Great Falls ( Passaic River ) - wikipedia Great Falls ( Passaic River ) Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park U.S. National Register of Historic Places U.S. National Historic Landmark District U.S. National Historical Park New Jersey Register of Historic Places The Great Falls of the Passaic River. Location of the Great Falls of the Passaic River in Passaic County. Inset : Location of Passaic County in New Jersey. Great Falls ( Passaic River ) ( New Jersey ) Great Falls ( Passaic River ) ( the US ) Show map of Passaic County, New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Show map of the US Show all Location Paterson, New Jersey Coordinates 40 ° 54 ′ 58 '' N 74 ° 10 ′ 54 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 40.91611 ° N 74.18167 ° W ﻿ / 40.91611 ; - 74.18167 Coordinates : 40 ° 54 ′ 58 '' N 74 ° 10 ′ 54 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 40.91611 ° N 74.18167 ° W ﻿ / 40.91611 ; - 74.18167 Website Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park NRHP reference # 86001507 NJRHP # 2364 Significant dates Added to NRHP August 14, 1986 Designated NHLD May 11, 1976 Designated NHP November 7, 2011 Designated NJRHP June 24, 1986 The Great Falls of the Passaic River is a prominent waterfall, 77 feet ( 23 m ) high, on the Passaic River in the city of Paterson in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. The falls and surrounding area are protected as part of the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park, administered by the National Park Service. The Congress authorized its establishment in 2009. One of the United States ' largest waterfalls, it played a significant role in the early industrial development of New Jersey starting in the earliest days of the nation. It is part of the Great Falls of Paterson -- Garret Mountain National Natural Landmark. It has also been designated as a National Historic Landmark District since 1976. The Great Falls ' raceway and power systems were designated an Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1977. Contents 1 History 1.1 Formation and early history 1.2 Industrial development 1.3 Great Falls State Park 1.4 The falls in literature 1.5 The falls in television 2 Viewing the falls 3 National Natural Landmark 4 National Historical Park 5 Hydroelectric facility 6 See also 7 References 8 External links History Formation and early history Geologically, the falls were formed at the end of the last ice age approximately 13,000 years ago. Formerly the Passaic had followed a shorter course through the Watchung Mountains near present - day Summit. As the glacier receded, the river 's previous course was blocked by a newly formed moraine. A large lake, called Glacial Lake Passaic, formed behind the Watchungs. As the ice receded, the river found a new circuitous route around the north end of the Watchungs, carving the spectacular falls through the underlying basalt, which was formed approximately 200 million years ago. The falls later became the site of a habitation for Lenape Native Americans, and later for Dutch settlers in the 1690s. Industrial development Statue of Hamilton overlooking the falls In 1778, Alexander Hamilton visited the falls and was impressed by its potential for industry. Later when Hamilton was the nation 's Secretary of Treasury, he selected the site of the nation 's first planned industrial city, which he called a `` national manufactory. '' In 1791, Hamilton helped found the Society for the Establishment of Useful Manufactures ( S.U.M. ), state - chartered private corporation to fulfill this vision. The town of Paterson was founded by the society and named after New Jersey Governor William Paterson in appreciation of his efforts to promote the society. Hamilton commissioned civil engineer Pierre Charles L'Enfant, responsible for the layout of the new capital at Washington, D.C., to design the system of canals known as raceways supplying the power for the watermills in the new town. As a result, Paterson became the nucleus for a burgeoning mill industry. In 1792, David Godwin was commissioned to build the first water - powered cotton spinning mill in New Jersey. He subsequently built the first Dam on the falls, it was a structure made of wood. In 1812, it was the site of the state 's first continuous roll paper mill. Other products whose construction used the falls as a power source include the Rogers Locomotive Works ( 1832 ), the Colt revolver ( 1837 ), and the USS Holland ( SS - 1 ) ( 1898 ). The oldest extant structure in the historic district is the Phoenix Mill, built in 1813. The industrial area also became the site of labor unrest, as it was a center for the 1913 Paterson silk strike. Immigrant workers, facing harsh conditions in factories staged numerous strikes, giving the United States its first organized labor movement. Engraving after a drawing of the falls made by Thomas Pownall in the 1750s The