Broadway - Slavic Village in Cleveland in Cuyahoga County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Cataract Falls

Photographed by Christopher Busta-Peck, July 22, 2009

1. Cataract Falls Marker

Inscription. Formed by erosion of Cleveland shale and cascading 48 feet, making it the tallest waterfall in the county, the Cataract Falls of Mill Creek powered the gristmill and sawmill built by William Wheeler Williams and Major Wyatt in 1799. The mills, commissioned by the Connecticut Land Company to encourage settlement of the Western Reserve, attracted people to Newburgh. Cleveland finally outgrew bustling Newburgh by 1830 and eventually annexed most of it. The founding of the Cleveland Rolling Mill in Newburgh, beginning with the firm of Chisholm, Jones, & Company in 1857, precipitated the growth of the steel industry in Cleveland. By 1868, under the management of Henry Chisholm, it became one of the first in the nation to produce steel using the Bessemer process. The Rolling Mill, later the American Steel and Wire Company (a subsidiary of U.S. Steel), purchased the millworks at the falls in 1872.

Erected 2002 by Ohio Bicentennial Commission, The Longaberger Company, Cleveland Metroparks, Williams-Swain Family, and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 33-18.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed

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in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Natural Features • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1799.

Location. 41° 26.684′ N, 81° 37.543′ W. Marker is in Cleveland, Ohio, in Cuyahoga County. It is in Broadway - Slavic Village. It is on Webb Terrace. The park, commonly known as Mill Creek Falls, is easy to miss. It can be reached from Warner Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 8404 Webb Terrace, Cleveland OH 44105, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Ohio’s Lake Erie Shore

and in the Western Reserve.

It is also in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as

Cataract Falls Marker location image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Christopher Busta-Peck, July 22, 2009

2. Cataract Falls Marker location

The boardwalk seen here leads to a platform overlooking the top of the falls. The road leads to an excellent view of the falls.

the crow flies: Moving a Waterfall (within shouting distance of this marker); Broadway / Slavic Village (approx. 2 miles away); German Corners / St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church (approx. 2.1 miles away); Andrew J. Rickoff / Charles Edward Adams (approx. 2.7 miles away); Jim Brown / Carl Burton Stokes (approx. 2.8 miles away); Brooklyn Heights (approx. 3 miles away); Ludlow Community / Ludlow Community Association (approx. 3 miles away); Woodland Cemetery (approx. 3.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cleveland.

Regarding Cataract Falls. Mill Creek Falls was forgotten for decades. The park is considerably larger and cleaner now than it was when I first went to see it, and offers better views of the falls.

Also see . . . Slavic Village Historical Society. The Historical Society's headquarters is the Victorian house located on the park grounds near Mill Creek Falls. (Submitted on July 25, 2009, by Christopher Busta-Peck of Shaker Heights, Ohio.)

Mill Creek Falls at sunrise image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Christopher Busta-Peck, July 22, 2009

3. Mill Creek Falls at sunrise

Mill Creek Falls viewpoint image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Christopher Busta-Peck, July 22, 2009

4. Mill Creek Falls viewpoint

The wrought iron railing and sculpture were designed by Cleveland artist Brinsley Tyrell.

Wrought iron railing and sculpture by Brinsley Tyrell image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Christopher Busta-Peck, July 22, 2009

5. Wrought iron railing and sculpture by Brinsley Tyrell

Credits. This page was last revised on February 4, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 25, 2009, by Christopher Busta-Peck of Shaker Heights, Ohio. This page has been viewed 2,664 times since then and 78 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on July 25, 2009, by Christopher Busta-Peck of Shaker Heights, Ohio.