Cumberland Falls

Formation topographical map showing Cumberland Falls, the wide plunge pool immediately downstream (northward), as well as Eagle Falls on the west bank, and the rapids of Center Rock further downstream It is believed that Cumberland Falls originated at the Pottsville Escarpment, near modern-day Burnside, Kentucky, and retreated to its current location approximately upstream. In its retreat, the falls cut what is now the Cumberland River gorge, reaching depths in places of up to . At its original location, the falls was taller than it is currently, and has lost height due to erosion as it moved upstream. It also carried a greater volume of water originally, because two major tributaries, the Laurel River and the Rockcastle River, both lie between the modern day location and the escarpment. By 1650, the area had been visited by those from the Shawnee, Cherokee, Chickasaw, and the Creek peoples. The Cumberland, as well as the nearby Eagle Falls, were both considered sacred by many. Walton and Shepard surveyed the land in 1814, and were issued a land patent in 1828. In 1927 the Kiwanis Club sponsored a trail to be built from nearby Corbin, Kentucky, and dedicated to Kentucky governor William J. Fields. In 1928, a proposal to accept the falls as a park was brought to the floor of the Kentucky Senate but was defeated. In 1930, following his death, the family of du Pont made the decision to donate the to the state. ==Moonbow==

During or near a full moon on clear nights, a lunar rainbow or moonbow is sometimes formed by the water of the falls. The formation of a moonbow at Cumberland Falls is aided by a combination of steep gorge walls, which reduce dissipation of the waterfall's mist by wind, and a wide gorge which allows increased levels of moonlight. and the Kentucky Department of Parks publishes schedules for visitors. The ability of visitors to see a moonbow may vary with water level. At low levels, the falls may not produce sufficient mist for the phenomenon. Conversely, if conditions include substantial downstream wind, this may increase the level of mist and make a moonbow more likely to be visible. ==Statistics==

On average the falls, which flows over a resistant sandstone bed, is 68 feet (21 m) high and 125 feet (38 m) wide. Cumberland Falls is the second largest waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains, and the largest waterfall as measured by water volume in the Eastern United States, south of Niagara Falls. The falls divides the river into two sections, the Upper and Lower, or "below the falls" section. Water flow The water which flows through the Cumberland Falls gathers from a drainage area of . In data collected between 1908 and 2017 by the United States Geological Survey, peak annual water flow at the falls occurred in 1927, at an average rate of 5,196 ft3/s, and the all-time low occurred in 1988, during the 1988–89 North American drought, at an average rate of 1,324 ft3/s. The all-time highest recorded water volume was on Jan. 28, 1918, at a rate of 59,600 ft3/s, and the lowest recorded annual peak water flow was on Feb. 02, 1985, at 17,500 ft3/s, but was partially due to water diversion. The lowest naturally occurring annual peak water flow was on Feb. 17, 1964, at 18,200 ft3/s. ==In popular culture==

;Film • The Kentuckian, a 1955 movie starring Burt Lancaster, filmed on location • Raintree County, a 1957 film starring Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor and others, filmed on location ;Literature • Cumberland Falls serves as the setting and a metaphor in the popular poem "Cumberland Falls" written by Kentucky Poet Laureate Silas House. It was selected by the Academy of American Poets. ;Video Games • Red Dead Redemption 2 features a waterfall inspired by the falls. This waterfall is also called Cumberland Falls. ==See also==