society continued operation until 1945 when its charter and property were sold to the city of Paterson. The area fell into disuse with the steep decline of industry in the region during the 20th century. In 1971, the Great Falls Preservation and Development Corporation was established to restore and redevelop the historic mill buildings and raceways. Great Falls state Park The State of New Jersey announced plans for a new urban state park in Paterson surrounding the Great Falls, called Great Falls State Park, in 2007. The master plan for the park called for utilizing surrounding industrial areas for parklands that include a trail network and recreation areas, and creating new areas to view the falls. These plans were superseded by the establishment of Great Falls National Historical Park ( see below ). The Falls in literature The unique history of the falls and the city were described in the five - volume philosophical poem Paterson by William Carlos Williams. Among the episodes described in Williams ' poem is the 1827 leap over the falls by Sam Patch, who later became the first known person to perform a stunt at Niagara Falls. The 2016 film Paterson, directed by Jim Jarmusch, is partly inspired by the works of Williams and features the falls as a primary location. The Falls in television The falls were featured in the pilot as well as episode 6 of the first season of The Sopranos, Pax Soprana in which two mobsters threw a drug dealer off the bridge and into the falls, to his death. The 2016 film `` Paterson '' about a local bus driver and his poetry has numerous scenes shot at the falls. Viewing the Falls Viewing area after 8 inches ( 200 mm ) of rain drenched Northern New Jersey during the second week of April 2007. The Falls are viewable from Haines Overlook Park on the south and Mary Ellen Kramer Park on the north. Drive - by viewing is available from McBride Avenue where it crosses the river just above the Falls. A footbridge over the Falls gorge ( historically, the eighth such bridge to span this chasm ) also serves as an outlook point. A visitor 's center at the corner of Spruce and McBride Avenues, in the Great Falls Historic District, provides a historical overview of the falls and the industrial and cultural history of Paterson. A record 177,000 visitors went to see the Great Falls in 2016. National Natural Landmark The falls after Hurricane Irene. The Great Falls of Paterson -- Garret Mountain is a National Natural Landmark designated in January 1967 and were expanded in April 1967 to include nearby Garret Mountain. Together they help demonstrate how jointed basaltic lava flow shaped the geology of the area during the Early Mesozoic period through both extrusion and intrusion. The designation protects the site from federal development, but not from local and state development. Redevelopment of the decayed adjacent industrial areas has been an ongoing controversial topic. An attempt in the 1990s to redevelop the adjacent Allied Textile Printing Co. ( ATP ) facility, destroyed by fire in the 1980s, into prefabricated townhouses was initially approved by the city but later repelled by a coalition of local citizens seeking to preserve the historic character of the district. National Historical Park Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park was authorized to be added to the National Park System of the United States under the Omnibus Public Land Management Act. On March 30, 2009, President Obama signed legislation authorizing the falls as a national historical park, which would provide additional federal protections for the 77 - foot waterfall. By 2011, Great Falls State Park and other land along the Passaic River were transferred to the federal government for the creation of the park. Formal establishment as a unit of the National Park System required action by the Secretary of the Interior, which took place November 7, 2011, when Secretary Salazar formally accepted lands on behalf of the United States, and dedicated the park as the nation 's 397th park system unit. Hydroelectric facility The hydroelectric plant at the falls is operated by Eagle Creek Renewable Energy, which is considering commissioning another facility downstream at the Dundee Dam. The Great Falls hydroelectric plant has three Kaplan type turbines with a total capacity of 10.95 Mwe. Flow through each turbine is 710 cfs, with a total flow of 2,130 cfs. Three 8.5 ' diameter penstocks feed the turbines, with a velocity 12.5 ft / sec and 8.5 mph. See also New Jersey portal Water portal Renewable energy portal List of waterfalls List of National Natural Landmarks Garret Mountain Reservation National Register of Historic Places listings in Passaic County, New Jersey Paterson Museum and Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works Old Great Falls Historic District Lambert Castle References Jump up ^ National Park Service ( 2007 - 01 - 23 ). `` National Register Information System ''. