Misplaced Pages

#457542

51-625: It takes its name from the neighboring Shawangunk Ridge , where it rises in the town of Greenville , then flowing down into the valley. For part of its length, it forms the northwestern boundary of Orange County, with first Sullivan and then Ulster County along the other side. From its source in Greenville, the Shawangunk flows steadily northeastward to Mill Pond, near Mount Hope , by which point it has already lost almost half its original elevation. It passes through fields and woods east of Otisville . At

102-471: A cool microenvironment that supports several northern species such as black spruce , hemlock, rowan , and creeping snowberry (Gaultheria hispidula), and bryophytes such as Isopterygium distichaceum. These ice caves are concentrated near Sam's Point in the northern Shawangunks. Larger limestone caverns occur along the lower slopes of the Rondout and Delaware River valleys. Lakes and wetlands occur mostly on

153-560: A few emergent marshes. The ridge is primarily Shawangunk Conglomerate , a hard, silica - cemented sedimentary conglomerate of white quartz pebbles and sandstone that directly overlies the Martinsburg Formation , a thick sequence of turbidite deposits of dark gray shale and greywacke . The Martinsburg Formation was deposited in a deep ocean basin during the Ordovician (470 million years ago). The Shawangunk Conglomerate

204-603: A low flat made by the Rondout Creek and Sandburgh Creek, the Basha Kill and various small kills, as well as the Neversink River and Delaware River at the southern end. These adjacent valleys are underlain by relatively weak sedimentary rock (e.g., sandstone, shale, limestone). There is an unusual diversity of vegetation on the ridge, containing species typically found north of this region alongside species typically found to

255-475: Is also a widely used familiar term for the ridge and has been in use at least since the mid-19th century. In a letter dated August and postmarked August 8, 1838, Hudson River School painter Thomas Cole corresponding with painter A.B. Durand writes, "Do let me hear from you when you get among the Gunks . I hope you will find every thing there your heart can wish." The Shawangunks, particularly around Lake Mohonk, were

306-530: Is an inanimate intransitive verb meaning "it is smoky air" or "there is smoky air". Its noun-like participle is schawank, meaning "that which is smoky air". Adding the locative suffix gives us schawangunk "in the smoky air". Whritenour has suggested that the name derives from the burning of a Munsee fort by the Dutch at the eastern base of the ridge in 1663 (a massacre ending the Second Esopus War ). Use of

357-628: Is listed on the National Historic Lookout Register. The tower remains, but both it and the surrounding area are closed to the public. In 1912, the Conservation Commission built a wood fire lookout tower on the ridge east of Ellenville on High Point. In 1919, the Conservation Commission replaced it with a 47-foot-tall (14 m) Aermotor LS40 steel fire lookout tower. Due to increased use of aerial detection,

408-692: Is located on the west side of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Province extends from southeastern New York in the north through northwestern New Jersey , westward into Pennsylvania through the Lehigh Valley , and southward into Maryland , West Virginia , Virginia , Kentucky , Tennessee , Georgia , and Alabama . They form a broad arc between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian Plateau physiographic province, which includes

459-482: Is not heavily populated; its only settlement of consequence is the hamlet of Cragsmoor . In the past, the ridge was chiefly noted for mining and logging and a boom-era of huckleberry picking. Fires were regularly set to burn away the undergrowth and stimulate new growth of huckleberry bushes. Today the ridge has become known for its outdoor recreation, most notably as one of the major rock climbing areas of North America, with many guides offering rock climbing trips in

510-722: Is now closed to the public. Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , also called the Ridge and Valley Province or the Valley and Ridge Appalachians , are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands division. The physiographic province is divided into three sections: the Hudson Valley, the Central, and the Tennessee. The river valleys were areas of indigenous settlements for thousands of years. In

561-660: Is owned by the Mohonk Mountain House and rock climbing requires authorized guides. Rock climbing is also permitted on the Peterskill and Dickie Barre cliff areas of Minnewaska State Park Preserve . The height of the cliff varies along the ridgeline, to a maximum of some 300 feet (91 m). In 1930, the Conservation Department built a 60-foot-tall (18 m) Aermotor LS40 steel fire lookout tower and observers cabin on Sayers Hill (Pocatello Mountain). The tower

