Romance in the Woods

Romance in the Woods. . “We had been in many beautiful glens, but this was so unlike all others, so varied , grand and noble falls alternating with delightful rippling cascades, lovely moss covered grottos, marvelous combination , that we were led to exclaim ‘All hail, Onoko! Queen of glens.’” , Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper , July 27, 1889, According to a legend fabricated by a tourist agent from the Lehigh Valley Railroad, Glen Onoko Falls marks the spot where a heartbroken young Native American woman leaped to her death when told she could not marry her only love., One-half million 19th century tourists visited the resort of Glen Onoko and heard this story during railroad junkets from New York and Philadelphia. They hiked the forest trails, discovering waterfalls, grottos and ravines., "A walk of ten minutes along the mountaintop brings you to a rustic platform," said an 1890 description, "extending out over the abyss from which you secure a view grandly picturesque.", A dance pavilion, tennis courts and even a merry-go-round provided additional recreation while the 47-room Hotel Wahnetah provided lodging., The resort met a tragic end by fire. In 1911, the hotel was consumed in a forest fire. In 1917, a fire in one of the ornate railroad station's fireplaces spread and relegated Glen Onoko to a romantic memory.