Letchworth State Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Letchworth State Park |
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View of the Middle Falls, with mist from the Upper Falls and the old Portage Viaduct visible in the background
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| Type | State park |
| Location | Livingston and Wyoming counties, New York, United States |
| Area | 14,427 acres (58.4 km2) |
| Created | 1906 |
| Operated by | New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation |
| Visitors | 644,441 (in 2014) |
| Open | All year |
| Website | Letchworth State Park |
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Letchworth State Park
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| Architect | Letchworth, William P.; et al.; Bryant Fleming |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival, Italianate |
| NRHP reference No. | 03000718 |
| Added to NRHP | November 4, 2005 |
Letchworth State Park is a huge park in New York, covering over 14,427-acre (5,838 ha). It is located in Livingston and Wyoming counties in western New York State. The park stretches about 17 miles (27 km) long, following the Genesee River. This river flows through a deep gorge and tumbles over amazing waterfalls.
The park is about 35 miles (56 km) southwest of Rochester and 60 miles (97 km) southeast of Buffalo. It includes parts of several towns like Leicester, Mount Morris, Portage, Castile, and Genesee Falls.
In 1859, a businessman named William Pryor Letchworth (1823–1910) started buying land near the Middle Falls. He built his home, the Glen Iris Estate, there. In 1906, he gave his 1,000-acre (4 km2) estate to New York State. This gift became the start of Letchworth State Park.
The park is famous for its three big waterfalls: the Upper, Middle, and Lower Falls. These are all on the Genesee River, which flows through a deep gorge. The rock walls of the gorge can be as high as 550 feet (170 m) in some spots. Because of its stunning views, the area is often called the "Grand Canyon of the East."
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Fun Things to Do at Letchworth Park
You can enter the park near towns like Mount Morris, Perry, Castile, and Portageville. A paved road runs along the west side of the gorge. This road offers many great spots to stop and see the beautiful rock formations.
The park has lots of facilities for visitors. There are picnic areas, playgrounds, and 66 miles (106 km) of hiking trails. You can also find two large swimming pools, cabins, and campsites for tents and trailers. Horse-riding trails are available too.
Many activities are popular here. You can enjoy biking, fishing, whitewater rafting, and kayaking. Some people like geocaching or hunting for wild turkey and deer when it's allowed. In winter, the park is great for snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, snow tubing, and horse-drawn sleigh rides. If the weather is good, you can even go Hot air ballooning!
Letchworth State Park has won awards for being amazing. In 2015 and 2020, USA Today readers voted it the best state park in the United States.
Amazing Waterfalls and Rocks
Inside the park, the Genesee River has three main waterfalls. There are also about 50 smaller waterfalls on creeks that flow into the river. The deep gorge carved by the river has rock walls up to 550 feet (170 m) high. In some places, the gorge narrows to only 400 feet (120 m) wide above the Middle Falls. This is why it's known as the "Grand Canyon of the East."
The three main waterfalls are called the Upper, Middle, and Lower Falls. They are all in Portage Canyon, which is in the southern part of the park. The only way to cross the Genesee River in the park is on a stone bridge just below the Lower Falls. The Middle Falls is the tallest of the three. The Upper Falls has an active railroad bridge right above it.
The park also has Inspiration Falls. This waterfall is on a small creek near the Inspiration Point Overlook. It drops about 350 feet (110 m). While it's very tall, it only flows during certain seasons. Sometimes, it just looks like a wet stain on the cliff.
The rocks you see in the gorge are very old, from a time called the Devonian period. They are mostly shale, with some layers of limestone and sandstone. These rocks formed in an ancient inland sea and contain many marine fossils. The river valley here is quite new in terms of geology. A huge glacier changed the river's path, forcing it to cut this new section of valley.
Historic Buildings and Museums
The historic Glen Iris Inn used to be William Pryor Letchworth's home. Now, it's a hotel located on a cliff overlooking Middle Falls. You can eat meals there and even stay overnight during certain seasons. It's open to everyone for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
The park is also the burial place of Mary Jemison. She was a Scots-Irish pioneer who was captured by a French and Shawnee group when she was 12. She was adopted by a Seneca family and chose to live with them for the rest of her life. She had seven children with two Seneca husbands. Her remains were moved here in 1872 to the grounds of a Seneca Council House.
The William Pryor Letchworth Museum is also in the park. It started with the collections of the park's founder. The museum shows the natural and cultural history of the Genesee Valley. You can see ancient tools from the Seneca nation, learn about Mary Jemison, and see displays about early pioneers. There are also exhibits on the Genesee Valley Canal and William Pryor Letchworth himself.
