About 190 million years ago in the Mesozoic Era, fluid lava as high as a ten story building rolled in a single flow from fifty miles away and solidified in this region. The basaltic ridge formed by these flows explains the basic geological formation of the Great Falls, where the entirety of the Passaic River plunges some 77 feet, making it the second largest waterfall by volume east of the Mississippi River, surpassed only by Niagara Falls. The Great Falls has been an important part of the cultural history of this region beginning with its native inhabitants and later with the formation and expansion of the United States. Inspired by visits to this waterfall, first Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton proposed its potential as a power source to launch the new nation's economy based on industry and trade. The Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures was chartered in 1791 to realize his vision, laying the foundation for the City of Paterson and the nation's economy. Recognized for these natural and national cultural events as a Natural National Landmark in 1966, as the heart of the Great Falls National Historic Landmark District in 1976, and later as the Great Falls National Historical Park in 2009, the site was also shaped by Mary Ellen Kramer, who was instrumental in galvanizing Paterson's historic preservation movement that resulted in these designations and in the reopening of this property as a public park in 1974. It was officially named in honor of her memory by the Paterson Municipal Council on February 15, 1994.

Photo: Bill Coughlin

Photo: Bill Coughlin

Photo: Bill Coughlin

Photo: Bill Coughlin

Photo: Bill Coughlin