I just visited Trenton Falls, NY. It is open to the public only 2 weekends in the fall and two weekends in the spring. I am once again amazed at the history and very unique geology of this area. This place is not well known although it should be. These falls and the whole gorge are on private property. In fact, during most of it history, the land has been held privately. Most of my life, and I been here for a while, it has been owned by power companies since there is a dam and generating plant there. Hence, its relatively unknown and unappreciated. Had it had been on public land like Niagara Falls, it might have received better notice. You may think my comparision to Niagara Falls a stretch? Well, it isn't. This area is quite spectacular in many ways. First, there is a series of 3 falls. If you can imagine in this photo I took below water flowing and cascading down from shoreline to shoreline you can see how impressive this upper falls area is/was, and there are more drops above and below this falls. Seldom these days does the public ever see water flowing over these majestic falls and down through the gorge. There is a dam on top and the flow is quite regulated. But, in my minds eye and from old photographs, you can see why this was quite striking to see in its natural state with waters flowing, mist rising, and the constant sound of water crashing down. Still, without the free flowing waters, it is quite extraordinary. This gorge and these falls are on par with the top New york attractions, Niagara Falls and the Letchworth Gorge come to mind.
Beyond its natural beauty, it is of great interest geologically. The gorge and its falls were probably created by receding glaciers which created many oddities here in New York State. The rocks exposed in the gorge dates back 440 to 460 MILLION years ago. Yes, the fossils I held in my hand that were sitting on a picnic table during my visit this week, date back to the Ordovician Period, when this area was a sea bed. I was holding fossils from early life on this planet.
Below is a link to a web site devoted to the history, both socially and Geologically to the Trenton Falls area.
The site was created by Harvard University, a well known college located in Massachusetts. Read over the site and take time to look at the various links. There are all kinds of interesting stuff.
http://http://www.mcz.harvard.edu/Departments/InvertPaleo/Trenton/Intro/trentonintro.htmIn conclusion, if I were King of the World, and energy wasn't an issue, I would have the dam and the power station demolished and return this area to the public and restore its natural beauty. In fact, maybe someday, it will be possible to return this land to it's original state, at least I hope so. It just seems wrong to me for a power company to own a natural wonder.
