Falls of the Ohio State Park

State park in Indiana, United States

Falls of the Ohio State Park

IUCN category III (natural monument or feature)

Map of the U.S. state of Indiana showing the location of Falls of the Ohio State Park

Location| Clark County, Indiana, US
Nearest city| Clarksville, Indiana
Coordinates| 38°16′32″N 85°45′49″W﻿ / ﻿38.27556°N 85.76361°W﻿ / 38.27556; -85.76361
Area| 165 acres (67 ha)
Established| 1990
Visitors| 158,680 (in 2018–2019<)[1]
Governing body| Indiana Department of Natural Resources

Falls of the Ohio State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Indiana. It is located on the banks of the Ohio River at Clarksville, Indiana, across from Louisville, Kentucky. The park is part of the Falls of the Ohio National Wildlife Conservation Area. The exposed fossil beds of the Jeffersonville Limestone dated from the Devonian period are the main feature of the park, attracting about 160,000 visitors annually.[1] The Falls was the site where Lewis and Clark met for the Lewis and Clark Expedition at George Rogers Clark's cabin.[2][3][4][5][6][7]

Fossil formations (Devonian Jeffersonville Limestone) found along the shores of the Ohio River. View of the fossil bed from the overlook

The park includes an interpretive center open to the public. In 1990, the Indiana state government hired Terry Chase, a well-established exhibit developer, to design the center's displays. Construction began in September 1992, costing $4.9 million with a total area of 16,000 sq ft (1,500 m2).[8] The center functions as a museum with exhibits that concentrate on the natural history related to findings in the nearby fossil beds as well as the human history of the Louisville area, covering pre-settlement, early settlement, and the history of Louisville and southern Indiana through the 20th century.

Large rugose coral (above hammer) at the Falls of the Ohio

Unlike at other Indiana state parks, annual entrance permits do not allow unlimited free access (rather, only five people per pass per visit) to the interpretive center, as fees are still needed to reimburse the town of Clarksville for building the center.

The Woodland Loop Trail features ten stainless steel markers denoting the plant life of the trails, thanks to an Eagle Scout project.[9]

## Gallery

[edit]

* Interpretive Center Lobby

*   *   *   * View from the shore looking towards Louisville.

## See also

[edit]

* The Filson Historical Society
* List of attractions and events in the Louisville metropolitan area
* List of fossil sites
* Old Clarksville Site
* Falls of the Ohio National Wildlife Conservation Area: More information about the geology of the Falls

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "2018 / 2019 Estimated Fiscal Year Visits for Indiana State Parks ~ Alphabetical" (PDF). Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
2. ^ "Indiana Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission". In.gov. Archived from the original on February 17, 2009. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
3. ^ "Kentucky places : Louisville and the Falls of the Ohio". Lewis and Clark in Kentucky. Archived from the original on February 10, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
4. ^ "At the Falls of the Ohio". Lewis-clark.org. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
5. ^ "Old Clarksville Site-Lewis and Clark Expedition: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary". Nps.gov. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
6. ^ "IHB: Lewis and Clark-Indiana connections - Focus". In.gov. June 16, 2009. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
7. ^ "Part 4: Ohio River - Lewis and Clark - Corps of Discovery - U.S. Army Center of Military History". History.army.mil. Archived from the original on January 23, 2015. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
8. ^ Kramer, Carl. This Place We Call Home (Indiana University Press, 2007) p.495)
9. ^ "Scout project enhances Woodland trail". News and Tribune.

* WikiMapia
* United States Geological Survey. "Falls of the Ohio State Park, USGS New Albany (IN, KY) Topo Map". TopoQuest. Retrieved June 29, 2008.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Falls of the Ohio State Park.

* Falls of the Ohio Organization
* Falls of the Ohio State Park - Indiana Department of Natural Resources
* Silurian and Devonian Geology and Paleontology at the Falls of the Ohio, Kentucky/Indiana \- 42nd Annual Meeting of the American Institute of Professional Geologists, fieldtrip guidebook, 2005

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