Ruby Falls
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Images
Founder Leo Lambert and his wife, Ruby.
The Ruby Waterfall is 145 feet tall and is the deepest visited waterfall in the country.
The Cavern Castle was built using rocks dug up from the elevator shaft. Photo: Oydman, via Wikimedia Commons. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_Falls#/media/File:RubyExt2.JPG
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
Interestingly, Lambert found the waterfall by accident when he dug into the mountain looking for a suitable place for an elevator shaft. He was forced to look for an alternative entrance because the original entrance was sealed due to railroad construction nearby.
Ruby Falls is not only an environmental historical landmark, but it is also devoted to keeping the environment clean by using renewable energy. There is an array of solar panels built for Ruby Falls that produces 16,000 watts of electricity for all of the appliances used. There has also been an effort to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions by changing the types of light bulbs that are used, as well as changing the timing and duration of lighting.
Sources
"About Us." Ruby Falls. N.p., Web. 03 Oct. 2016. http://www.rubyfalls.com/about-us.
E. Raymond Evans & Vicky Karhu. "Lookout Mountain Caverns and Cavern Castle." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. November 26, 1985. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/f39ce1d1-832c-4bba-9aa6-e4f150508f15.
Interactive, Papercut. "Ruby Falls." Environmental Sustainability. N.p., 2016. Web. 03 Oct. 2016.
Tabler, Dave. "The (accidental) Discovery of a Lifetime - Appalachian History." Appalachian History. N.p., 22 July 2015. Web. 03 Oct. 2016.Jenkins, Gary C. "Ruby Falls." The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. The University of Tennessee Press, 25 Dec. 2009. Web. 04 Nov. 2016. http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=1155.