Excelsior Glen. And the True Painted Rocks of Seneca lake

Location of Excelsior Glen.

       There is another glen in the region that is far lesser known than even Havana. This is Excelsior glen, I first read of this glen from an article in an old magazine (1870s) I believe it was I don't have the pdf on this computer so I do not recall the date. I also don't recall the names of all of the waterfalls. It is the smallest of the three out of Watkins, Havana, and Excelsior.

     

      The glen is located just outside the town of Watkins Glen along Rt 414. It is on the right of the road and if you aren't paying attention you will miss it. A portion of the Finger lakes trail runs along side the glen allowing access to it. The history of the glen includes being a launching spot and hunting camp for the Native Americans. There is a local legend about some rocks on the side of Seneca lake with a painting of an american flag on it.  You can read some info here . The story is most certainly a fable invented to gain passengers on the ferry up the lake when the railroad was introduced. However within the entrance of Excelsior there lies the inspiration for the tale. The true painted rocks of Seneca lake.

One of the marks showing vandalism.

A series of marks high up on the cliff.

A solitary mark.

    The idea behind these marks is that they were a system of communicating from one group of hunters to the other. Perhaps they are to show the number of people in a party. These are little snippets of history that are still there today is you want to find them they are on the north wall of the glen before any waterfalls. When I first read of them I was not sure if they were still there because the report I read was from the early 60s I believe. So When I went to the glen I was sure to look for them and after about  10 minutes of searching the cliff face I finally found them and documented them as best I could. The first one I found showed some signs of vandalism which disappointed me quite a bit. But I found some that were a bit out of reach of vandals and should be well protected in the years to come.

First waterfall.

  The first waterfall is a unique waterfall, at one point in time a boulder became lodged in the crevice of the rock. A space underneath the bolder allows for water to flow through.

Second fall.

     The second water fall lies a short distance beyond the first. It is a nice cascade with the water slowly falling over the rock face to a very shallow crystal clear pool at the base.

A small water fall 

  The third waterfall is a rather small waterfall and was rather obnoxious to navigate past. 

A mineral spring of some sort.

Empire fall.

        Empire fall is the largest waterfall in the glen, and is quite a walk from the other three. But it is well worth the walk.Empire fall is at least 150 possibly even 200 feet in height. According to the article the proprietor of the glen at the time claimed it to be the tallest fall in New York state. It is quite the impressive water fall with a fairly deep pool at the base. There is very little water that comes over the falls so the water moves very slow and thus the pool is stagnant. This is the furthest I have made it in the glen but I have read that there is one more waterfall further up.

Change over time. Eagle Cliff and Curtain Cascade.

Curtain cascade

Eagle cliff and the council chamber.

    I found some more old photos of Havana glen and instead of trying to include them in my other post (formatting issues) I decided to showcase them here.

An updated photo in spring of 2011.

  Eagle cliff falls as seen to the right has changed quite a bit since this photo was taken. The edge of the falls has broken off and is now about 5 foot farther back. The supports for the old stairs are still visible on a piece of rock that juts from above the falls. This rock oddly enough from below resembles an eagle which is why some people erroneously think the water fall is named eagle cliff. However as you can see in this photo that point was actually not even in existence when the fall was named. It is now the only evidence of the stairs and will soon break off itself and fall. The glen is ever changing and as such will only remain in its current set up for a short period of time. In the winter of 2011 another piece of the fall came down yet again changing the appearance. Unfortunately I did not get a photo of the changed falls.

  In this other photo I attempted to get the same angle as the old one but the cliff face on the north side is not as easily reached as it once was and this is the closest I could get. It was in early spring hence the large amount of water.
 

Curtain Cascade spring 2011

   The photo at the top of this page shows curtain cascade as it looked probably in the early 1900s since then a large mass of rock has come down and eroded away leaving the upper portion of that waterfall to look a little different today. Today the fall is about three foot lower than the photo shows. There is zero evidence of the ladder to the right.

       Above shows two more photos of the fall from slightly earlier probably late 1800s. At one time a bridge spanned the waterfall, this would have been an amazing view , today there is no evidence of the bridge either. This portion of the glen is now almost completely devoid of any evidence of a walk way. A few holes exist in the rock through the council chamber and just above. And above curtain cascade at the base of Bridal veil there is some iron jutting from the rock, likely a support for the stairs that would have been there.  To the right is a photo of curtain cascade today although it is quite a bit lower it is still quite the impressive waterfall to visit.

