Looking over the Loch Mealt, which seemed to provide Mealt Falls its flow as well as its name While on the topic of nomenclature, we were aware that this part of the Scottish Highlands still had a fair bit of the population speak the Scottish Gaelic. The most Falls families were found in the USA in 1880. By Drew Crooks. Valuable deposits of lead and zinc were later found, but could not be profitably exploited until the railroad reached Metaline Falls in 1910. After 80 years, Lewis Larsen's cement business -- originally Inland, then Lehigh, then LaFarge -- and the company around which the town of Metaline Falls was built, ceased to exist. As part of our tour around the Scottish Highlands we spent a little longer on the beautiful Isle of Skye, the largest of the Inner Hebrides. The biggest impediment was at Box Canyon, where the river narrowed and its flow accelerated to a swiftness far too dangerous for all but the most skilled boatmen commanding the most agile craft. On April 25, 1911, Metaline Falls voted to incorporate and elected a mayor, a treasurer, and five councilmen. Harvey is buried at the base of a large rock at the foot of a hill one-half mile south of the Old Red Rooster, the former site of a cedar shingle mill and later a dance hall, about three miles south of the Canadian border. Further along the sea cliffs stands the nearby 90m tall Kilt Rock, named after its resemblance to a Scottish Kilt. They soon married and had two children, Helen and Russell. It stands as a living testament to Jamaica’s natural beauty and is the most popular of all the Jamaican falls, attracting millions of the world’s visitors each year. In 1859, prospectors found gold in placer sediments between Sullivan Lake and the Pend Oreille River and in the river from Metaline Falls to past Z Canyon. Metaline Falls thrived for many years on the success of the cement plant and nearby mining and timber companies. This flat piece of land, hovering high over the Pend Oreille River, offered magnificent views of a pristine valley and the enthusiastic hope of a new town. Valuable deposits of lead and zinc were later found, but could not be profitably exploited until the railroad reached Metaline Falls in 1910. Helpful. To get there, you’ll continue on the A855 from the Quiraing until you come across a carpark labeled Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls 1.6 miles south of Staffin. Blackwell's business expectations in the Pend Oreille Valley did not pan out in the long run. One year later, LaFarge closed its operations. It joined Larsen's Washington Hotel and the Cutter-designed Lewis P. Larsen House (both added in 1979); the Idaho & Washington Northern Railroad Bridge, which spans the Pend Oreille River at Metaline Falls (added in 1982); and the Cutter-designed Metaline Falls School, now the Cutter Theatre (added in 1988). The first substantial influx of new settlers did not arrive until gold was discovered in the late 1850s. 1912, Carl C. Harvey, trapper and prospector, at his cabin on the Pend Oreille River, ca. Related Posts. A prominent example of this is the country’s name which is derived from the Huron- Iroquois word “Kanata” meaning settlement or village. AR-07809001-ph005250), Photo by Ruthven78, Courtesy Wikimedia Commons, Boundary Dam (1967), Pend Oreille River, 1999. Because it is shown near an island in what now is Whitefish Bay, Peters believes the name actually refers to a shortcut across the bay. He fell to his death while trying to climb up in 1882. In 1937, Larsen's Pend Oreille Mines and Metals Company successfully completed a water-diversion hydroelectric project near Metaline Falls. The word Tahquamenon has not been as easy to trace. The Isle of Skye has some truly spectacular scenery. Cutter was the favored architect of many business leaders of the era, and his influence was felt throughout the Northwest, in Southern California, and as far away as England. 1904, Courtesy U. W. Special Collections (UW8594), Early development at Metaline Falls, Stevens (later Pend Oreille) County, ca. Open. Lewis Larsen, who maintained successful mining interests in the Pend Oreille Valley for many years, died in 1955. While it is easy to see how the tool would get its name if the inventor actually was Charles Moncky, by this point you should know that the tool wasn’t invented by him. The waterfall actually used to be two separate (twin) waterfalls. After three years of construction, the Great Northern Railroad had by 1892 reached Newport in the south Pend Oreille region, but it was not until 1910 that the railroad began to approach Metaline Falls. The following year Blackwell made several exploratory business trips by steamship into the Metaline Falls area. Special Collections (L97-5.79), Metaline Falls with the town of Metaline Falls in background, ca. Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This classic Philly Italian neighborhood where you can still play bocce ball or get a perfect cannoli got its name—the Italian phrase for “beautiful view”—in the 1970s.. Belmont But you can see some of the rocks look like pleated kilts, where Kilt Rock gets its name! You can get the 411 on Tahquamenon Falls at Go Waterfalling.com and see a video of the case for the falls as one of the Seven Wonders of Michigan. Thanks to its sugary taste, people began to call it sweet potato to distinguish it from the now commoner and less sugary Solanum tuberosum and that has been its name ever since. Date of experience: September 2020. Decades later, Larsen's mining and entrepreneurial skills, and his interest in the area's mineral resources, would significantly affect the economy and the history of the Pend Oreille Valley. It is quintessential small-town America, with its natural beauty, close-knit community, hospitality, and charm. In 1887, George Linton discovered deposits that would lead to the development of the first hard-rock mine in the area. Finally, in October 1910, the tracks of Blackwell's Idaho & Washington Northern Railroad reached Metaline Falls, ending the dominance of river transportation in the valley. Discover Fairy Pools in Isle of Skye, Scotland: These fantastically named natural pools look like something out of a Scottish myth. View. POVA later expanded into Idaho and continues to run regular service shipping wood products and other goods from towns lower down the line. Read more. He was the key developer of early towns in the Pend Oreille Valley, including Usk and Ione. In 1840 there were 21 Falls families living in North Carolina. Julie Last updated: September 13, 2016 Leave a Comment. He may have been in search of more information about the limestone and quartz that had been discovered around Metaline Falls in 1901, which reputedly was of a quality suitable for the production of cement. Discover Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls in Isle of Skye, Scotland: Ancient cliffs resembling a kilt on Scotland's second largest island emit an entrancing sound. This new county included the towns of Metaline Falls, Ione, Usk, and Newport, the last of which would eventually attain the permanent position of county seat. With the signing of the official document  by the commissioners of Stevens County on May 13, the town of Metaline Falls was officially incorporated. The Box Canyon Dam and Boundary Dam at Z Canyon provide employment in the area. 2 reviews of Mealt Falls "Mealt Falls is an extremely easy stop on the eastern side of Skye. In 1893, 17-year-old Lewis, son of Pedar and Christine Larsen, emigrated from Denmark to the United States with his parents, three brothers, and three sisters. A restored railroad baggage car serves as a visitors' kiosk at the city park and features historic photos of the town and its environs. The town incorporated the following year. Peters suggests the word Tahquamenon comes from the word Outakouaminan, which appears on a 1671 Jesuit map. The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad continued operation into the late 1970s, but in 1977 announced plans to abandon the Pend Oreille valley branch line. Tony Bamonte and Suzanne Schaeffer Bamonte, History of Pend Oreille County (Spokane: Tornado Creek Publications, 1996); Ruby Lusher Dingee, Historical Sketches of Pend Oreille County, Washington (Newport: The Miner Print, 1930); Anthony Bamonte, Metaline Falls: The Birth and Magnificent Dream of Metaline Falls (Newport: Pend Oreille County Historical Society, 1988); Tony Bamonte and Suzanne Schaeffer Bamonte, Spokane and the Inland Northwest: Historical Images (Spokane: Tornado Creek Publications, 1999); David H. Stratton, Spokane & the Inland Empire: An Interior Pacific Northwest Anthology (Pullman: Washington State University Press, 2005); James W. Scott and Roland L. DeLorme, Historical Atlas of Washington (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1988), 9; Henry C. Matthews, Kirtland Cutter: Architect In the Land of Promise (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1998); Jack Nisbet, The Mapmaker’s Eye: David Thompson on the Columbia Plateau (Pullman: Washington State University Press, 2005), 156; D’Arcy Jenish, Epic Wanderer: David Thompson and the Mapping of the Canadian West (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2003), 150: Newton Carl Abbott and Fred E. Carver, The Evolution of