Nooksack 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 ...
along the North Fork of the
Nooksack River
The Nooksack River is a river in western Whatcom County of the northwestern U.S. state of Washington, draining extensive valley systems within the North Cascades around Mount Shuksan, Mount Baker and the Twin Sisters, and a portion of Fraser Lo ...
in
Whatcom County, Washington
Whatcom County is a county located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Washington, bordered by the Canadian Lower Mainland (the Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley Regional Districts of British Columbia) to the north, Okanogan Coun ...
. The water flows through a narrow valley and drops freely 88 feet into a deep rocky river canyon. The falls are viewable from the forested cover near the cliffs edge. The falls are a short 2/3 of a mile drive off the
Mount Baker Highway
State Route 542 (SR 542) is a State highways in Washington, state highway in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, serving Mount Baker in Whatcom County, Washington, Whatcom County. SR 542 travels east as the Mount Bak ...
,
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
(State Route 542).
[Tabor, Rowland W., and Haugerud, Ralph (1999). ''Geology of the North Cascades: A Mountain Mosaic'', p. 88. Seattle: The Mountaineers Books. .] The falls were featured in the hunting scene of the movie ''
The Deer Hunter
''The Deer Hunter'' is a 1978 war drama film co-written and directed by Michael Cimino about a trio of Slavic-American steelworkers whose lives were upended after fighting in the Vietnam War. The three soldiers are played by Robert De Niro, Chr ...
''.
History
Throughout the late 19th century, significant mineral discoveries were made in eastern
Whatcom County
Whatcom County is a county located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Washington, bordered by the Canadian Lower Mainland (the Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley Regional Districts of British Columbia) to the north, Okanogan Cou ...
and in particular the Nooksack Falls region. The richest and most significant strike was the Lone Jack Claim of 1897. Before the mine closed in 1924, approximately $500,000 worth of gold was excavated. Due to the success of the Lone Jack Claim, the area became known as the Mount Baker Mining District and produced over 5,000 claims between 1890 and 1937. One of the claims, known as the Great Excelsior Mine, was located southwest of the Lone Jack Mine and only from the
Nooksack Falls Powerplant. In 1902, the Excelsior Claim erected a 20-stamp mill to crush the ore and a water powered turbine provided the power. In 1914, when the Excelsior Mill was rebuilt, a power line was extended from the Nooksack Falls plant to provide electricity to the mill.
[Library Of Congress]
References
External links
Photos from the Historic American Buildings Survey*
{{NorthCascadesWaterfalls
Nooksack
Waterfalls of Washington (state)
Waterfalls of Whatcom County, Washington