Hindostan Falls is a low, two-step ledge waterfall on the East Fork White River in Martin County, Indiana, at a state-owned fishing and picnic area on the site of a vanished frontier county seat. Visit Indiana calls it the widest waterfall in the state and the one with the highest water volume.
The falls
The river spills over a ledge of Mansfield Formation sandstone. The falls formed when the river cut through the neck of a meander, abandoning an older channel about 5 miles longer; the drop is about 5 feet at low pool, with about 7 feet of fall in less than a quarter mile of the new channel. At 555 cfs, the ledge is 3 to 4 feet high, with rapids below that change with the water level.
Getting there
The falls sit in a 134-acre state fishing and wildlife area on SR 550, about 4 miles east of Loogootee, with boat ramps above and below the falls, parking, picnic tables and restrooms. There is no cell service.
When to go
Low water shows the ledge best; at high water it can be drowned out, and floods can close the area or block the view from the overlook.
On site
The overlook is the main viewpoint. On the flat rock by the river, 128 square holes, each 18 by 18 inches, mark where mills once stood.
History and name
A state historical marker at SR 550 and CR 55, erected in 1966, indicates that Hindostan was settled in 1818, became the Martin County seat with about 1,200 people, and was abandoned after a "Great Sickness" in 1828. Settlement is also dated to 1808, with the name credited to Captain Caleb Fellows, a veteran of the British East India Company.
Nearby
The closest falls are on Mill Creek: Upper Cataract Falls, about 56.1 miles away, and Lower Cataract Falls, about 56.6 miles.
Distances are straight-line.