Washington Counties (Yakima: Yakima Valley Genealogical Society and Klickitat County Historical Society, 1978), 60, 64, 154-155; ”Metaline Falls & Metaline, WA,” The International Selkirk Loop website accessed January 2008 (http://www.selkirkloop.org/tuw_metaline.htm);  “Metaline and Metaline Falls, Washington,” Pend Oreille County Washington website accessed January 2008  (http://www.co.pend-oreille.wa.us/metaline.html); HistoryLink.org Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History, “Pend Oreille County -- Thumbnail History” (by Laura Arksey), http://www.historylink.org/ (accessed November 2007); HistoryLink.org Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History, “Fur trader David Thompson explores the Pend Oreille River in September and October 1809” (by Kit Oldham), http://www.historylink.org/ (accessed December 2007); HistoryLink.org Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History, “David Thompson party reaches Kettle Falls on the Columbia River on June 19, 1811" (by Kit Oldham), http://www.historylink.org/ (accessed January 2008); U.S. Bureau of the Census, 12th Census of the United States, 1900, State of Minnesota, County of Lyon, Township of Nordland, enumerated 6th & 7th of June 1900, Enumeration District 153, Sheet 4, National Archives and Records Administration, Pacific Alaska Region, Seattle (Sand Point Way);  U.S. Bureau of the Census, 13th Census of the United States, 1910, State of Washington, County of Spokane, Spokane City, Baldwin Precinct, enumerated 20th of June, 1910, Enumeration District 168, Sheet 5B, National Archives and Records Administration, Pacific Alaska Region, Seattle (Sand Point Way); U.S. Bureau of the Census, 14th Census of the United States, 1920, State of Washington, County of Spokane, Spokane, Beacon Precinct, enumerated 8th of January, 1920, Enumeration District 177, Sheet 5A, National Archives and Records Administration, Pacific Alaska Region, Seattle (Sand Point Way); "Pend Oreille County Agriculture," United States Department of Agriculture website accessed September 30, 2009 (http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Washington/County_Profiles/pendoreille1.pdf); Ella E. Clark,  Indian Legends from the Northern Rockies (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1966) 63; Edward S. Curtis, The North American Indian (Edward S. Curtis, 1911) Vol. Historic sites in Metaline Falls include the Cutter Theatre, which is a nationally recognized center for the arts; the Washington Hotel; the Lewis P. Larsen House; the Old Miner's Hotel; and the abandoned cement plant upon on which the economic life of the town was founded. There is evidence of hundreds of Native American camps and villages, some dating back thousands of years, along the Pend Oreille River, which was the life's blood of Indian culture. In 1889 the federal government began work to reshape the river and make it more usable for freight transportation. Wherever the name came from, there's no doubt that this is a "can't miss" waterfall. A quick Google search shows the name of this remote area of southwestern Idaho, but how did it get its name? (In 1975, Pend Oreille County sheriff Tony Bamonte made and placed a headstone for his gravesite.). The successful industrial haven envisioned by the founders and developers of Metaline Falls and the north Pend Oreille Valley began to fade. Driving over the A855 you can’t miss the exit to the Mealt falls. (The Pend Oreille River is one of the few in the world that flows north.) White prospectors took out the easier gold, after which most of the hard-working and thorough prospectors were Chinese. Its name is derived from the Spanish word montana meaning “mountain,” even though Montana’s average elevation of 3,400 feet makes it the lowest of all the Rocky Mountain States. Unless, to confuse things further, you call it a yam… a name that really belongs to yet another tuber, Dioscorea. Larsen completed platting three of the properties acquired earlier from Enoch Carr -- the Defiance, Spokane, and Homestake claims -- in late 1910. He soon ventured out on his own, working in the mines in Wallace, Idaho, in 1897, and in 1900 he became associated with the Last Chance mine in Northport, Washington. Look in the parking area for the small loch and river that flow into the Mealt Falls. The very remoteness that often constrained the town's economic development may now hold the key to its future prosperity. With a drop of nearly 50 feet, a width of over 200 feet and a maximum flow of more than 50,000 gallons of water, the Upper Tahquamenon Falls are one of the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi. In his