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Jump up ^ `` Great Falls of the Passaic Society for Useful Manufacturing HD ''. National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. 2008 - 06 - 23. ^ Jump up to : 111th U.S. Congress. `` Public Law 111 - 11 § 7001 ( b ) ( 1 ) ( B ) '' ( PDF ). Retrieved 2009 - 08 - 20. Jump up ^ NPS NNL Summary for Great Falls and Garret Mountain Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 2009 - 03 - 30. Retrieved 2017 - 01 - 14. Jump up ^ Herb Jackson. `` Paterson prepares for President Obama 's visit today ''. NorthJersey.com. Retrieved 2017 - 01 - 25. Jump up ^ American Society of Civil Engineers. `` Designated Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks ''. Archived from the original on 2008 - 10 - 23. Retrieved 2009 - 08 - 20. Jump up ^ Goldberger, Paul ( August 3, 2009 ), `` Facelift The Falls '', The New York, p. 23, retrieved 2011 - 07 - 24 Jump up ^ https://books.google.com/books?id=zQkOAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA284&lpg=PA284&dq=Abram+H.+Godwin&source=bl&ots=X2bNloMadL&sig=X6Rywt2D0J9kM_OFEME2RvnDn2E&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjkoJfivb7TAhUEJCYKHby8CCEQ6AEILjAB#v=onepage&q=godwin&f=false Jump up ^ `` A history of Paterson NJ ''. Patersonhistory.com. Retrieved 2017 - 01 - 25. Jump up ^ `` NJDEP - Parks and Forests ''. Nj.gov. Retrieved 2017 - 01 - 25. Jump up ^ Rahman, Jayed ( March 30, 2017 ). `` Paterson 's Great Falls sees record number of visitors ''. The Paterson Times. Retrieved 27 April 2017. Jump up ^ `` Great Falls of Paterson - Garret Mountain ''. National Park Service. Retrieved 2009 - 01 - 01. Jump up ^ Ed Murray / The Star - Ledger. `` Great Falls in Paterson becomes national park with Obama 's signature ''. NJ.com. Retrieved 2017 - 01 - 25. Jump up ^ Mroz, Jacqueline ( March 27, 2009 ). `` The Great Falls : Power for Another Revolution ? ''. New York Times. Retrieved 2009 - 04 - 01. Jump up ^ Adam Fetcher. `` Salazar, City Officials Sign Agreement to Establish Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park ''. Retrieved 2011 - 11 - 07. Jump up ^ O'Neill, James M. ( September 5, 2014 ). `` UnitedWater att Dundee Dam ''. The Record. Retrieved 2014 - 09 - 14. Jump up ^ O'Neill, James M. ( September 5, 2014 ). `` Hydro operator at Paterson 's Great Falls weighs putting new hydro project at Dundee Dam ''. The Record. Retrieved 2014 - 09 - 05. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Great Falls ( Passaic River ). Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park National Park Service : On Designation of the Area as part of the National Park System Paterson Friends of the Great Falls Passaic County, NJ Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders Hamilton Partnership for Paterson From Local Landmark to National Site Paterson, New Jersey Neighborhoods Downtown Paterson Dublin Little Italy Little Lima Eastside Eastside Park Great Falls / Society for the Establishment of Useful Manufactures Historic District Hillcrest Lakeview Northside Old Great Falls Historic District People 's Park Sandy Hill South Paterson Stoney Road Totowa section Wrigley Park Government Paterson Fire Department Mayor Schools Paterson Public Schools Eastside High School International High School John F. Kennedy High School Rosa L. Parks School of Fine and Performing Arts Paterson Catholic High School ( closed ) Other education Danforth Memorial Library Passaic County Community College Main Campus Landmarks Cathedral of St. John the Baptist Center City Mall Garret Mountain Reservation Lambert Castle Great Falls ( Passaic River ) Passaic County Court House Paterson Armory Paterson City Hall Paterson Museum Public School Number Two St. Joseph 's Regional Medical Center St. Michael 's Roman Catholic Church Barnert Hospital ( closed ) History 1835 Paterson textile strike 1913 Paterson silk strike Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works Society for the Establishment of Useful Manufactures Culture Paterson ( poem ) Lean on Me ( film ) Paterson ( film ) Transportation Broadway Bus Terminal Bridges Paterson NJT station Spanish Transportation This list is incomplete. U.S. National Register of Historic Places Topics Architectural style categories Contributing property Historic district History of the National Register of Historic Places Keeper of the Register National Park Service Property types Lists by states Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Lists by insular areas American Samoa Guam Minor Outlying Islands Northern Mariana Islands Puerto Rico Virgin Islands Lists by associated states Federated States of Micronesia Marshall Islands Palau Other areas District of Columbia Morocco Portal National Register of Historic Places in Passaic County, New Jersey Landmarks Pietro and Maria Botto House Great Falls of the Passaic River Historic District Hinchliffe Stadium