Historical photos, and brief history of Havana glen

        Below are some stereoscopic images I have located in my research of the history of Havana glen. This post is meant to augment my previous post showing Havana glen as it currently is. I would assume that the images shown here were taken sometime between the late 1880s and mid 1910s. I assume the images themselves are within the public domain, although the scans of the images were retrieved elsewhere on the internet. I am not familiar with the copyright laws regarding these images. If you feel I have violated the copyright let me know and I will remove the offending image(s).

    I find it interesting to view the changes that have occurred in the glen in the past 150 years. And there is very little solid information about the history of the glen. So I have compiled what I could find in an attempt to educate people of its history. The story actually begins with the Native Americans who lived in the area at the base of the glen. There is the remains of what appears to be a ceremonial mound of sorts. This mound is located within the campground and has a concrete slab atop it for games. It is slowly getting worn away from campers. They used the council chamber above eagle cliff falls as a meeting place and in 1792 they were driven from the area. 

   More recent history has seen what was something of a resort type location. One report from the time talks of a fountain and croquet court. The glen was open for tourism during the late 1800s and early 1900s. I am unaware of when it was opened, or of when the rest of the glen was closed to the public. From my own research I have concluded that the original walkways of the glen were of wood. These may have been replaced every year due to flooding I do not know. After these a more permanent set of walkways constructed of Iron supports driven into the rock probably with a wooden deck and steel cable or rope for railing. This was the walkway type that went through the whole of the glen. The most recent walk way which is the one there now consists of a wooden walk way which follows the path of one of the earlier trails. At one point the walk way connects to a metal stair and above this a trail with steel cable railing. This trail leads to the base of eagle cliff and no further.

   At one point I theorize that due to Watkins glen's popularity, Havana glen began to fall into disrepair and lack of upkeep of the rest of the walkways until a more recent time period when the glen was acquired by the town of Montour and became a municiple park with the addition of the current walkway. Today I fear that the park is in danger of being lost as a local treasure as the main attraction is  Eagle cliff and few people are even aware that there is more above. But I figured people may enjoy a small glimpse into the past that I have uncovered.

 Photos with a number have a corresponding modern photo at my other post featuring the current glen here .

(some photos are out of order, The site wont let me move them as I would like)
I have added a more in depth look at Eagle cliff and Curtain cascade here if you are interested.

(1)Portal Cascade

Bridge

(2)Bridge looking down

(3)Eagle Cliff falls

(4)In the council chamber looking toward falls.

Base of bridal veil falls (from top of curtain cascade)

Mountain Tunnel.

(6)Fairies cascade.

(7)Upper gorge looking down.

Echo falls.

(8)Glen chaos looking down towards whispering falls. 

(9)Whispering falls.

(5)Curtain cascade 

Council chamber looking in general direction of curtain cascade.

(5)Curtain cascade.

Main street in Havana

Havana Glen.

(1) Portal cascade (more photos below)

In the fingerlakes region of New York has an interesting phenomenon where streams cut through the bedrock and create waterfalls over cliffs exposed by glaciers. Over time the water eats away at the cliff and amazing formations are formed. The proper term for such a feature is canyon, but in the east we call them glens. The most famous one is Watkins Glen state park which has a nice trail built into it and is quite the tourist trap. But there are also two other glens very near by, one is partially open to the public and the other is on private land. I have visited all three and each has their own traits which make them unique. The one that I have chosen to write about here is the partially open one, Havana.

   The entrance is a nice quaint park with campgrounds. A small path leads up to the first and largest waterfall in the glen. The trail is of much lower quality than it's more well known sister Watkins' Glen. The trail leads to the base of eagle cliff falls, which gets its name from eagles that once nested on the north cliff.

     People use the pool at the base of the falls as a swimming hole. Even though swimming is not allowed at the park, on a sunny day you will find people around any larger pool in the glen. The official trail ends at eagle cliff, You are technically not allowed to visit the rest of the glen. However there are trails that go up above and give a view down from above. These trails can be dangerous as there is no railing and the cliff is quite abrupt, caution should be exercised if you choose to go this path.

