Fall Creek Falls Considered for National Park Status 86 Years Ago

86 Years ago this week, federal planners arrived in the Upper Cumberland to assess the possibility for a new park.

Author Stuart Carroll said Fall Creek Falls was originally created as part of Roosevelt’s New Deal.

Carroll said the work began in 1935. Two years later, Conrad Wirth Regional Director of the National Park Service came to check on the progress. He had second thoughts on turning the area over the state.

“This was in April of 1937, and he saw not just some great progress, but he saw these tremendous waterfalls, deep gorges and lush forests and he said that this area looked like it possibly should be developed into a National Park,” Carroll said.

Caroll said on June 28, 1937, Wirth sent a team of planners to determine whether the area should be turned over to Tennessee or if it should be a National Park.

Caroll said there was a big difference in the rainfall between April and June of that year and it affected the falls.

“But they were really impressed by the area with the overlooks and the gorges and they met with local people and went to look at a cave,” Carroll said.

Carroll said when they went to look at the waterfalls they noticed that the flow was not as impressive and had even dried up in some locations.

“They decided because of the tremendous fluctuation in the waterfalls and the creeks with water flowing over the falls, that it didn’t quite reach National Park status,” Carroll said.

So the group recommended that they proceed with the plan, giving the area back to Tennessee as a state park.

“The National Park folks acquired the original 16,000 acres which was the core of Fall Creek Falls, and in 1944 they turned it over to the state,” Carroll said.