book, "Lake Superior Place Names: From Bawating to the Montreal," Dr. Bernard C. Peters sheds additional light on the subject. North Carolina had the highest population of Falls families in 1840. Mealt falls are located near Elishader, south of Staffin, along road A855 on the Isle of Sky in Scotland (United Kingdom). How Did Niagara Falls Get Its Name ? Bridalveil Fall, cataract on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada in Yosemite National Park, east-central California, U.S.The waterfall, fed mainly by melting snow, has a height of 620 feet (189 metres) and forms one of the most scenic features in the park.Its name derives from the veil-like appearance of the fall when the area’s frequent winds blow the mist sideways. One of the most easily accessible locations on the Isle of Skye, Mealt Falls takes its name from the nearby freshwater lake called Loch Mealt. Author David H. Stratton described Cutter's Lewis Larsen House project this way: Larsen moved into his new home in 1912. By the late 1870s, outcroppings of lead, zinc, and some silver had been discovered around the Metalines, bringing a new flood of prospectors into the area. Geography. Before this, he had to cross the river from where he had been living in Metaline each time he went to Metaline Falls, and once he almost drowned when he fell through the ice while making a winter crossing. In these early days, lead and zinc were carried out on a small scale by by pack-train and riverboat, mostly for assay purposes. The older town of Metaline, established in 1859 during the area's gold-rush days, can be glimpsed on the opposite bank of the river, about a mile downstream. Check this photo out background bigtacular and in Andrew's Upper Peninsula slideshow. The Magical Isle of Skye. The future of Metaline Falls may rest on its location, off the beaten track in a setting of rugged beauty that offers a wide variety of outdoor recreation. The town of Metaline Falls and its 223 residents (2000 census) are surrounded by a striking natural setting that offers ample opportunities for sightseeing and outdoor recreation. Before the arrival of European explorers, Canada was inhabited by a variety of First Nationspeoples and this aboriginal culture continues to play a significant role in the country’s unique national identity. Courtesy U.W. From the parking it is a short walk to a platform where you have a great view on the Mealt falls. lay aside your white-skin wrapper. Mooney Falls is twice as tall as Havasu Falls which stands at 100 feet. On December 8, 1922, at the age of 70, Frederick Blackwell died in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. In 1810 Thompson made a second effort to reach the Columbia River via the Pend Oreille, but when he came upon the turbulent waters of Box Canyon he realized his quest was hopeless. The town of Metaline Falls is located in Pend Oreille County in the far northeastern corner of Washington. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy, With a drop of nearly 50 feet, a width of over 200' and a maximum flow of more than 50,000 gals. The Falls family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. Today, Metaline Falls prides itself on its recreational resources and its nurturing of art and culture. This building would later become the famous Cutter Theatre. Larsen bought out Carr's claims and patented them. You'll find it located approximately 5 miles east of the town of Twin Falls. By 1909 a new leg of the Idaho & Washington Northern, costing $1 million, had been extended north to Ione, west of and parallel to the Pend Oreille River. from the Michigan DNR suggests an alternative root of the name: The word Tahquamenon has not been as easy. In 1910 famed Spokane architect Kirtland Cutter began building a house for Lewis Larsen in Metaline Falls. Outcroppings of exposed minerals led early non-Indian arrivals to name the area the "Metalines." This was about 18% of all the recorded Falls's in the USA. In 1892 Joe Cusick built the first steamboat, the Red Cloud, to travel the Pend Oreille River. Blackwell moved his family to Coeur d' Alene, Idaho, in 1903, where he began to assemble a diverse empire consisting primarily of lumber mills, railroads, and mansions. Larsen’s plan for  Metaline Falls included the most current public services and parks, as well as buildings designed by one of the most prominent Northwest architects of the time, Spokane’s Kirtland Cutter (1860-1939). When the first outside explorers and fur traders came into the region in the early 1800s, the Kalispel tribe populated the area. The tracks between Ione and Metaline Falls are used for occasional shipments