    Up above eagle cliff the water has carved a path through the stone creating what is known as the council chamber. As the story goes in 1798 when general Sullivan led his march through Montour falls (at that time Catherine's town) The local Iroquois took refuge along with the British soldiers in the council chamber. It was here that the decision was  made for the Iroquois to leave their home and head north to fort Niagara.

   The council chamber now is a large rectangular void in the rock with seemingly perfect 90 degree angles. It is a very interesting portion of the glen with towering straight walls which are a nice retreat from the chaotic curves of  Watkins Glen. Above the council chamber is the second waterfall curtain cascade. In the early spring the waterfall is not much to look at but later on into the summer the sun glints off from the water that cascades down the rock face on the upper portion of the falls to create quite an amazing sight.

    Beyond curtain cascade is bridal veil falls. Bridal veil falls is split into two portions an upper and a lower, with the lower feeding curtain cascade. It is impossible to get from the bottom to the top of bridal veil without leaving the glen and walking around the edge. In the portion directly above bridal veil there is a small cave dug in some 8 foot into the rock, I personally have no Idea of its origin but in a 120 year old description of the glen it is called "indian oven". Above the cave there is a natural tunnel through the rock that in the 1800s the trail went right through. It is known as the mountain tunnel and today is almost inaccessible. I have been in it and have seen people climb up to it but I cannot recommend it to anyone because the entrance to the tunnel is now 20 foot up a steep cliff.

    Just across the glen from this there is an interesting formation of stone, which is a pillar that stand separate from the rest of the cliff. This pillar has some trees growing atop it so it resembles an island.Beyond this is Whispering falls what is arguably the most difficult and dangerous waterfall to traverse. It is a nice waterfall with a deep pool at the base of it with steep cliff faces reminiscent of the council chamber. I have seen people use it for cliff diving which is incredibly dangerous due to the relative isolation of the fall. Nonetheless someone in the past attached a steel cable to aid in traversing the waterfall. I sliced my hand on it the very first time I found it and found alternatives.

   The portion above whispering falls is called glen chaos. The bedrock is tilted at about a 45 degree angle. It is a rather quiet and calm portion to the glen. Just past glen chaos is echo falls, where a small piece of iron railing still sets in the stone from when the whole glen was open. This is the only pool I have never entered, It is deep and murky and the water Is churning. I did have a friend that fell in it and went completely under. He turned out ok but I cannot stress the importance of caution. People have died in this glen. Above this is another portion of calm stream that continues for a bit before reaching fairies cascade.

    Beyond fairies cascade you enter the upper gorge. There is a small spring fed waterfall that comes down from the woods. This is a very amazing portion of the glen. After the upper gorge the stream evens out and the walls shrink and It almost appears as if the glen has ended. But if you continue on just a little bit you come to summit falls, the last waterfall of the glen. There is a nice pool at the base of it for potential swimming and it is far safer than other waterfalls. The cliff side exhibits an interesting phenomenon where the sound from the falls echoes to create a hollow rumble even some distance from the fall. This is the phenomenon that gave echo falls its name although I did not notice it there.

   This glen in my opinion rivals Watkins Glen in many facets. However either glen is worthy of wonder. Each is great in its own way even though they are both quite different. I have explored this glen in full, This is highly dangerous and I do not think anyone should try it themselves. You cannot walk the glen in a straight shot as you can Watkins, this is because the trails that were set up in the 1800s are all but gone. In order to see the full glen you must climb in and out of the glen along its length. People have died in this glen exploring. I have provided here a very comprehensive "tour" of the glen so that people can see the wonders without personal risk. I have accidentally left out images of the tunnel and cave but I will add them when I find them. There Is a trail that leads from eagle cliff to summit falls through the woods. If you choose to explore havana glen I ask you stay on this trail and its offshoots. Be careful and stay away from the edge!

(EDIT) I have just made a post with historical photos from the glen. The numbers below correspond to the numbers on the photos here .
(Adding the numbers messed with my formatting so some of the images are jumbled around.)

(2) Looking out toward the entrance.

(3) Eagle cliff falls.

An old stairwell cut into the rock.

(4)The council chamber

In the council chamber looking down.

Above the council chamber looking down.

(3) Rainbow in front of eagle cliff.

(5) Curtain cascade.

(5)

Rainbow in mist at Bridal veil. 

Bridal veil falls.

Small unnamed cascade

(9) Whispering fall

(8)

Echo falls.

Upper gorge.

(7) Upper gorge looking down.

Summit falls.