SECTION 10

#1732855258458

612-656: Is part of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , typified by the Shawangunk Ridge to the west and the lower Hoagerburgh Ridge to the east. North to south, going upriver Shawangunk Ridge The Shawangunk Ridge / ˈ ʃ ɑː w ə ŋ ɡ ʌ ŋ k / , also known as the Shawangunk Mountains or The Gunks , is a ridge of bedrock in Ulster County , Sullivan County and Orange County in

663-404: Is trapped by the bedrock or till, there are interspersed lakes and wetland areas. Soils on top of shale are thicker, less acidic, and more fertile. Topography on the top of the northern Shawangunks is irregular due to a series of faults that form secondary plateaus and escarpments. Ice caves are deep fissures in the conglomerate bedrock that retain ice through much of the summer, resulting in

714-593: The Allegheny and Cumberland plateaus. They are characterized by long, even ridges , with long, continuous valleys in between. The Valley and Ridge Province was formed during the Alleghanian orogeny , a mountain-building event that occurred between 325 and 260 million years ago. The rocks in the region were subjected to immense pressure and heat, causing them to deform and fold. The softer parts of these rock units (chiefly shale and limestone) were eroded to form

765-470: The Near Trapps , The Trapps , and Skytop . Of these four, The Trapps, is the longest, the most popular and most accessible, with the largest number of climbing routes . The Near Trapps is located immediately across Route 44/55 from The Trapps, and is second in popularity. Millbrook Mountain , the highest and most southerly cliff, is the most remote, and sees the least climbing activity. The Skytop cliff

816-507: The New River , and the Potomac River , are older than the present mountains, having cut water gaps that are perpendicular to hard strata ridges. The evidence points to a wearing down of the entire region to a low level with little relief, so that major rivers were flowing in unconsolidated sediments unaffected by the underlying rock structure. The region was then uplifted slowly enough so that

867-695: The Appalachian Trail at High Point State Park in New Jersey. It generally follows the spectacular Shawangunk Ridge north, occasionally using abandoned roads and rail beds. The New York/New Jersey Trail Conference lists seventeen recommended hikes on the Ridge. The development of rock climbing in the Shawangunks is attributed to Fritz Wiessner and Hans Kraus , pioneers of modern rock climbing. It has historically been centered around four major cliffs: Millbrook ,

918-499: The Bruyn [purchase of Jan., 1682, the first appearance of the name in documentary record], as a phrase invented by the Indians to describe some feature of the landscape. Fried also notes that the name's swift spread in the deed record suggests it was in use as a proper name before the Bruyn purchase. Shawangunk appears nowhere in reference to the fort in the extensive, translated Dutch record of

969-468: The Mohonk Preserve protects and manages over 8,000 acres of the Shawangunk Ridge, including the world-renowned Trapps climbing cliffs, and features over 70 miles of historic carriage roads and trails. In 2007 Shawangunk Ridge State Forest and Witches Hole State Forest were added. The Long Path long-distance hiking trail follows the ridge from Sullivan County to the vicinity of Kerhonkson ; south of it

1020-577: The Second Esopus War. Shawangunk became associated with the ridge during the 18th century. In the original Lenape, the word is tri-syllabic, Sha-wan-gun, although in an occasional 18th-century deed it is written with a fourth syllable. The correct pronunciation approximates sha (short a) - wan (as in want) - goon (as in book). The trailing k is sub vocal and modifies the sound of the n. European colonists began to truncate Shawangunk into "Shongum" ( / ˈ ʃ ɒ n ɡ ʌ m / SHON -gum ). Shongum

1071-584: The Shawangunk Conglomerate, are exposed north of Shawangunk Ridge in the Rosendale Natural Cement Region, where they can be directly examined in abandoned mines. Strata along the eastern margin of Shawangunk Ridge are truncated by erosion, resulting in the prominent cliffs characteristic of Shawangunk Ridge. The Shawangunk Conglomerate is very hard and resistant to weathering ; whereas the underlying shale erodes relatively easily. Thus,

