Cucumber Falls in Winter
One of the most inspiring and exhilarating attractions of Ohiopyle State Park is Cucumber Falls, a 30-foot bridal veil waterfall.
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy recognized the region's environmental importance and the vital role recreation played in the economy of Fayette County and participated in the efforts focused on revitalizing the area. These efforts were sparked when Edgar J. Kaufmann, owner of Fallingwater and Pittsburgh's Kaufmann's Department Store, rescued the botanically rich Ferncliff Peninsula from becoming an amusement park in 1951 by funding WPC's acquisition of the land and a nearby hotel. Ferncliff is now, as in 1951, home to a number of rare plants occurring along the rocky river banks, such as marshallia and stiff-leaved aster.
A few years after the Ferncliff acquisition, WPC officials were busy planning a strategy for revitalizing the Ohiopyle region as a conservation and recreation area when help came from two more milestone land transactions. West Penn Power Company donated rights to land across the river from Ferncliff, and Mrs. Albert Keister donated a tract of land opposite Ferncliff, which contained the 40-foot Cucumber Falls. On May 2, 1963, WPC transferred 2,800 acres to the Commonwealth to form the nucleus of the new state park. By 1965, WPC conveyed nearly 10,000 of the 18,000 acres slated for the park’s initial landscape. Ohiopyle now hosts nearly 2 million visitors annually and provides nearly 500 jobs.
The above photo was taken by recent WPC member Cindy Gaich.
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