Broke Leg Falls Ain’t Broke! (And Neither Is My Leg)

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Imagine, if you will, a lovely, scenic place. NOW imagine putting up a sign that almost apologizes for the fact that it’s not as lovely and scenic as it used to be. That’s Broke Leg Falls. Broke Leg Falls is in Wellington, Menifee County, Kentucky. I went to visit it today because, well, it’s a waterfall! However, it’s also part of a tragic day in Kentucky history: March 2, 2012. There was a tornado outbreak that day in Kentucky and Indiana. Where I live, the most attention was given to what’s known as “the Henryville tornado,” because that was the primary town (Henryville, Indiana) that was affected. Move over to the east-central part of the state, and the day is known as the “West Liberty tornado.” It began in Menifee County, in the dot-on-the-map of Wellington and took two lives there before moving on to West Liberty, where ten people died. With the loss of life, it seems rather trivial to mention that the natural landscape of Broke Leg Falls was also demolished in the storm. But that’s what happened. Let me tell you: Broke Leg Falls ain’t broke!! You can go to Cumberland Falls and see tons of timber debris, and it doesn’t distract from the waterfall. The same thing is true at Broke Leg Falls. It is a three-part waterfall, with a cascade, a pool area, a second cascade (where most of the photographed tornado damage was [and still is]), then a sharp cliff drop 60 feet to the bottom. I’m sure the “old-timers” remember its beauty before the tornado, but as someone who never saw it “that way,” I was very pleased to walk around the park and get up close with all three cascades. (The water table was low, so I don’t think that would be possible after a heavy rain.) Cheer up, Menifee County, your spectacular waterfall is still spectacular. PHOTO COLLAGE: (Top left) The second part of the falls, where the fallen trees are still lying (Top right) The first (“upper”) part of Broke Leg Falls (Bottom left) The 60-foot drop at the end of the falls (Bottom right) The sign, explaining the damage caused by the 2012 tornado.