SECTION 20

#1732855258458

1122-740: The Shawangunk Ridge Trail connects to the Appalachian Trail near High Point . There are several old carriage trails on the Ridge including; Smiley Road from Ellenville into Minnewaska State Park Preserve; and Old Plank Road and Old Mountain Road in Shawangunk Ridge State Forest. Many of the foot trails are updated and maintained by the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference . There are also many waterfalls in

1173-431: The Shawangunk region, such as: VerKeerderkill Falls , Awosting Falls , and Vernooy Kill Falls. In 2004, a luxury development plan for buildings has threatened the ridge line, and as a result a grassroots "Save the Ridge" campaign has become extremely popular in the area. In 2006 a court ordered the sale of property by the private owner to settle a case brought on by the developer. The Open Space Institute of NY purchased

1224-550: The area. Also known for its biodiversity and scenic character, the ridge has been designated by The Nature Conservancy as a significant area for its conservation programs. The English name, Shawangunk, derives from the Dutch Scha-wan-gunk, the closest European transcription from the colonial deed record of the Munsee Lenape , Schawankunk (German orthography). Lenape linguist Raymond Whritenour reports that schawan

1275-473: The colonial era, including Cumberland Gap , Braddock's Road , and Forbes Road . These were later improved as America's first National Roads, including Wilderness Road , Cumberland Road , Lincoln Highway , designated as U.S. Route 40 and U.S. Route 30 in later years. Early settlers of Ohio Country tended to enter it via the Ohio River ; river systems were the most important transportation corridors. It

1326-481: The flat-topped ridges at the northern and southern ends of the area and, to a lesser extent, along the western side of the middle part of the ridge. Lakes and ponds occurring on conglomerates tend to be clear, nutrient-poor, and very acidic, due to the limited buffering capacity of the bedrock. The northern Shawangunks have five lakes, the "sky lakes," which are, from north to south: Mohonk Lake, Lake Minnewaska, Lake Awosting, Mud Pond, and Lake Maratanza. The pH in four of

1377-625: The hamlet of New Vernon, it becomes the Orange-Sullivan county line and shortly thereafter receives its first named tributary, the Little Shawangunk Kill. It begins to widen a bit at Bloomingburg , and north of that community it is crossed by NY 17 , the busiest road along the kill. Several miles to the north, the confluence of another tributary, the Platte Kill, marks the point where Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties come together as

1428-699: The historic period, the Cherokee people had towns along many of the rivers in western South Carolina and North Carolina, as well as on the western side of the Appalachian Mountains in present-day Tennessee. Similarly, the Catawba people occupied areas along the upper Catawba River in Western North Carolina , to the east of Cherokee County . The ridge and valley system presents an important obstacle to east–west land travel even with today's technology. It

1479-485: The lakes averages about 4 (acidic); Lake Mohonk, which partially overlays shale bedrock and is therefore partially buffered, is closer to neutral pH (7.0). The Shawangunks contain mainly public lands as well as several small residential areas. A large portion of the northern Ridge is protected by Minnewaska State Park Preserve , which also now manages Sam's Point Preserve with more than 100 miles (160 km) of hiking trails and several climbing areas. Established in 1963,

1530-578: The land and has signed it over to Minnewaska State Park Preserve. The Trust for Public Land and Open Space Institute actually agreed to purchase the land for $ 17 million. At closing, however, the contract was assigned and title was taken in the name of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission , a federally chartered commission, although the funds for the purchase apparently came from the New York state Environmental Protection Fund. Unlike

1581-591: The major public land holdings on the Shawangunk Ridge, the Mohonk Preserve is a private land trust requiring a day fee depending on use. In May 2007 the state Department of Environmental Conservation initiated the development of its Shawangunk Ridge Unit Management Plan to include Shawangunk Multiple Use Area , Witch's Hole State Forest , Shawangunk Ridge State Forest , Roosa Gap State Forest , Wurtsboro Ridge State Forest , Huckleberry Ridge State Forest , and three detached Forest Preserve parcels. The goal of

