Trip to the West and Texas: comprising a journey of eight thousand miles, through New-York, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Louisiana and Texas, in the autumn and winter of 1834-5.Parker, A. A. (Amos Andrew)
History
Trip to the West and Texas: comprising a journey of eight thousand miles, through New-York, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Louisiana and Texas, in the autumn and winter of 1834-5.
Parker, A. A. (Amos Andrew)
Frontier and pioneer life -- Mississippi River Valley; Frontier and pioneer life -- Texas; Mississippi River Valley -- Description and travel; Texas -- Description and travel; Texas -- History -- Revolution, 1835-1836
The High Falls, consisting of three pitches--one of forty-eight, the
second of eleven, and the third, of thirty-seven feet--Sherman's Falls,
of thirty-five feet. The last fall is at Conrad's mills, and is only
six feet; but the descent of water, from the top of the upper fall
to the lower one, is three hundred and eighty-seven feet--and the
whole forms as wild and romantic a scene as the enthusiastic lover of
nature's most eccentric works could desire. Organic remains have been
found in the ravine in abundance, and Mr. Sherman has a cabinet of
them, which are exhibited to the curious.
Ithaca Falls are situated at the head of Cayuga Lake. The high fall
of Fall river is the first that strikes the eye, in going from the
steamboat landing to the village, and is one hundred and sixteen feet
in height. Two immense piles of rocks enclose the stream. On the right
hand high up the bluff, a mill-race is seen winding around a point in
the bank, suspended in mid air; and sometimes an adventurous visitor,
may be seen cautiously wending his way along the dizzy path on the
verge of the abyss. The mill-race was built, by letting a man down over
the giddy steep by a rope fastened to a tree above, who dug holes in
the bluff, in which to fasten its principal supports. A short distance
from this, up the rocky bed of the creek, is another splendid fall--not
so high as the first, but more wild and beautiful. Above these, are
three more falls, the upper one of which is the highest fall of water
of any, and is the most grand and imposing. These four falls have a
descent of four hundred and thirty-eight feet in the short distance of
a mile, and present to the eye as great a variety of the romantic and
beautiful in nature, as earth affords.
There are Cascadilla, Six Mile Creek, Buttermilk Creek, &c. &c. many
romantic scenes and splendid falls; but it would interfere with the
design of this work to stop to describe them. I cannot, however, leave
the high falls on Taghcanic Creek without a passing notice. They are
eight miles from Ithaca, near a landing place called Goodwin's point;
and are two hundred and thirty-eight feet perpendicular! Who shall
attempt to describe such a magnificent exhibition as this; or the
effect it produces on the mind! This is said to be the favorite resort
of parties of pleasure and lovers of the picturesque. And who, but the
real invalid, would ignobly spend his time at Saratoga, when scenes
like these await him in the interior of New-York.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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