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The Genesee River flows north through the roughly 17 miles of Letchworth State Park, renowned as “The Grand Canyon of the East.” Under normal circumstances, the river is alternately calm and fast flowing, with three large waterfalls as well as numerous smaller ones, at times flanked by cliffs of over 500 feet.
The flooding of 1972 caused the Genesee River to rise high above its usual height and flow with abnormal ferocity. The Mount Morris Dam is built at the north end of Letchworth State Park. It barely held the flood at bay, protecting Rochester in the process. These pictures display the incredible force the dam withstood.