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IMAGES From Nostalgiaville
INDIANA- FALLS OF THE OHIO, IN- 5/15/06

NOTE: A Click of your Mouse on most of the pictures will enlarge them for better viewing

 

FALLS OF THE OHIO, INDIANA

 

HISTORY AT THE FALLS
LEWIS & CLARK

THE EASTERN LEGACY- October 14, 1803 Meriwether Lewis came from Washington D C and met William Clark at the Falls of the Ohio.  When they shook hands, the Lewis and Clark Expedition began.  Meriwether Lewis and William Clark while quartered at the
George Rogers Clark promenade overlooking the Falls of the Ohio, fulfilling a Presidential Order by Tomas Jefferson, recruited, enlisted and trained the leadership of the military expedition to explore the American West.  October 26, 1803. The "Corps of Discovery" departed from Clarksville at the Falls of the Ohio on their journey to the Pacific Ocean to explore the American West.  November 5, 1806, Lewis and Clark returned to the Falls of the Ohio.

 

THE CANAL AND LOCKS
As early as 1802, the expense and delay of hauling freight around the falls was so serious that several plans were proposed to overcome the obstacle.  The Louisville and Portland Canal was begun in 1825 and the first boat passed through in 1830.  Originally the canal was 1.9 miles long, 64 feet wide and had a total lift of 26 feet with a three flight lock system.  Renovations over the years have resulted in a canal 500 feet wide and a 110' by 1200' lock chamber with a lift of 37 feet.

Construction is currently underway to build a second 110' by 1200' chamber to facilitate current and future commercial traffic.  The Ohio River carries 40% of the commercial water traffic in the continental U S, according to the U S Commerce Department.  In 2000, 55.8 million tons of product worth more than $12 billion passed through the canal.  Coal, petroleum, grain, chemicals, iron and steel make up most of the tonnage

 

DAM THOSE FALLS

The huge concrete wall that you see is the McAlpine Dam.  Its main function is to control water levels for navigation, but its unusual shape, an elongated Z, also provides water for the hydroelectric station while keeping the fossil beds visible during periods of low water.  All this is accomplished by opening or closing gates in the dam.  There are 5 upper gates to your left, under the bridge, and four lower gates, down river, connecting to the hydroelectric station.  Each gate is 22 feet high and 100 feet wide.  The dam is over 30 feet high, but looks much smaller because it is about a half a mile away.

The waterfalls in the dam are called castellations.  They allow water to reach the wetland next to the dam even in the driest months, which is very important for maintaining plant and animal species.  What you see today is the third dam built here.  The original was constructed in 1881 and major renovations were made in the 1920's and in 1961.  Behind the dam you see the headwaters for the hydroelectric station. 

Boats are not allowed in this area because of the dangerous currents near the turbines.  The trees beyond the water are all on Shippingport Island.  Once a busy town, the island is now protected as part of the National Wildlife Conservation Area, with access by permit only.  Beyond the island is the Louisville and Portland Canal.


 

LOUISVILLE SKYLINE FROM THE FALLS

 

FALLS OF THE OHIO STATE PARK INTERPRETIVE CENTER

 

FLOWERS AT THE FALLS

 

RIVER CREATURES  THRIVE AT THE FALLS

Most, when they walk along a riverbank see driftwood and trash deposited as a result of a period of high water.  A closer peek at the piles can provide an amazing diversity of unimaginable river creatures just awaiting discovery by those with a keen sense of patience and imagination.
LION KING OHIO RIVER EAGLE RE-TIRED RIVER CREATURE SHEEP DOG FIND MULTIPLE CREATURES
RIVER SERPENT LOGGER HEAD SAM UGLY PUG NOSE UGLY II
BILL BOA UGLY III PATTY PIG EYE-SEE-U UGLY IV
FROWNING FRANNIE STUB NOSE NESSIE GOOFY BULL NOSE SMILEY
SPLIT LIP SLEEPY FEELIN' SICK HARD DAY AT THE OFFICE PETE THE POINTER
HARRY SEAL MASKED SLIPPERY SAM SPACEY SPANIEL PUPPY
DIRTY HARRY SARAH SPANIEL MOM WITH PUPS CAROL COW ALI-McGATOR
SHARK BAIT WHITE EAGLE THE SCREAMER VERA VULTURE BAD HAIR DAY
CONTORTIONIST SHEP SHEPARD TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER CAMOUFLAGE CHIP...OR IS IT DALE
LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT FIRST BITE IS THE BEST ELEPHANT KING DONALD DUCK HOUND DOG
MOUSEY FRED FROG DANNY DRAGON

 

THE FALLS OF THE OHIO NATIONAL WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AREA

The Falls of the Ohio is a special area in many respects.  More than 600 fossil species, over 265 species of birds and 125 species of fish, along with other wildlife, have been recorded at the Falls.  For many years, however, these natural resources had no protection from human activities.  This changed with the passage by Congress of Public Law 97-137 in December 1981 that designated the area as the Falls of the Ohio National Wildlife Conservation Area (WCA) and placed responsibility for administration of the area with the U S Army Corps of Engineers in consultation with the Department of the Interior. 
The Corps of Engineers has since partnered with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to create the Falls of the Ohio State Park.

