After decades as a milling center and stone quarry, the area around the falls had become an eyesore by 1918. Pendleton hardware store owner and town board member B.F. Phipps argued that it should be more than the town dump and pushed to clean it up and create a park. Fellow board members D.J. Williams, D.B. Cole, and George Kinnard agreed and approved a tax levy to fund development. Fall Creek Cannery donated some of the land in 1919, and the town board bought other property for $5,500. Workers cleared rubbish from the creek, smoothed the banks for sunbathing, cleaned the stone quarry, and built a dam to form a swimming pool below the falls, and Falls Park opened in 1920. The new park drew tourists from miles around, and by 1922 the Pendleton Times praised the transformation of the former “desolate ragged spot” into a celebrated outdoor destination. Over the years, continued success and local support brought improvements, maintenance, and restoration, including a lighthouse in the center of the lake, a cast-iron fountain by J.W. Fisks & Company, rock planters built by Works Projects Administration, shelters, playground equipment, and additional land. Today, Falls Park covers more than 150 acres and includes nature trails, sports facilities, a historical museum, and more.