Cascade Falls is a

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

in the small town of

Osceola, Wisconsin Osceola is a village in Polk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,568 at the 2010 census. Located mostly within the Town of Osceola, the village sits on the border with Minnesota, separated by the St. Croix River. It is along ...

. The water source for Cascade Falls is the Osceola Creek which runs through the Osceola Mill Pond and then flows into the

St. Croix River (Wisconsin-Minnesota) The St. Croix River is any of several rivers in North America: * St. Croix River (Maine–New Brunswick) The St. Croix River (french: Fleuve Sainte-Croix; Malecite-Passamaquoddy language, Maliseet-Passamaquoddy: ''Skutik'') is a river in northe ...

Characteristics

The structure of the Cascade Falls has an undercutting

knickpoint In geomorphology, a knickpoint or nickpoint is part of a river or channel where there is a sharp change in channel slope, such as a waterfall or lake. Knickpoints reflect different conditions and processes on the river, often caused by previous e ...

. The knick point is created by the flow and splash of water, which will eventually cause the base of the water fall to erode and eventually become unstable enough to collapse.

Geology

The Cascade Falls were carved out by the St. Croix River which is much larger. The St. Croix River created a

canyon A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...

which developed the Osceola Creek and the smaller Geiger Falls in the same area.

History

William Kent discovered the Cascade Falls in 1884. The waterfall is what attracted settlers and caused the founding of the village Osceola.

Tourism

One of the main attractions of Osceola is the Cascade Falls. In July 2013, the village of Osceola put up LED lighting at Cascade Falls, Geiger Falls and Gristmill and Mill Pond parks. The lighting can mimic the light of a full moon or change for the season. The lights were installed to increase tourism and make it easier to enjoy the water at night.

References

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External links

Vil.osceola.wi.us
Waterfalls of Wisconsin Landforms of Polk County, Wisconsin