The WCA covers approximately 1100 acres of land and water.  The upstream Indiana shoreline boundary is just a short distance upstream from where you are now standing.  As it crosses the Ohio river, the boundary follows the upper tainter gates and dam of McAlpine Locks and Dam and the Pennsylvania
Central Railroad Bridge.  Once the boundary nears the Kentucky shoreline, it jogs-upstream to include all of the Shippingport Island.  The boundary along the Kentucky shoreline follows the existing Government boundary for the McAlpine Locks and Dam project.  The downstream boundary is the Kentucky and Indiana Railroad Bridge.  The Indiana boundary of the project was set at 5 feet above the Ordinary High Water mark (413 feet above mean sea lever).

Section 203 of Public Law 97-137 mandates five missions, or purposes of the WCA:  to protect wildlife populations and habitats in their natural diversity, to conserve fish population in their natural diversity; to maintain as much as possible the water quality best suited for fish wildlife and navigation, to protect the fossilized coral reef as a unique pale ontological feature, and to provide opportunities for scientific research and interpretive and environmental uses and fish and wildlife oriented recreational uses.

 

FALLS OF THE OHIO FOSSIL BEDS

Dating back to the Middle Devonian Period, about 387 million years ago, the fossils found here are the remains of marine animals.  The fossil beds can be divided into upper lower layers.  The upper and lower layers.  The upper fossil beds are exposed for all but a few weeks each year.  You can observe the remains of crinoids stalks, brachiopod shells, lacy bryozoans and a variety of corals in these strata or layers.  In the late summer and early fall there are almost 200 acres of exposed rock layers that can be explored.

If you could go back in time to the Middle Devonian Period, you would find yourself treading water in a warm, tropical sea.  Peering under the crystal blue waters, you would see odd fish swimming around and a variety of colorful corals ringed with stinging tentacles.  Some colonies would be just below the wave level.  The occasional trilobite would scurry in the coralline debris between the larger colonies.  Although the creatures are different, the scene would be similar to swimming in the Bahamas or Australia's Great Barrier Reef today.

The lower fossil beds are often called the coral beds.  The abundance of corals is staggering.  Over 200 species of corals have been identified in this nine foot-thick layer.  Potholes in the limestone rock, formed by swirling glacial pebbles, often trap small fish and other aquatic animals, providing an easy meal for hungry birds.  The wetlands are important feeding and resting areas for migratory birds, such as wood ducks, great blue herons and Canada geese.  Grasslands and woodlands found here provide nesting habitat for a variety of birds species including black crowned night herons, kingfishers and osprey.

This diving bird is often seen feeding on fish.  It is larger and thinner than most ducks, with a solid black color.  Cormorants congregate in large numbers on the dam in the spring and fall during migration.  (Resident, but best seen during migration)

Named for its featherless red head, the Falls' largest scavenger may be seen gliding on air currents high above the fossil beds.  Groups of vultures often rest on rocks and logs on the outer fossil beds or dam, away from people.
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT TURKEY VULTURE

This spectacular raptor dives talons-first into the water in pursuit of its fishy prey.  Look for the white belly, dark wings that bend at the wrist, and a dark mask over the eyes.

As the fastest living creature in the world (people excluded), the Peregrine preys on small birds like pigeons and starlings.  It may be seen resting on snagged trees or boulders on the fossil beds.  A pair has been nesting on a bridge just up river in recent years.
OSPREY PEREGRINE FALCON

This gull is our most common winter visitor, seen by the hundreds flying above the white water below the upper gates.  Look for flocks resting on the outer fossil beds with their bodies aligned with the wind.  A larger bird, the herring gull, may be mixed with the flocks.

This two-foot heron is commonly seen fishing with its young in summer.  It is short and stocky, with thick legs and bill, black crown and back, and lighter gray wings and belly.
RING-BILLED GULL BLACK CROWNED NIGHT HERON
Approximately 125 species of fish are found in the Ohio River, including the strange looking Paddlefish.  The gravel bottom with fast flowing water is preferred by many species for spawning.  Sauger, striped bass and catfish are favored by local fishermen.  Fishing is allowed here with either a Kentucky or Indiana fishing license.

The water levels change drastically during the year, completely altering the look of the Conservation Area.  At times in the winter and spring, the water is as high as the top of the dam, and hundreds of gulls and terns can be seen, circling above the swirling current.  In the summer, when the water level is at its lowest, killdeer and sandpipers scoot around on the rocks, while herons catch fish in the shallows.

River islands, woodlands, wetland, prairie grasslands, rock ledges, mud flats, and river bottom are home to numerous species of plants and animals.  The few tree species you see, including willow, cottonwood, sycamore and water maple, are here only because they are able to endure the seasonal extremes of wet and dry, hot and cold.  More than 200 kinds of flowering plants add color to the scenery throughout most of the ear.  Common mammals include muskrat, beaver, red fox, groundhogs and raccoons.

 

SIGNS OF THE TIMES AT THE FALLS
GRAFFITI... THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE

 

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