources. ... 1875 (MDCCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

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, in 1930 DuPont purchased and donated 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. Thomas Coleman du Pont (1863–1930) was an American engineer, and politician, from Greenville, Delaware in New Castle County. ... Seal of the Senate The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the Congress of the United States, the other being the House of Representatives. ... Official language(s) None Capital Dover Largest city Wilmington Area  Ranked 49th  - Total 2,491 sq. ... Hydraulic turbine and electrical generator. ... 1930 (MCMXXX) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... State park is a term used in the United States and in Mexico for an area of land preserved on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or other reason, and under the administration of the government of a U.S. state or one of the states of Mexico. ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... A legislature is a governmental deliberative assembly with the power to adopt laws. ... The Great Depression was known as a worldwide economic downturn, starting in 1929 and lasting through most of the 1930s. ... Civilian Conservation Corps workers restoring the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. ... WPA Graphic The Works Progress Administration (later Works Projects Administration, abbreviated WPA), was created in May 1935 by Presidential order (Congress funded it annually but did not set it up). ...

With a reported 700,000 to 1 million visitors per year, the park remains one of Kentucky's busiest and most profitable state parks.

The Falls in entertainment and popular culture

The Falls have appeared in three films: Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed. ...

• The Kentuckian (1955)
• Raintree County (1957)
• Fire Down Below (1997) (appears in a flyover)

Don't you think you should have checked my footnote on this one? Raintree County is a novel by Ross Lockridge, Jr. ... Fire Down Below is a 1997 action film in which an EPA agent investigates a Kentucky mine and helps locals stand up for their rights. ...

External links

Canoers just upstream from Cumberland Falls.

• Kentucky information Guide
• Kentucky tourism site
• Kentucky state parks information page
• McCreary County Recreation and Tourism Map (University of Kentucky site) (PDF)

• Maps and aerial photos
  • WikiSatellite view at WikiMapia
  • Street map from MapQuest or Google Local
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
  • Satellite image from Google Local or Microsoft Virtual Earth