Following Paul Hadley's Footsteps

Depending upon our road trip budget, which is frankly zero, this may be the first in a series of blog posts following the footsteps of Paul Hadley (1880-1971), a Mooresville artist who designed the Indiana State Flag.  Read more about Mr. Hadley on this blog. You could also check-out several books about Mr. Hadley from Mooresville Public Library's Indiana Room (see the Evergreen Indiana online catalog for details).

Paul Hadley (left) and Ralph E. Priest at the

John Herron Art Institute in Indianapolis

applying gold leaf to Hadley's Indiana State Flag

design (ca. 1923)  Hadley was an instructor,

and Priest a student, at Herron

Mooresville Public Library is fortunate to have many original Paul Hadley paintings on display.

Paul Hadley Painting Gallery at MPL

(January 2012)

(Click photos to enlarge)

Let's consider one of Mr. Hadley's fine watercolors, shall we?

 Paul Hadley Painting of Cataract Falls

(Mill Creek, Owen County, Indiana)

South of Cloverdale, Indiana

I took a road trip in July, 2014 to compare the modern Cataract Falls to those Mr. Hadley painted nearly a century ago.

Cataract Falls (Lower Falls) (July 4, 2014)

I'm thinking Mr. Hadley painted the lower falls, since the water spilling over the rock face looks similar on the far left and near right.  The rock on the right was exposed in Mr. Hadley's painting; in our photo, you can tell it's beneath the water by the way the stream spills outward over the top of the outcropping.  The general rock shapes in Mr. Hadley's painting also resemble those in our photo of the lower falls.

Or is it the upper falls?  You be the judge.

Photoshopped Cauli Le Chat at Cataract Falls (Upper Falls)

(July 4, 2014)

The upper falls don't really resemble Mr. Hadley's painting, but take a peek at the video below. The video (2002) was recorded when the water level of Mill Creek was lower, and some of the underlying rock face was exposed.  My vote remains with the lower falls, however.

 

We have a boatload of photos from our adventure at Cataract Falls, but I'd like to include them in another blog post.

Cataract Falls (Following Paul Hadley's Footsteps)

On July 4, 2014, we travelled to Cataract Falls State Recreation Area on Mill Creek, in northern Owen County, Indiana (just south of Cloverdale).  The falls are just upstream of Cagles Mill Lake (Lieber State Recreation Area).

Click Images to Bigify

Click Map to See Original

We were retracing Paul Hadley's footsteps as we explored the places he painted roughly a century ago.  Our first stop was the upper falls, followed (wait for it . . .) by the lower falls.  Mr. Hadley captured both of these in watercolor, which are on display at Mooresville (Indiana) Public Library.

 Cataract Falls (Upper Falls)

by Paul Hadley

 Cataract Falls (Lower Falls)

by Paul Hadley

Although our photos are nowhere near as breathtaking as Mr. Hadley's paintings, let's compare them, just for fun.

 Cataract Falls (Upper Falls)

Cataract Falls (Lower Falls)

Mill Creek watershed looks considerably different than it did about a century ago, when Paul Hadley traversed the rugged countryside to paint the scenery.  In 1952, Cagle Hills Lake was built just downstream of the lower falls to become Indiana's first flood control reservoir.  It now comprises the Lieber State Recreation Area.

Photoshopped Cauli Le Chat at the bottom of the Upper Falls

 Looking down at the Upper Falls

 Just above the Upper Falls, looking downstream

Atop the Upper Falls, looking across stream

(We'll be over there shortly)

Owen County's last covered bridge sits immediately upstream of the Upper Falls.

 Cataract Falls Covered Bridge

  Resting a spell at the covered bridge

Picnic with a view

Looking downstream from the center

of the covered bridge

 Factoids about the covered bridge

We left the bridge to explore the river bank on the other side.  It was treacherous walking through the heavy underbrush, at least for some of us.

  Having a little difficulty blazing the trail

Who put that tree there?

 The Upper Falls from the other side

Other side downstream of the Upper Falls

On our way back to the car, we noticed an old water pump.  I don't think much water will be forthcoming any time soon.

Where's the pump handle?

Bob Dylan would tell us that "the pump don't work 'cause the vandals took the handles" ("Subterranean Homesick Blues" [1965]).

We next drove a short distance to the Lower Falls.

 The Lower Falls

 How'd those fishing folks get down there?

Looking downstream above the Lower Falls

  Closer to the edge than I'd be standing

 Kayaking below the Lower Falls

(Well, not immediately underneath)

 "What are they biting on?"

"The end of my fishing line"

 

It was a really cool place to visit.  I can see why Mr. Hadley chose to paint this beautiful area. You should visit, too.