Opened on May 29, 1897, originally known as Brinton Park before being renamed through a naming contest in honor of its cascading waterfall. It was purchased by the New Castle Traction Company, which developed it into a popular amusement and excursion park, attracting visitors from western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio. The park featured many attractions including a large dance pavilion (once the largest in Pennsylvania), a theater, a baseball park, roller coasters, a merry-go-round, a lake for swimming, boating, and skating, a small zoo, and picnic groves.