to and from the still-standing cement silos and by the North Pend Oreille Valley Lions Club to run passenger excursion trains through Box Canyon. The cement silos still stand, and many of the company houses were sold to employees and are still occupied. In 1907, under pressure from capitalists interested in the downstream mineral and timber resources, the federal government blasted and removed rock from the river to widen and deepen the channel at Box Canyon, clearing the river for water-borne freight moving north to Metaline Falls. This roughly square-shaped loch is about 1 km in length. The first leg of the track, completed that same year, ran from McGwire, Idaho, to Newport, Washington. Among the early arrivals was Carl C. Harvey. In 1914 the Lehigh Portland Cement Company bought most of the assets of the Inland Portland Cement Company. Tumwater is presently a city of over 17,000 inhabitants located in Thurston County. Financial reverses  prompted him, on January 1, 1914, to turn over the operation of the Idaho & Washington Northern Railroad to the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, which took over full ownership two years later. To celebrate the state's newest arrival, Governor Marion E. Hay (1865-1933) took a train tour of the county-to-be on Blackwell's Idaho & Washington Northern Railroad on May 29, 1911, ending in Metaline Falls. Old Man of Storr. County residents created the Port of Pend Oreille to take over the line, and on October 1, 1979, the Port's new Pend Oreille Valley Railroad (POVA) began operating from Newport to Metaline Falls. The Gardner Caves, Boundary Dam, Box Canyon Dam, Metaline Waterfront Park, and Sullivan Lake are all nearby, and the surrounding forests and waterways are popular for hunting and fishing. Sightings of moose, gray wolves, black bears, American martens and river otters are typical, and have always been an attraction for nature lovers–including Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, whose poem about this area recounts how Hiawatha built his canoe "by the rushing Tahquamenaw." Settlers first arrived in the area in the 1700's and Chagrin Falls was incorporated as a Village in 1844. The car park is right off A885, and the view of the falls is just a 50-100 foot walk past this. Pronounced about how it looks – like "phenomenon," the falls gained fame way back in 1856 in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's Song of Hiawatha: Lay aside your cloak, O Birch-tree! Kalispel Indians, with Catholic priest and two nuns, St. Ignatius Mission, Pend Oreille County, n.d. thus aloud cried Hiawatha, In the solitary forest, by the rushing Taquamenaw. Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls will be the quickest stop of your day. 1910, Governor Marion Hay (1865-1933) speaks at celebration, Metaline Falls, May 29, 1911, Courtesy Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, Metaline Falls School (Kirtland K. Cutter), later Cutter Theatre, ca. Wichita Falls, Texas Picture: Telling the story of how Wichita Falls got its name, be sure you visit the Wee-Chi-Tah sculpture - Check out Tripadvisor members' 1,002 candid photos and videos of Wichita Falls This original mission was destroyed by floods in 1854 and was later rebuilt in Montana. 1900, Oriole Mine near Metaline Falls, ca. He and his party were the first non-Indians known to have set foot in Pend Oreille Valley, and Thompson noted in his journals that the Kalispel Indians were friendly and helpful. These jagged rock formations are really amazing to see. Blackwell maintained some investments in the Pend Oreille Valley, but after the loss of the railroad his interest in the area diminished. What remained of the Inland Portland Cement Company was liquidated in 1959. Kirtland Cutter also designed the town's impressive $25,000 brick school house, which was built in 1912 and became the architectural soul of the Metaline Falls community. In about 1903, when he was 27, Larsen married Bertha Brown of Port Carbon, Pennsylvania, four years his junior. Share. John Donges. When you ask someone what “monkey” means, the answers will – of course – almost exclusively relate to the animal. Only the tips of rocks poking out of the Pend Oreille River now mark the former site of the falls. In 1910 at Box Canyon, just north of Ione, Blackwell's railroad crews built the first bridge over the Pend Oreille, which allowed access to the east side of the river, and eventually to the emerging town of Metaline Falls, located just a few miles downriver to the north. Sign me up for the newsletter! Lewis Larsen was having better luck. The Free Encyclopedia of Washington State