Letchworth Park

Western side of the Finger Lakes, near Geneseo NY. Spectacular place that way too few know about, including students at a college 15 miles away. We didn't until our motel asked if this place was why we were staying there.

In 1972 the water behind this dam rose to within inches of the top, filling a great wandering valley behind it. Back up the river maybe ten miles, a man signed the final papers purchasing an old hotel that morning. That afternoon it sat in 12 feet of water.

I heard from several sources that the dam (Morris dam) is 500 feet high and is the biggest east of the Mississippi. Below is one angle on the enormous valley that gives you a little perspective on how much water it took to fill the dam that high. It's really hard to believe when you're standing there that such a thing could ever have happened.

The silt at the base of the dam (it is a "dry" dam … meant only to control water in extreme times, otherwise it allows water to flow normally) is 50 feet deep.