Rifle Falls has transformed from a 19th-century tourist attraction to the state park it is known as today, featuring a triple waterfall. What many people don’t know, however, it was originally only one wide waterfall until human intervention.

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), Rifle Falls has been a tourist attraction since 1884 when the area was first opened up to ranching. Cabins were built for tourists to rent and see the falls and limestone caves that are also found in the area.

James Watson built the Rifle Falls Ranch and charged admission to see the caves and waterfalls. Allan Zerbe operated the Zerbe Resort from 1890 until 1922, offering cabins for overnight visitors.

The waterfalls look quite a bit different now, though, as when the town of Rifle built the Rifle Hydroelectric Plant at the falls in 1910, the waterfall separated into the three 60-foot waterfalls that are spotted today. According to CPW, the plant ended up changing the creek’s natural flow from one waterfall into three falls. As one of the first hydroelectric power stations in Colorado, the plant provided hydroelectric power for the town of Rifle from 1908 until 1959. Hikers can even still see remnants from the stone hydroplant.

Recreation and tourism became the main draw to Rifle Falls again when it became a state park in 1966, known for being home to one of the most accessible waterfalls in the state. Today, the falls are a “lush area of trees and greenery kept moist by the spray of the cascading triple waterfall,” so much so that visitors might even question if they’re still in Colorado or a more tropical destination.

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