History. The mines were situated just a few miles from what would become the town of Metaline Falls, and yielded lead and zinc in addition to silver and gold. Smiths Falls is a town in Eastern Ontario, Canada, with a population of 8,780 according to the 2016 census.It is in the Census division for Lanark County, but is separated from the county.The Rideau Canal waterway passes through the town, with four separate locks in three locations and a combined lift of over 15 metres (50 ft). Co., 1912), Vol. Note: Details on the Pend Oreille Valley Railroad were expanded on January 31, 2010, and the essay was further revised on April 16, 2015. Metaline Falls lies on the banks of the Pend Oreille River approximately 83 miles north of Spokane, 13 miles south of the Canadian border, and 15 miles west of the Idaho border. The first substantial influx of new settlers did not arrive until gold was discovered in the late 1850s. However, there is little or no evidence of Indian settlement along the river to the north of Metaline Falls, due no doubt to the difficulty of navigating its turbulent waters. For nearly 50 years after Thompson's visit, the Metalines, the Pend Oreille Valley, and its Indian inhabitants remained largely undisturbed by the outside world, with the exception of a few fur trappers. Due to a Mooney Falls death, the waterfall was named after Mr. Mooney. You can … (He would later stumble upon the Columbia at Kettle Falls, and he eventually reached its mouth at the Pacific Ocean.). The hike from Havasu Falls to Mooney Falls is about 1 mile. Though now a modern community, the locality’s rich history is reflected in its name. A feature back in 2006 from the Chicago Tribune offers one popular theory for the name: The river and its two falls (the smaller Lower Falls are further downstream) are located in the northeast part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, just miles from Lake Superior, in the 46,000-acre Tahquamenon Falls State Park. Among the annual events hosted by the town are Spring Ding, a bluegrass/folk music festival held in March; Affair on Mainstreet, an arts festival on Labor Day weekend; and the Deck the Falls Winter Festival, held the first weekend in December. He filed seven mining claims of 20 acres each, with different names. Impressive falls into the sea with some local history to pick up from the site. )The park is dense with both hardwoods and pine and filled with wildlife. The region's primary industries -- mining, logging, and especially cement -- declined during the 1970s, and the town evolved into a wilderness gateway and a home to a thriving art community. early 1900s, Courtesy Tornado Creek Publications (Bamonte Collection), Loggers in bunkhouse beds, Metaline, ca. This was the first hydroelectric project on the Pend Oreille River, and although its main purpose was to provide power to nearby mines it also contributed power to the town of Metaline Falls. Two dams on the Pend Oreille River, one at Box Canyon and Boundary Dam at Z Canyon also contribute to the area's economy. To the northwest of the town, the Metaline Falls cataract, which had stymied explorer David Thompson more than 150 years earlier, was to some extent tamed with the completion of Boundary Dam in 1967, although it remains dangerous at certain times of year. Mealt Falls, to be precise. Pend Oreille was the last county to be formed in the state of Washington. In 1909 Blackwell became one of the main investors in Lewis Larsen's Inland Portland Cement Company, the economic centerpiece of the fledgling town of Metaline Falls. You can get really close to the top of the Mealt waterfall from the viewing area. In 1876, in Denmark, Lewis P. Larsen (1876-1955), the future founder of the town of Metaline Falls, was born. The economic core of Metaline Falls for much of the twentieth century was the Lehigh Portland Cement Company, sustained by abundant surface deposits of quartz and limestone. His death happened before the trail was made. There have been many theories to the origins of this name, such as the color of the water of the Tahquamenon River or meaning the place of the blueberry swamps. This was one of the quicker stops we made throughout the day. We'll close out Waterfall Week on Michigan in Pictures with this photo that has been the cover photo on the Absolute Michigan Facebook all week. View. Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Open. Pend Oreille County officially came into being less than two weeks later, on June 10, 1911, when the Washington State Legislature split the existing county of Stevens roughly down the middle, declaring the eastern portion to be Pend Oreille County.