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Whitewater Gorge Park
Three branches of the Whitewater River converge in a
spectacular geological gorge formed during the last ice age. The gorge provides miles of
hiking trails with scenic vistas, picnic areas, vertical cliffs and the beauty of
Thistlethwaite Falls.
A Brief History of the
Whitewater River Gorge
As the last Ice Age drew to a close and the Wisconsin glaciers began melting back from the
Wayne County area eighteen to twenty thousand years ago, one huge lobe of ice lingered in
the valley of the East Fork of the Whitewater River. Geologists tell us this
vast mound of ice produced a raging flood of water as it melted over a period of years.
The flood was so powerful in summer that along one of its paths it cut a narrow
channel scores of feet deep into the ancient bedrock. Today that channel is known as
the Whitewater River Gorge.
 In the course of many
thousands of years, the Gorge was partially refilled with sand, gravel, and clay washed
into it by the river. Great forests grew up on the land released from the grip of
the glaciers. Groups belonging to the obscure Eastern Woodland Societies lived near
the Whitewater River from around 7000 B.C. to 700 A.D. and probably used the Gorge as a
hunting and fishing ground as did the modern Indians after them.
Gorge
Significant in Area Settlement
White pioneers, impressed by the rugged
beauty of the Gorge, its fertile soil, abundant timber, building stone, and flowing
springs, began settling east of the River in 1806. Many of the first settlers were
members of the Society of Friends from North Carolina, searching for a new home in a land
not blighted by slavery. Many German immigrants, reaching the Whitewater Valley via
Cincinnati, also settled in Richmond early in the nineteenth century. Because of the
main stream of pioneers flowed from the east and the Gorge was a significant obstacle in
their path, all of early Richmond lay east of the Gorge. Even today more of the city
lies east of the Gorge than West.
At first the Whitewater Gorge was essential
to Richmond's growth as a source of water power and raw materials, and later, as a site
for important industries. But technology spawned new sources of energy, new
materials, and new industries, and the Gorge was left behind by a city rushing toward the
future.
Development of the Whitewater Gorge Park will
help restore the Gorge to a place of honor in the heart of Richmond and preserve the
beauty of the Gorge for future generations.
Whitewater Gorge Park is part of the
Richmond Parks and Recreations system.
Material from the Whitewater Park Trail Guide distributed by the
Richmond Parks and Recreations department.
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