This area became a full-fledged member of the West Virginia Park System on October 5, 1953. It was made possible by a gift to the West Virginia Conservation Commission from companies of the Allegheny Power System, including Monongahela Power Company, West Penn Power Company, and The Potomac Edison Company. This gift of 934 acres of land included the canyon and falls and the lodge site. Additional acreage was added through a land exchange between the Conservation Commission and the United States Forest Service.