Does Klamath have a falls?

Program focuses on namesake falls

Klamath Falls Herald and News

October 22, 2007

This photo of Link River shows a set of rapids and low falls that were frequently photographed in the early 1900s before Link River Dam was constructed.

   The water falls for which Klamath Falls was named will be explored during a program at 7 p.m. Thursday/  The program presented at the Klamath County Historical Society on Thursday will focus on what happened to the falls for which the city of Klamath Falls was named.

   The Klamath County Historical Society meeting at the Klamath County Museum , 1451 Main St. , is free and open to everyone. 

   The program is titled “Falls or No Falls?” 

    Klamath Falls was known as Linkville until 1893, when city officials opted for a name change that was designed to attract more attention to the growing town. A series of rapids and low waterfalls on Link River served as the inspiration for the new name. 

   However, irrigation and power developments along the river diminished the grandeur of the falls, eventually causing many local residents and visitors to be uncertain as to where the name came from.   

   “Frankly, we plan to challenge the myth that Klamath Falls has no falls,” said Todd Kepple, who will present the program in a PowerPoint presentation. “We may not have anything to rival Multnomah Falls , but it would be a shame to tell visitors to our town that we have no falls at all.” 

   A remnant of the original falls can still be found on a secluded stretch of the Link River . 

   Numerous photos were taken at one particular spot on Link River in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Kepple said. A visit to that spot today reveals what Kepple describes as a “humble, yet substantive” representation of the falls that once tumbled over a low basalt reef. 

   Both historic and modern photos will be examined to seek clues as to what happened to the falls. The program will include a review of a proposal put forward in 1924 to drop the word “falls” from the town’s name. 

   The program will also be presented upon request for groups and organizations. For more information, call the Klamath County Museum at 883-4208.

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