| Directions
On Eastern Boulevard/NY 3 at the eastern edge of the
city of Watertown, Delano Island is in view upstream of
the bridge over the Black River. This drop is
located here.
|
| County: |
Jefferson |
| Town: |
Pamelia/Rutland/City of Watertown |
| USGS Map: |
Rutland Center |
| Waterway: |
Black River |
| Latitude: |
N 43° 58' 34" |
| Longitude: |
W 75° 52' 23" |
| Drop: |
8' |
| Type: |
Dam |
| Region: |
Just east of the city of Watertown |
| Parking: |
Unpaved lot |
| Trail type: |
Dirt |
| Length of hike: |
1 minute |
| Difficulty: |
Easy |
| Accessibility: |
Public |
| Name: |
Common |
|
This is somewhat of a historical waterfall. The city of
Watertown got its name from the significant sources of power
from the Black River. We have found on-line historical
references to "many falls throughout
the city" but the accounts don't specify where the falls are.
Today, there are four dams in the city, three at islands and the
fourth at Great
Falls, the only known waterfall in the city. We
have often suspected that many of these drops were waterfalls
and are constantly looking for references to, or pictures of
them.
We recently found an on-line history
of Jefferson County that mentioned Delano, or Delano's, Falls. This
account didn't specify where the waterfall was, but Delano
Island is located just outside the eastern boundary of the city
and is one of many islands in the Black River within or near the
city of Watertown. Part of this area is within the city
limits and some of it is outside.
There is a dirt access
road here at the southeast corner of the Eastern Boulevard and
Huntington Street intersection. You can access the river
bank from this lot. Unfortunately, the only pedestrian
walkway over the bridge is on the downstream side so you can't
view the drop from there
That really isn't a major factor
because today there are dams on either side
of this island and another drop just below it where the river
enters a channel. The river is split into three parts
here. River right channels water to the city's electrical power
plant. River left supplies water to the city's filtration
plant where drinking water is treated. The center section
is the remaining flow that is sent downstream on the Black
River. We suspect that this area was where Delano
Falls was.
We are also working on relocating those
on-line sources to properly credit them. We literally
stumbled upon them while looking for something else and didn't
take adequate notes.
The Black River empties into Lake Ontario at the Black River
Bay, just southwest of the village of Dexter.
Last update:
April 15, 2017
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