The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1907-04-12


and beauty is Glen Iris on the upper
Genesee river, in New York state; in
fact, it might well be called a minia-
ture Yellowstone park because of its
remarkable geological formations, its
three beautiful waterfalls, and it's can
yon $50 feet deep. Special attention is
directed to this natures paradise at
the present time because through the
generosity of its owner, William Pryor
Letchworth, it has become a public
park and reservation to be maintained
by the state of New York for the use
of all the people in perpetuity.
The most vivid impression of the
wild beauty of the park is gained from
the railroad. From the plateau the
train passes suddenly to the Portage
bridge, lace-like structure spanning
a ravine 234 feet above the roaring,
turbulent stream. The bridge, 800 feet
long, is on the reservation. The
neighboring walls of the canyon rise
30S feet above the river bed. Three
hundred feet north of the bridge the
traveller sees the first, or Upper fall,
where the river plunges II feet down.
ward to lower level.
A half mile further down the stream
is the second, or Middle fall, 1O7 feet
high. Overlooking this is the Letch-
worth homestead The Middle fall
strongly suggests the American falls
at Niagara on reduced scale. The
walls of the canyon at this point are
$50 feet high, while above the rocky
walls the land rises $50 feet higher.
Thence, through the deep ravine, the
river rushes northeast, then directly
east, through whirlpool rapids and
quiet pools to the third and last cas-
cade. This is a mile and half below
the Middle fall, is 80 feet high, and by
far the most picturesque, and curious
of the three cascades. Just below the
fall the river passes through a narrow
gorge, with the so-called Table Rock
on the north and the Sugar Loaf on
the south. The latter is curious cone
of rock, formed at some distant period
by the stream washing around and
over it and gradually molding it to its
Splre-llke contour
The boundaries of the estate, after
running around the three falls and can
yon, pass to the north to the river,
lower in its course and after it has
passed through curving valley to the
east, north, and west.
The story of the rocks in the canyon
is so unusual that the biologists have
placed them in class by themselves.
They are known as "The Portage
Group" In some prehistoric age sea
covered the spot, and on the ancient
ocean bed were deposited sand, mud,
and ooze, which now form layer upon
layer of soft rock, $50 feet deep. First
come masses of soft olive shales, with
thin beds of sandstone and one or
more bands of black bituminous shales
running through them. Then come
sandy shales and an abundance of
ssndstones and flagstones. These
finally give place to thicker layers OF
sandstones and thinner intervening
strata of shales. The rocks lie like an
open, illustrated book of great interest
to the geologist.
In later prehistoric days, which the
biologists call modern" for the sake
of comparison, the Genesee river
passed through a wide valley to the
eastward of the gorge. This was filled
with gravel and sand by some great
cataclysm of Nature, so that the wa
tiers of the stream were turned back
and formed a lake to the southwark.
The lake covered approximately the
ground which the Genesee Water COM
pany sought for their power dam. 1t
is supposed to have covered the valley
south of Portageville and extending a
distance of 10 miles to Wiscoy. The
river sought new outlet to the west
ward, passed over higher ground, and
gradually carved in the soft rock of
the plateau the canyon and cascades
of the Glen Iris estate.
Mr.. Letchworth has long had the
gift of his estate to the commonwealth
in mind, and has made his improve
ments to it accordingly. There are
miles of walks and drives, summer
houses, rustic arbors. picturesque gate