Op-Ed
Jumping In!
Email: 
Share: 
Archive This!
Archive This!
Welcome back to Ithaca! Even if you’ve only been at Cornell since orientation, you’ve surely heard that Ithaca is “gorges.” In your first few weeks here, you’ve already traversed across many gorges on your way to class, home from parties and out to eat in the Commons. While the gorges on campus are certainly a sight to behold, there are a myriad of other outdoor wonders in Tompkins County. In particular, the state parks in the area are treasures that all Cornellians should explore. So ready, set, go — get outside before it starts snowing!
New York’s park history runs deep: in 1885 New York became the first state to establish a state park. The Niagara Appropriations Bill of 1885 was signed into law by Governor David B. Hill and the Niagara Reservation (known today as Niagara Falls State Park) became the first state park in the United States. This push for the establishment of state parks to protect the natural beauty of the land from environmental degradation and to make it open and free to the public was led, largely in part, by Frederick Law Olmsted. (Contrary to popular belief, Olmsted did not landscape Cornell’s campus; landscape architect and friend of Robert H. Treman, Warren Manning, did.)
Unfortunately, Hill was not a politician concerned with passing unprecedented environmental policies; the only reason he signed the Niagara Bill was because he was worried about winning reelection, which he did. Nonetheless, by passing the bill, Hill played an integral role in creating a positive opinion surrounding the protection of land for all to enjoy.
Since the founding of Niagara Falls State Park, 173 more state parks have been established in New York, many of them in the Ithaca area. Before prelims season is upon us, pack a picnic, put on your hiking boots, bring your bathing suit and the latest Harry Potter, round up some friends and start exploring!
Robert H. Treman State Park
In 1920, former Cornell Trustee Robert Treman, class of 1878, donated 387 acres in Tompkins County, establishing Enfield Glen, the first state park in Tompkins County. Upon Treman’s death in 1937, the park was renamed in his honor. This park opened in 1923 and a year later, the Finger Lakes State Parks Commission was formed and Treman became the first chairman. He shared Olmsted’s vision that nature should be preserved and available to all.
However, the history behind the Park’s land is not all about preservation; the Cayuga Indians, one of the nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, were the original inhabitants of the land. They sided with the British during the Revolution and were driven out by the Continental Army. The area existed as farmland and mills until Treman donated the land to the state.
Today, the park spans over 1,000 acres. The highlight of this park is a hike up to the cascading 115-foot high Lucifer Falls. If it’s warm enough, be sure to bring your bathing suit because you can swim at the bottom of the falls.
Buttermilk Falls State Park
Again, we have the Treman family to thank, in part, for this state park. In 1924, they made their second philanthropic land donation of 154 acres to the State for the public to enjoy. The lake at the bottom of the many waterfalls in the park was created in 1875 with the building of Scotts Dam and served as Ithaca’s water supply until 1903. (Today, Ithaca’s water comes from the watershed at Six Mile Creek — a popular, though illegal, place for gorge jumping. Interestingly, Six Mile Creek was also a donation by Treman.) However, Buttermilk Falls has not always been in the Treman family. During the Revolutionary War, the Sapony Indians fled this area in fear of the Continental Army who ultimately burned the tribe’s village and orchard.
If you take a trip to the falls, know that you’ll be met with a view of Route 13’s Wal-Mart at the top. There’s also good swimming beneath the falls, sans the view of the super center.
Taughannock Falls State Park
New York State bought Taughannock Falls in 1924. The falls got their name from either the Algonquin word meaning “great falls in the wood” or a Delaware chief by the same name. This land, not surprisingly, was also controlled by the Six Nations Confederacy of the Iroquois. However, it is unknown how and when this land fell out of their hands.
Taughannock Falls is truly a sight you must see before you leave Ithaca. Take a hike up 400 feet of gorge, or simply sit and admire the 215-foot tall falls — close to 50 feet taller than Niagara Falls.
So this semester, instead of staying “far above Cayuga’s waters,” go jump in!
Sarah Olesiuk is a senior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Olesiuk can be contacted at sho4@cornell.edu. Archive This! will appear alternate Fridays this semester.