Tahquamenon Falls facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tahquamenon Falls
The Upper Tahquamenon Falls
Location in Michigan
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Location	Tahquamenon Falls State Park, Luce County, Michigan
Coordinates	46°34′26.4″N 85°15′21.6″W / 46.574000°N 85.256000°W / 46.574000; -85.256000 (Upper Tahquamenon Falls)
Type	Block
Total height	48 feet (15 m)
Number of drops	77
Watercourse	Tahquamenon River
Average flow rate	7,000 gallons per second (average annual mean)

The Tahquamenon Falls are a group of waterfalls. They are on the Tahquamenon River. The river flows into Lake Superior. This is in the northeastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan. These are the biggest waterfalls in Michigan. They are also among the largest in eastern North America.

The water here looks brown. This color comes from natural chemicals called tannins. Tannins come from cedar swamps. The river flows through these swamps. Because of its color, people sometimes call them "Root Beer Falls." The falls are inside Tahquamenon Falls State Park. This park is between Newberry and Paradise. Many visitors come to see the falls all year round.

Exploring Tahquamenon Falls

The Tahquamenon Falls are split into two main parts. These are the Upper Falls and the Lower Falls.

The Upper Falls

The Upper Falls are a single, tall drop. The water falls about 48 feet (15 m) down. At this spot, the river is more than 200 feet (60 m) wide. When snow melts in late spring, a lot of water flows. The river can carry as much as 50,000 US gallons (190,000 L) of water every second. This makes the Upper Falls the third largest waterfall east of the Mississippi River. Only Niagara Falls and Cohoes Falls are bigger.

The Lower Falls

The Lower Falls are about 4 miles (6.4 km) downstream from the Upper Falls. They are made of five smaller waterfalls. These falls cascade around an island. You can reach the island by rowboat. The boats leave from the water below the Lower Falls. You can also use a footbridge. This bridge was built in 2022.

History of the Falls

The falls get their name from the Tahquamenon River. The river's name might come from Tahquamenon Island. This island is in Whitefish Bay. A French map from 1671 first wrote the island's name as "Outakouaminan."

The Tahquamenon River is mentioned in a famous poem. It appears in The Song of Hiawatha. This epic poem was written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1855. In the poem, the main character builds a canoe. He does this "By the rushing Taquamenaw." A modern song also mentions the falls. It is by Sufjan Stevens and is on his album Michigan.

Photo gallery

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  Lower Falls

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  Upper Falls in Winter 2004

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  During Autumn

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  The Upper Falls

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  Tahquamenon Lower Falls

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  Panoramic

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  Upper Tahquamenon Falls