Grand Falls | Shoal Creek Continually flowing Over umber chert |
O
ne a recent trip to Joplin to deliver artwork to the George A. Spiva Center for the Arts, we had time to visit Missouri's largest continuously flowing natural waterfall. Shoal Creek plunges over 25 feet down a ledge of solid chert at Grand Falls on its way southward. Just upstream from the falls is a low uniform concrete dam. This is an early hydroelectric structure of the Empire District Electric Company, built in 1890, once used to power a small electric plant. I find it surprising that it has lasted so long. As interesting as the wide expanse of rushing water is, the surrounding flint rock formations made smooth by the incessant water erosion forces are even more remarkable. This pleasant venue provided a nice opportunity to use my ten stop neutral density filter to render the fast moving water in a smooth dreamy fashion.
“A lot of words in English confuse the idea of life and electricity, like the word livewire.” - Laurie Anderson