Ringwood Manor Districts Botany Worsted Mills Historic District Dundee Canal Industrial Historic District Eastside Park Historic District Long Pond Ironworks Paterson Downtown Commercial Historic District Buildings Ailsa Farms Aycrigg Mansion Belle Vista Cathedral of St. John the Baptist Frederick William Cooke Residence Danforth Memorial Library Dey Mansion John W. Ferguson House Kossuth Street School Morris Canal Passaic Elks Club Paterson City Hall Public School Number Two John W. Rea House Reinhardt Mills Schuyler - Colfax House Skylands Reynier Speer House St. John 's Evangelical Lutheran Church St. Michael 's Roman Catholic Church St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Church Daniel Thompson and John Ryle Houses U.S. Animal Quarantine Station Van Riper - Hopper House John and Anna Vreeland House Westside Park Sites Goffle Brook Park Structures Clinton Furnace See also : National Register of Historic Places listings in Passaic County, New Jersey and List of National Historic Landmarks in New Jersey Protected areas of New Jersey Federal National Historical Parks Morristown Paterson Great Falls Thomas Edison National Monuments Statue of Liberty National Recreation Areas & Scenic Rivers Delaware Water Gap NRA Gateway NRA Great Egg Harbor Scenic and Recreational River Middle Delaware NSR Other Protected Areas New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve National Trails Appalachian Trail National Wildlife Refuges Cape May National Wildlife Refuge Edwin B. Forsythe Great Swamp Supawna Meadows Wallkill River National Estuarine Research Reserves Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve State State Parks Allaire Allamuchy Mountain Barnegat Lighthouse Cape May Point Cheesequake Corson 's Inlet Delaware and Raritan Canal Double Trouble Edison State Park Farny Fort Mott Hacklebarney High Point Hopatcong Island Beach Kittatinny Valley Liberty Long Pond Ironworks Monmouth Battlefield Parvin Pigeon Swamp Princeton Battlefield Rancocas Ringwood Stephens Swartswood Voorhees Washington Crossing Washington Rock Wawayanda State Forests Abram S. Hewitt Bass River Belleplain Brendan T. Byrne Green Bank Jenny Jump Norvin Green Penn Ramapo Mountain Stokes Wharton Worthington State Marinas Senator Frank S. Farley Forked River Fortescue Leonardo Liberty Landing Recreation Areas Atsion Bull 's Island Round Valley Spruce Run Wildlife Management Areas List of New Jersey wildlife management areas County Nature parks Eagle Rock Reservation Garret Mountain Reservation South Mountain Reservation Watchung Reservation New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route Other Nature centers List of nature centers in New Jersey New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry National Historical Parks of the United States Abraham Lincoln Birthplace Adams Appomattox Court House Blackstone River Valley Boston Cane River Creole Cedar Creek and Belle Grove Chaco Culture Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Colonial Cumberland Gap Dayton Aviation Heritage First State George Rogers Clark Harriet Tubman Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Harpers Ferry Hopewell Culture Independence Jean Lafitte Kalaupapa Kaloko - Honokōhau Keweenaw Klondike Gold Rush Lewis and Clark Lowell Lyndon B. Johnson Manhattan Project Marsh - Billings - Rockefeller Minute Man Morristown Natchez New Bedford Whaling New Orleans Jazz Nez Perce Palo Alto Battlefield Paterson Great Falls Pecos Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau Rosie the Riveter / World War II Home Front Salt River Bay San Antonio Missions San Francisco Maritime San Juan Island Saratoga Sitka Thomas Edison Tumacácori Valley Forge War in the Pacific Women 's Rights Full alphabetical list Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Great_Falls_(Passaic_River)&oldid=856511588 '' Categories : Landforms of Passaic County, New Jersey Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey National Historic Landmarks in New Jersey National Historical Parks in New Jersey Passaic River National Natural Landmarks in New Jersey Protected areas of Passaic County, New Jersey Watchung Mountains Waterfalls of New Jersey Parks in Passaic County, New Jersey National Register of Historic Places in Passaic County, New Jersey Block waterfalls Protected areas established in 2009 2009 establishments in New Jersey United Water Paterson, New Jersey Hydroelectric power plants in New Jersey Energy infrastructure on the National Register of Historic Places Geography of Passaic County, New Jersey Hidden categories : Coordinates on Wikidata All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from April 2017 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Edit links This page was last edited on 25 August 2018, at 19 : 11 ( UTC ). 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Question: the great falls of paterson flows over what type of rock
Answer: basalt