Kepler Cascades facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kepler Cascades
Kepler Cascades
Lua error in Module:Infobox_mapframe at line 185: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Location	Yellowstone National Park, WY, US
Coordinates	44°26′45″N 110°48′25″W / 44.44573°N 110.80698°W / 44.44573; -110.80698
Type	Cascade
Total height	50 feet (15 m)
Number of drops	Multiple
Watercourse	Firehole River

Kepler Cascades is a beautiful series of waterfalls located in Yellowstone National Park in the United States. You can find these amazing waterfalls on the Firehole River, about 2.6 miles south of the famous Old Faithful geyser. The water here tumbles down about 150 feet in total, over many different steps or drops. The longest single drop is about 50 feet high! It's easy to see Kepler Cascades from the road that goes from Old Faithful to West Thumb.

How Were the Cascades Discovered?

The Kepler Cascades were first seen and written about by a group of explorers in 1870. This group was part of the Washburn–Langford–Doane Expedition. Even though they saw the waterfalls, they didn't give them a name right away.

One member of the expedition, Gustavus Cheyney Doane, wrote about what they saw in 1871. He described coming across the Firehole River, which was a "mountain torrent" (a fast-flowing river). He mentioned two "fine roaring cascades" where the water fell over rocks, about 20 and 50 feet high. He even said that if these pretty waterfalls were somewhere else, they would be famous! But in Yellowstone, with so many other huge and amazing sights, they just passed by without stopping.

Who Are the Kepler Cascades Named After?

The waterfalls finally got their name in 1881. Philetus Norris, who was the park superintendent (the person in charge of the park) at the time, named them. He chose the name after a 12-year-old boy named Kepler Hoyt.

Kepler was the son of John Wesley Hoyt, who was the governor of the Wyoming Territory. Governor Hoyt and his son, Kepler, were visiting Yellowstone National Park in 1881. That's when Norris decided to name the cascades after young Kepler.