2023 Waterfalls
- Stamps picture 12 different American waterfalls
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Value: First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue: June 13, 2023
First Day City: Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Quantity Issued: 34,992,000
Printed by: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd.
Printing Method: Offset
Format: Pane of 12
Tagging: Nonphosphored Type III, Block Tagged
Why the stamp was issued: According to the USPS, these stamps were issued to celebrate “the variety and beauty of American waterfalls.”
About the stamp design: Each stamp pictures an existing photograph of a waterfall along with its name and the state it’s located in (text is below the image).
First Day City: Issued in Yellowstone National Park, appropriate considering one of the stamps pictures a major waterfall in the park.
History the stamp represents: The United States is home to 17,000 documented waterfalls, both big and small. Each one has something special about it that draws visitors from all walks of life to witness its natural beauty and power. In 2023, the USPS issued a set of 12 Forever stamps picturing a small handful of waterfalls found in the US. These included small, lesser-known ones like Sunbeam Falls in Washington State as well as huge, worldwide attractions like Niagara Falls in New York.
There are a number of ways to describe a waterfall. These characteristics include the fall’s height, distance traveled, width, or intensity of water flow. For example, a cascade is usually a smaller waterfall that travels down a series of rocky steps before reaching its plunge pool (base of the waterfall). On the opposite end, a cataract is a large, very powerful single-drop waterfall that usually has a high output of water. There are also waterfalls described as vernal or ephemeral, meaning they can only be observed during the spring when snowmelt provides water to them for a short time before they dry up.
In 1942, geologist Oscar von Engeln wrote, “Waterfall sites more than any other geomorphic feature attract and hold the interest of the general public.” In a changing world in which technology has led us to spend more time indoors, chasing waterfalls is a great way to get out in nature. While some waterfalls take days of hiking to reach, there are plenty that can be seen from the road or a short, easy walk. No matter how old you are, there is nothing that compares to the peace and tranquility of seeing a waterfall up close.
