Historic Yahoo Falls, also known as Ywahoo Falls (possibly of

Muscogee The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language), are a group of related indigenous (Native American) peoples of the Southeastern WoodlandsGeorgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

), is located in Whitley City,

McCreary County, Kentucky McCreary County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Its county seat is Whitley City. The county is named for James B. McCreary, a Confederate war soldier and two-time Governor of Kentucky (1875–1879, 1911–1915). During his s ...

Description

A Scenic overlook marks the trail from the highway to the falls, which stand . A similar waterfall in the

Red River Gorge The Red River Gorge is a canyon system on the Red River in east-central Kentucky. Geologically it is part of the Pottsville Escarpment. The gorge lies within the Daniel Boone National Forest and was subsequently designated the Red River Gorge ...

is said to exceed Yahoo Falls in height by a few inches. Further along, the trail leads to the

Yahoo Arch Yahoo Arch is located in the Daniel Boone National Forest, in McCreary County, Kentucky. A hiking trail leads (0.8 Miles) from Yahoo Falls Historic Yahoo Falls, also known as Ywahoo Falls (possibly of Muscogee origin, from ''Yahola'', ''Yahoo' ...

History

Cumberland National Forest, now

Daniel Boone National Forest The Daniel Boone National Forest (originally the Cumberland National Forest) is a national forest in Kentucky. Established in 1937, it includes of federally owned land within a proclamation boundary. The name of the forest was changed in 1966 ...

, was created in 1937. It includes the Falls and surrounding second-growth timberland. It is owned by the Federal government and management is entrusted to the

U.S. Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency in ...

. Forest supervisor Robert Collins created the Yahoo Falls Recreation Area in the 1960s. The decision was made to turn Yahoo Falls into an accessible scenic attraction in an effort to lure visitors to the Stearns Ranger District. An all-weather road was built to the top of the gorge and a picnic area and primitive campsite was established. Trails were constructed and a long flight of steel stairs led visitors down into the gorge past cliffs and nearly vertical lush slopes adorned with mountain laurel,

rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nati ...

and many threatened and endangered species of plants .Perry, Samuel YAHOO FALLS AN HISTORICAL OVERVIEW According to legend

Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyond the we ...

allegedly shot and killed

bigfoot Bigfoot, also commonly referred to as Sasquatch, is a purported ape-like creature said to inhabit the forest of North America. Many dubious articles have been offered in attempts to prove the existence of Bigfoot, including anecdotal claims o ...

at this location in the 1770s. The name "bigfoot" did not exist yet at the time and Boone called the creature a ""Yahoo"", which is a direct reference to

Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish Satire, satirist, author, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for the Whig (British political party), Whigs, then for the Tories (British political party), Tories), poe ...

Gulliver's Travels ''Gulliver's Travels'', or ''Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships'' is a 1726 prose satire by the Anglo-Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan ...

. Boone reportedly showed off the body to a hundred people in nearby

Boonesborough, Kentucky Boonesborough is an unincorporated community in Madison County, Kentucky, United States. Founded by famed frontiersman Daniel Boone in 1778 as one of the first English-speaking settlements west of the Appalachian Mountains, Boonesborough lies in ...

. The site has been known as Yahoo Falls ever since.

References

External links

Yahoo Falls

Map of Kentucky Waterfalls
{{EMCF Attractions Landforms of McCreary County, Kentucky Waterfalls of Kentucky Tourist attractions in McCreary County, Kentucky Daniel Boone National Forest

Description

History

See also

References

Further reading

External links