Nestled in a deep gorge along the Mohawk River, Little Falls first came into being as a village in 1811 and became Herkimer County's only city in 1895. With its close proximity to main routes of transportation via the Erie Canal system and railroad, as well as its access to waterpower from the Mohawk River, Little Falls became a manufacturing leader and Herkimer County's largest populated area. It was famous nationwide for its cheese market and innovations in dairy and cheese manufacturing equipment. It was the site of one of the worst train wrecks in the history of the New York Central Railroad, boasts the sixth-highest lift lock in the world, and is the hometown of a famous radio personality who started the televised dance show Twist-A-Rama in the 1960s.