US-NY(1891) p585 GENESEE RIVER - PORTAGE FALLS AND BRIDGE

Cole Thomas Portage Falls on the Genesee 1839

Portage Falls are three large waterfalls located along the

Genesee River The Genesee River is a tributary of Lake Ontario flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York in the United States. The river provided the original power for the Rochester area's 19th century mills and still provides h ...

. The falls are by the

Portage Bridge The Portage Bridge (french: Pont du Portage) crosses the Ottawa River just down-river from the Chaudière Bridge, joining the communities of Gatineau, Quebec and Ottawa, Ontario. It links Laurier Street and Alexandre-Taché Boulevard in the ...

and run through

Letchworth State Park Letchworth State Park is a New York State Park located in Livingston County and Wyoming County in the western part of the State of New York. The park is roughly long, following the course of the Genesee River as it flows north through a dee ...

William Pryor Letchworth William Pryor Letchworth (May 26, 1823 – December 1, 1910) was an American businessman notable for his charitable work, including his donation of his 1,000 acre estate to the State of New York which became known as Letchworth State Park. E ...

once owned a tract and built his Glen Iris Estate in the area that is now part of the park. The town of

Portage, New York Portage is a town in the southwest corner of Livingston County, New York, United States. The town is at the south end of Letchworth State Park. The name of the town stems from the need to portage (carry) canoes around the falls of the Genesee R ...

and the hamlet of Portageville are nearby. The three major waterfalls are known as the Upper , Middle , and Lower Falls and pass through Portage Canyon in the southern section of the state park. A stone bridge just below the Lower Falls is part of a trail in the park. The Middle Falls are the highest. Above the Upper Falls, an active railroad trestle passes over the gorge.

Thomas Cole Thomas Cole was an English-born American artist and the founder of the Hudson River School art movement. Cole is widely regarded as the first significant American landscape painter. He was known for his romantic landscape and history painti ...

painted the falls in 1839.

Stereoscopic view Stereoscopy (also called stereoscopics, or stereo imaging) is a technique for creating or enhancing the depth perception, illusion of depth in an image by means of stereopsis for binocular vision. The word ''stereoscopy'' derives . Any stere ...

s of the falls were also created. In 1843, geologist James Hall studied the rock formations and strata in the area. His publication included hand colored drawings of the falls. A collection of stereoscopic views from 1875 in the New York Public Library's collection includes: "Views of Portage and vicinity including the Genesee River; waterfalls; wooden and iron railroad bridges, including ruins of the wooden bridge; a "canalduct" (Genesee Canal?); Genesee Valley Sand Stone quarry showing men working; Catlin House, Cascade House, and Glen Iris, including group playing croquet and a canoe in the lake; estate of Wm. P. Letchworth, which was later made into Letchworth State Park; a man sitting beside a tent, bridge beyond."

Nomenclature

A portage is the carrying of a boat between two bodies of water to bypass an impassable stretch.

Train service

The

Buffalo & New York Railroad Buffalo most commonly refers to: * Bubalina, including most "Old World" buffalo, such as water buffalo * Bison, including the American buffalo * Buffalo, New York Buffalo or buffaloes may also refer to: Animals * Bubalina, a subtribe of the tr ...

and

Erie Railroad The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake Er ...

s advised passengers: "N.B. Pleasure seekers desirous of visiting Portage Falls and the High Bridge can leave Buffalo on the Lightening train at 6:15 or Mail at 9:35 A.M., and returning, leave Portage at 5:35 and arrive in Buffalo at 9:00, giving them over nine hours at Portage for the enjoyment of scenery unsurpassed in wild and picturesque beauty and sublimity."

Canal and bridge

The

Genesee Valley Canal The Genesee Valley Canal is a former canal that operated in central New York between 1840 and 1878. It ran for a length of 124 miles, passing through 106 locks. Its course was later used by the Genesee Valley Canal Railroad and today comprises po ...

was constructed to allow boat traffic to bypass the falls, A 400 foot viaduct was built across the river. In 1853, a wooden bridge was constructed across the gorge.

References

{{Reflist Waterfalls of New York (state) Genesee River