The name Tallulah can be traced back to the Cherokee language, although the exact translation of the name is unknown and has been lost. The Cherokee form of the word Tallulah is Tälulü' (Tärurï' in the lower Cherokee dialect) which is the name of an ancient settlement above the original falls. It is also the name of a creek and a district at the head of Cheowa River in Graham County, NC. Some other translations that cannot be authenticated are "The Terrible" and "There Lies Your Child", derived from a story of a child having been carried over the falls.There are many legends that date back to the time of the Cherokee nation. (To view the legend of "The Man Who Married The Thunder's Sister",
click here.) One legend of Tallulah Gorge says that a species of little men and women lived in the valley of the Gorge. According to this legend, several famous hunters had come to the Gorge on their way to the Savannah River. They had left their camp in search of game but had never returned. Accordingly, an effort was made to determine the cause of their disappearance. A party of medicine men, contributing in the search for the missing hunters, returned reporting that they had discovered a "dreadful fissure" in an area that was unknown at the time. According to these medicine men, the area was an exceedingly wild place and that its inhabitants were a species of little men and women who lived in the rocks and under the waterfalls. The medicine men held that they had tried to talk to these little people but found their efforts to be in vain. Therefore, it was concluded that the lost hunters had been tricked to falling to their deaths in the Gorge. In accordance with this legend, it can be found that the Cherokee nation always avoided the area of Tallulah Falls. In fact, they were seldom found hunting or fishing in the area.
The town name, Tallulah Falls, comes from the five waterfalls that appear throughout the Gorge. Tallulah Gorge, the deepest canyon in North America east of the Rocky Mountains, has been a tourist destination for over one century. In fact, Tallulah Falls had already become one of the most popular vacation resorts in the Southeast by the 1870's.
After the Cherokee nation was moved from the area, visitors discovered the falls in 1819. Even before the arrival of the railroad in 1882, several famous names were known to have come through the area. John C. Calhoun, Vice President of the United States, came to Tallulah Falls in 1829, while John Howard Payne, author of "Home Sweet Home", visited in 1835. Joseph LeConte, one of the founders of the Sierra Club, came to the area on numerous occasions. Since the area was relatively untouched, travel to the area was often difficult and trying. In 1835, a resident of Tallulah Falls decided to offer lodging and food to the growing number of travelers in the area. By 1840, The Tallulah Hotel opened, offering limited services and was basically only a rough cabin and not a hotel in the truest sense of the word.
The Tallulah Falls Railway began construction in Cornelia in 1871. The line was continued through Tallulah Falls in 1882 and ended in Franklin, NC by 1907. With the arrival of rail transportation, Tallulah Falls, known as the Niagara of the South, became a booming vacation resort area, with as many as seventeen hotels and boarding houses. During this time, hotels in the area would often rent riding horses, offered billiards tables, as well as tennis courts for the active guests. Those wishing to relax had the option of a hammock or rocking chair on the porch of the hotel at their convenience. Most nights were filled with dancing at the hotel.
J.A. St. John, aka "Professor Leon", a famous aerialist of the time, was brought to encourage tourists to come to Tallulah Falls. His mission was to cross the Tallulah Gorge, rim to rim, using only a hemp rope. So on July 24, 1886, Professor Leon became the first person to attempt to cross the Tallulah Gorge on a tightrope. With 5,000 people looking on, Professor Leon started his quest across the Gorge from Inspiration Point. At one point during the walk, a stabilizing wire broke, sending Professor Leon falling - but not off the wire. He recovered from the fall by sitting for a few minutes on the wire. He completed the walk, much to the relief of all of the spectators. Many of those same spectators may have witnessed his tightrope walk across Peachtree Street in Atlanta earlier that same year. He would later perform a spectacular act that included his wife being suspended over Grant Park with a sewing machine. (
Click here to view the article.)
Tourists flocked to this area until the late 1930's. There are several reasons that one can speculate as to why Tallulah Falls may have lost some of its charm. Much to the dismay of local residents and tourists alike, the Georgia Railway and Power Company began to build a dam on the river to help alleviate electricity shortages in Atlanta and the northern suburbs. Electricity was first sent from Tallulah to Atlanta in September of 1913.
The Tallulah Falls Railway had a prosperous history until one of the forty-two wooden trestles along the fifty-eight mile route collapsed at Panther Creek in 1898 and then again at Hazel Creek in 1927. This, along with the notoriously high-maintenance wooden trestles, would give the TFRR the moniker of "Total Failure". Then, in 1921, a massive fire burned down most of the town, including the Depot, stores, hotels and many homes. According to some reports, a passing train sparked the fire. To add to the loss of tourists, The Great Depression, which started in 1929, caused many of the wealthy Atlantans to lose their fortunes, thus hindering them from making the trip north to the mountains. The railroad ceased passenger rail service in 1946, ceasing all operations in 1961. The historic Rail Depot, rebuilt in 1913-1914, and the Glenbrook Hotel, in ruins, are all that remain of the once grand buildings that made Tallulah Falls the tourist destination of the Southeast.
There was a small resurgence of tourist travel to the area in the 1950's when the filming of two movies brought actors, film crews and others to the area. In 1950, the movie
I'd Climb the Highest Mountain
brought the Tallulah Falls Railway steam engine #75 back to the tracks for the railroad scenes in the opening credits. These scenes even include a shot of the train crossing the Tallulah Falls Lake steel trestle.
Then, in 1955 Walt Disney used the railroad to film
The Great Locomotive Chase. Using authentic Civil War period locomotives and rolling stock borrowed from the B&O Railroad's museum and other collections, the movie was based on the true 1862 story of "Andrews Raiders" mission to cut the Confederacy's vital Marietta-Chattanooga rail line. A number of locals were recruited as extras and even given minor speaking parts, including the then mayor of Clayton. The town of Clayton was even 'cast' in the part of wartime Atlanta.
Trying to re-build tourism, the townspeople of Tallulah Falls decided to invite Karl Wallenda to attempt to cross the Gorge on a high wire. The promoters billed the event as "The Great Wallenda Walk Across The Awesome Gorge". Much was spent on the preparations, which included new roads, grand stands, and, of course, the high wire. Ironworkers strung guy wires, more than 35,000 feet of wire, from the cable to the bottom, where the wires were anchored in solid rock. On July 18, 1970, Karl Wallenda walked the equivalent of three city blocks across the 750-foot Gorge to a crowd of approximately 30,000 people, including a crew from the BBC and then-Governor Lester Maddox. Wallenda, who was 65 at the time, said the crossing "was the most dangerous thing I've ever done and the most beautiful". The two towers used to suspend the high wire are still in place today, although one has fallen on its side.
Though the falls may not be as spectacular as they once were, scheduled water releases throughout the year restore the flow for a few days at a time attracting large numbers of visitors. An annual Whitewater Festival is now held in conjunction with the water releases. In addition, a beautiful State Park has been added with a learning center that features the natural history of the Gorge.
Large numbers of visitors are again coming to view the splendor of the Gorge. Here they will discover a variety of delights. There is fishing and boating on 3 lakes; hiking on several trails at Tallulah Gorge State Park; a 7 mile mountain bike trail in the park, plus forest service roads; rock climbing in the Gorge (by permit issued by the State Park); swimming at Terrora Beach and picnicking at the State Park. On Saturday night, during spring, summer, and fall live bluegrass bands gather on Bluegrass Square in downtown Tallulah Falls. Stay to enjoy the music and food or bring your instrument and join in. Whatever your interest, Tallulah Falls is sure to meet your vacation needs.
