Noccalula Falls - Alabama's Romantic Legend of Love

Continuing our St. Valentine's month look at some of the most romantic spots in the South, the focus today is beautiful Noccalula Falls in Gadsden, Alabama.

Just off Interstate 59 between Birmingham and Chattanooga, the magnificent waterfall takes its name from the charming and romantic old Alabama legend of an ill-fated Cherokee princess. Her statue now graces the rim of the ravine created by the rushing water.

As the story goes, Noccalula was the daughter of a powerful Cherokee chief long before the first whites arrived in the area. She was in love with a brave but poor warrior from her own tribe. Her father, however, dreamed of expanding his power and influence by matching his daughter with the chief of a rival tribe.

Noccalula's father expelled her true love from his chiefdom and arranged for his daughter to marry the rival chief. On the day of her wedding, however, the heartbroken Cherokee princess took her own life by leaping from the waterfall. She committed suicide rather than marry a man she did not love.

The chief was so filled with remorse over his selfishness that had led to the death of his daughter that he decreed the waterfall should be named in her memory. It remains so to this day.

To learn more about Noccalula Falls and this fascinating old Alabama legend, please visit www.exploresourthernhistory.com/noccalula.

The Legend of Noccalula

One of the more fascinating legends of the mountain country of Alabama is the story of Noccalula.

The daughter of a Cherokee chief, Noccalula had fallen in love with a warrior from her own tribe. He was not a man of influence, however, and her father felt that greater benefit was to be gained from her marriage to the leader of another nearby tribe. Noccalula protested, but her father overruled her request and drove her true love from the village.

The wedding with the neighboring chief was scheduled and a great feast was assembled on the planned day. Noccalula was dressed in her finest by the women of the village, but instead of walking to her groom-to-be, she instead slipped away to the high bluffs overlooking a powerful waterfall that flowed near the village.

After considering her fate, she took her own life by leaping to her death in the rocks and swirling water below.

Noccalula's father was heartbroken by the suicide of his daughter and realized that his own harshness had driven her to her death. He decreed that the waterfall should always be known by his daughter's name and it is called Noccalula Falls to this day. Claims have been made through the years that the ghost of the young Cherokee princess can still be seen moving in the mists of the falls.

The truth of the legend, of course, is difficult to verify, but that is often the case with tales of this nature. The waterfall, however, still flows. Now surrounded by a fascinating park and recreation area in Gadsden, Alabama, Noccalula Falls is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the South.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/noccalula.

Waterfalls of Alabama

The winter months are actually one of the best times for exploring waterfalls in the South.

The reduction in leaf cover coupled with winter rains means that streams and rivers are flowing very well and that, in turn, provides plenty of water for waterfalls. Many Southern waterfalls dry to little more than trickles or even dry up completely during the summer months, but in the winter they are often flowing to capacity.

Alabama boasts a surprising number of very impressive falls. From DeSoto Falls near Fort Payne to Noccalula Falls in Gadsden, the state boasts a series of large waterfalls and an untold number of small ones.

Waterfalls often figure prominently in the history of their locations. They were noticed by early settlers and Native Americans and the fast-flowing streams feeding them were often used to power watermills, etc. Little River Falls near Fort Payne and Mentone, for example, was once the location of a little community that thrived because the flowing water powered a grist mill.

If you would like to see photographs and learn more about some of the more fascinating waterfalls in Alabama, please visit our new "Waterfalls of Alabama" pages at: www.exploresouthernhistory.com/alabamawaterfalls.