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Scenic Kentucky: Cumberland Falls 2023-02-25 - Corbin, KY - Photo by Pen. According to the Wikipedia entry for Cumberland Falls, there is evidence of indigenous settlements dating back 10,000 years, but when it was rediscovered by Westerners in the late 1600's, the Falls became privately owned. In the late 1920s, there were plans to build a hydroelectric power station upstream, and divert the river through a mountain tunnel to a point below the falls. In 1928, a proposal to accept the falls as a park was brought to the floor of the Kentucky Senate but was defeated. The Cumberland Falls Preservation Association, formed by businessman Rober Blair, convinced T. Coleman du Pont to purchase the falls and surrounding land, and stipulate they were never to be used for hydroelectricity. In 1930, following his death, the family of du Pont made the decision to donate the 539 acres to the state of Kentucky. On March 10, 1930, the Kentucky House and Senate overrode the veto of Governor Flem D. Sampson, and voted to accept the land from the du Pont family. The park was officially opened on September 7, 1931. Permalink | Comments?

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