Portageville, New York
Encyclopedia
Portageville is a hamlet located in the town of Genesee Falls
Genesee Falls, New York
Genesee Falls is a town in Wyoming County, New York, United States. The population was 460 at the 2000 census.The Town of Genesee Falls is in the southeastern corner of the county.- History :The Town of Genesee Falls was established in 1846...

 in Wyoming County, New York
Wyoming County, New York
Wyoming County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. At the 2010 census, the population was 42,155. The county seat is Warsaw. The name is from a modified Delaware Indian word meaning "broad bottom lands"...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Its name derives from the Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

 canoists
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...

 who would withdraw their craft from the river to avoid going over three waterfalls in the Genesee River
Genesee River
The Genesee River is a North American river flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York. The river provided the original power for the Rochester area's 19th century mills and still provides hydroelectric power for downtown Rochester....

 gorge. They had to portage
Portage
Portage or portaging refers to the practice of carrying watercraft or cargo over land to avoid river obstacles, or between two bodies of water. A place where this carrying occurs is also called a portage; a person doing the carrying is called a porter.The English word portage is derived from the...

several miles to the site of present day Mount Morris
Mount Morris, New York
Mount Morris, New York refers to:*Mount Morris , New York*Mount Morris , New York*Marcus Garvey Park, also called Mount Morris Park, in Harlem, New York*Mount Morris Park Historic District, the area surrounding Marcus Garvey Park...

 where they could embark for the rest of the journey downriver.

Portageville is the only named community in the town of Genesee Falls.

The Genesee River Gorge with its scenic waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...

s was formed after the original valley was buried in glacial
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...

 debris from the last ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...

 and the river had to cut a new valley though the Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...

 sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rock are types of rock that are formed by the deposition of material at the Earth's surface and within bodies of water. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause mineral and/or organic particles to settle and accumulate or minerals to precipitate from a solution....

 of the area. It has also been called The Grand Canyon of the East. The site has now been designated Letchworth State Park
Letchworth State Park
Letchworth State Park is a New York state park located 35 miles southwest of Rochester and 60 miles southeast of Buffalo in Livingston and Wyoming counties. The park is roughly 17 miles long, covering of land along the Genesee River...

 and is a major tourist attraction, with the upper entrance at Portage.

The First Universalist Church of Portageville
First Universalist Church of Portageville
First Universalist Church of Portageville is a historic Universalist church in Portageville, Wyoming County, New York. It is a Greek Revival style structure with Gothic and Federal elements dating to 1841. The church features a two stage square tower above the north gable of the building.It was...

 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 in 2008.

See also

  • Portage (town), New York
    Portage (town), New York
    Portage is a town in the southwest corner of Livingston County, New York, USA. The town is near the south end of Letchworth State Park. The name of the town stems from the need to portage canoes around the falls of the Genesee River.- History :...

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