Big Manitou Falls

On the Black River, a branch of the Nemadji River, there is a waterfall called Big Manitou Falls. The falls are situated 13 miles south of Superior in Wisconsin's Douglas County's Pattison State Park. Big Manitou Falls is the highest waterfall in Wisconsin, rising 165 feet. It is not only highly regarded in Wisconsin, but it is also regarded as the fourth-highest waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains in the country.

Big Manitou Falls has a unique gorge carved from both sandstone and basalt. Specifically, in the few thousand years since the last glacier receded, the river gradually eroded through layers of soft, clay sandstone and gradually formed a steep canyon. Beneath much of this area, however, is basalt, a powerful and enduring product of a deep volcanic activity that occurred more than a billion years ago. As a result, the river cannot erode the persistent lava rock, even though it has created a relatively easy path through the sandstone. Just like that, the water power was consumed downwards creating Big Manitou Falls.

Native Americans who lived nearby gave the falls the name "Gitchee Manitou" because they thought they could hear the voice of the Great Spirit in the noise of the falls. The falls were first surrounded by a state park in 1920, and they were given more protection in 2003 when they were made a part of the Wisconsin State Natural Areas Program.

In sum, Big Manitou Falls:

• Located: 6294 S. State Road. 35, Superior, Wisconsin.
• The highest waterfall in Wisconsin at 165 feet and the fourth-highest waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains.
• Carved from both sandstone and basalt.