The Humphrey Nature Center opened in 2016. It's open all year and is a 5,000-square-foot (460 m2) building designed to be good for the environment. It has classrooms, meeting rooms, a research lab, and a butterfly garden. It also connects to many trails.
Mount Morris Dam
At the northern end of the park, you'll find the Mount Morris Dam. Construction on this dam began in 1948 and finished in 1954. It was built to control floods. Because of the dam, the Genesee River became wider and deeper upstream. But areas downstream were saved from yearly floods that used to ruin farmland.
The Mount Morris Dam is the largest concrete flood control dam of its kind east of the Mississippi River. It is 1,028 feet (313 m) long and 230 feet (70 m) high from the riverbed. The dam proved how important it was during the Flood of 1972. It saved thousands of acres of farmland and the city of Rochester from severe flooding.
Portage Viaduct
The Portage Viaduct is an iron railroad bridge. It is located upstream from the park's Upper Falls, and you can see it from there. The bridge is 820 feet (250 m) long and 240 feet (73 m) high. Even though there are signs, some visitors walk on the bridge to see the gorge. This is dangerous because it's an active railroad bridge.
In 2011, Norfolk Southern Railway announced plans to replace the old Portage Viaduct. They built a new bridge about 75 feet (23 m) south of the old one. The old bridge was offered to New York State, but they couldn't afford to turn it into a viewing platform. A new arched bridge design was approved in 2014, and the new bridge was finished in early 2018.
History of Letchworth Park
The land where the park now stands was once the home of the Seneca people. They were mostly forced to leave after the American Revolutionary War. The Seneca called this canyon area Sehgahunda, which means "Vale of the three falls." They believed the Middle Falls (Ska-ga-dee) was so amazing it could make the sun stop at midday.
William Pryor Letchworth first saw the gorge in 1858 from a railroad bridge. In 1859, he bought 190 acres (0.77 km2) of land near the Portage Falls. He then started building his Glen Iris Estate. By buying the land, Letchworth stopped plans to build a hydroelectric dam in the gorge. This dam would have changed the river's flow and reduced the waterfalls. He hired a famous landscape artist, William Webster, to design winding paths, rustic bridges, and sparkling fountains.
Letchworth spent many years buying more land in the area. In 1906, he gave the Glen Iris and 1,000 acres (4 km2) of surrounding land to New York State. He wanted it to be a public park. His goal was to prevent businesses from harming the natural beauty of the gorge and forests. He also asked that the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society manage the land. A plaque near the gorge has a dedication written by Letchworth's niece in 1910. It says:
God wrought for us this scene beyond compare
But one man's loving hand protected it
And gave to his fellow man to share.
Letchworth lived at the Glen Iris until he passed away on December 1, 1910. He was buried in Buffalo at Forest Lawn Cemetery.
During the 1930s, workers from the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) greatly improved the park. They lived in a large camp there. The CCC built cabins, overlooks, bridges, and trails, making the park even better for visitors.
Old Portageville Bridge Fire
The Erie Railroad Company built a wooden trestle bridge over the Genesee River. It was just above the Upper Falls. Construction began on July 1, 1851, and the bridge opened on August 16, 1852. At that time, it was the longest and tallest wooden bridge in the world.
In the early morning of May 6, 1875, this huge wooden railroad bridge was destroyed by a massive fire. The bridge was completely lost, with only its concrete supports remaining.
Right after the fire, officials from the Erie Railroad Company quickly decided to replace the wooden bridge. They chose to build a new one using iron and steel. Construction started on June 8, 1875, and the new Portage Viaduct opened for trains on July 31, 1875.
The Flood of 1972
One of the biggest natural disasters in the Genesee Valley happened in June 1972. Hurricane Agnes came ashore in Florida and moved north. It then went out to sea, gained strength, and hit New York State on June 22.
Even though Agnes was not the strongest hurricane, it stalled over Pennsylvania. The storm slowly moved northeast into New York. The area had already been soaked by rain the week before. So, the six to twelve inches (150 to 300 mm) of rain that fell caused huge floods. This event, known as "The Flood of '72," had a big impact on western New York and Letchworth Park.
The Genesee River and Letchworth Park were not hit as hard as some other areas. However, the flood's effects were felt in the park for many years. The Lower Falls Bridge and the trail to Sugar Loaf did not officially reopen for several years. Even today, visitors can still see some of the natural "scars" left by the floodwaters from over 40 years ago.
You can watch video footage of the damage at the William Pryor Letchworth Museum. It is located near the Glen Iris Inn.
Gallery
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View from the Portage Viaduct
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View from the Upper Falls
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Middle Falls
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Upper Falls in autumn
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Genesee River Canyon downstream of the falls
Images for kids
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Genesee Arch Bridge and Upper Falls in July 2022
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Genesee Arch Bridge and Upper Falls in late winter
