David's Falls

David's Falls is a powerful plunging waterfall which surges off of a cliff of volcanic bedrock, plunging hundreds of feet down the south side of Mount Katmai within the area affected by the immense Lahars which surged down the mountain during it's cataclysmic eruption in 1912. Exactly how tall the falls are is unclear. A second waterfall of comprable height but significantly reduced volume is found about one-third of a mile upstream which should probably be considered a distinct waterfall in its own right, rather than an upper tier to David's Falls.This waterfall was documented, possibly for the first time, during a National Geographic expedition to the Mount Katmai area in 1919 to observe the changes to the environment after the catastrophic eruption in 1912. Whether the falls were in part formed by the massive lahars generated by the eruption is unclear, however the landscape was unquestionably altered. Photographs taken by Emery Clifford Kolb clearly show the lower of two falls along this particular stream, suggesting that there was a distinction made between the two falls as to which one bore the present name. Who the falls were named for is unknown.