A few Tahquamenon Falls facts
See link to right for Tahquamenon Falls webpage and more information about the falls. Tahquamenon Falls State Park encompasses close to 40,000 acres stretching over 13 miles. Most of this is undeveloped woodland without roads, buildings or power lines. The centerpiece of the park, and the very reason for its existence, is the Tahquamenon River, with its waterfalls. It has a drop of nearly 50 feet and is more than 200 feet across. A maximum flow of more than 50,000 gallons of water per second has been recorded cascading over these falls. The Upper Falls is one of the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi. The photos are taken by me of the upper falls. The amber color of the water is not rust nor is it muddiness; it is caused by tannin leached from the Cedar, Spruce and Hemlock in the swamps drained by the river. The extremely soft water churned by the action of the falls causes the large amounts of foam, which has been the trademark of the Tahquamenon since the days of the voyagers. This is the land of Longfellow's Hiawatha - "by the rushing Tahquamenaw." where Hiawatha built his canoe. Long before the white man set eyes on the river, the abundance of fish in its waters and animals along its shores attracted the Chippewa Indians, who camped, farmed, fished and trapped along its banks. In the late 1800's came the lumber barons and the river carried their logs by the millions to the mills. The lumberjacks, who harvested the tall timber, were among the first permanent white settlers in the area. ( most of the information taken from Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources Webpage )
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