THE GREAT FALLS - The Great Falls of the Passaic River are a prominent waterfall, 77 ft. high, in the city of Paterson N.J. Congress authorized its establishment as a National Historical Park in 2009. In 1778, Alexander Hamilton visited the falls and later as the nation's first Secretary of Treasury, selected the site of the nation's first planned industrial city. In 1791, Hamilton helped found the Society for the Establishment of Useful Manufactures (S.U.M.). During high water the Great Falls becomes a spectacular sight, with tremendous amounts of water cascading over the falls.