Shawangunk Kill - Misplaced Pages Continue

1632-479: The minimal development (mostly agricultural) within much of its watershed, there is very little pollution. In 2015 the town council members of Wallkill , through which five miles (8.0 km) of the stream flows, enacted a law to protect the Shawangunk Kill. It bars any construction (including roads), clear cutting , dumping or septic systems within 100 feet (30 m) of the high water mark . Crawford , to

1683-450: The name spread quickly, and it was recorded in numerous land deeds and patents after the war. Historian Marc B. Fried writes: It is conceivable that this was...the Indians' own proper name for their village [and fort] and that the name was appropriated for use in subsequent land dealings because of the proximity of the...tracts to the former Indian village....The second possibility is that the name simply came into existence in connection with

1734-459: The north, also has in place limits on new construction and rebuilding in the stream's vicinity, and in Mount Hope much of the land around it is owned by the municipality. The river bedrock is predominantly shale , covered by silty loam soils left behind by past glaciation. The stream bed itself varies from solid rock to particulates such as gravel, sand and clay. Geologically, the Shawangunk valley

1785-452: The project was to develop "management objectives" for the properties, including those concerning permissible forms of public recreation and access. Following an announcement of the project's launch, no further statements had been issued by the DEC regarding its work as of June 2009. The Shawangunk Ridge Trail heads north approximately 40 miles (64 km), to Sam's Point Preserve in New York from

1836-442: The quartz conglomerate forms cliffs and talus slopes, particularly along the eastern margin of the ridge. The entire ridge was glaciated during the last Wisconsin glaciation , which scoured the ridges, left pockets of till , and dumped talus (blocks of rock) off the east side of the ridge. On top of the ridge, the soils are generally thin, highly acidic, low in nutrients, and droughty, but in depressions and other areas where water

1887-463: The region due to the absence of any serious impoundment along the upper river. It reported no less than six species of freshwater mussels , including the rare swollen wedge mussel, and 31 species of fish. Among the latter were the rare Notropis amoenus (comely shiner), Notropis stramineus (sand shiner), Percina caproedes (logperch), Lepomis auritis ( redbreasted sunfish ) and Noturus insignis (margined madtom ). The study found that

1938-418: The region supports the only known community of Diarrhena obovata (beakgrass) in the state. Other rare plants in the lower Shawangunk Kill include threadfoot on submerged ledges, sharp-winged monkeyflower , wingstem and redrooted flatsedge along the stream itself, with Davis' sedge, swamp agrimony, Aster vimeneus (small white aster) and violet bushclover joining the beakgrass in the floodplains. Due to

1989-680: The south or restricted to the Coastal Plain. The results is an area where many regionally rare plants are found at or near the limits of their ranges. Other rare species found in the area are those adapted to the harsh conditions on the ridge. Upland communities include chestnut oak and mixed-oak forest, pine barrens including dwarf pine ridges, hemlock -northern hardwood forest, and cliff and talus slope and cave communities. Wetlands include small lakes and streams, bogs , pitch pine - blueberry peat swamps, an inland Atlantic white cypress swamp, red maple swamps, acidic seeps, calcareous seeps, and

2040-866: The state of New York , extending from the northernmost point of the border with New Jersey to the Catskills . The Shawangunk Ridge is a continuation of the long, easternmost section of the Appalachian Mountains ; the ridge is known as Kittatinny Mountain in New Jersey, and as Blue Mountain as it continues through Pennsylvania. This ridge constitutes the western border of the Great Appalachian Valley . The ridgetop, which widens considerably at its northern end, has many public and private protected areas , including Wurtsboro Ridge State Forest, Shawangunk Ridge State Forest, Minnewaska State Park Preserve , Witch's Hole State Park and Mohonk Preserve. The ridge

2091-420: The stream bends slightly towards a more eastern heading. Pine Bush eventually rises on the east, and a few more miles north of that hamlet the kill becomes the exclusive property of Ulster County when the boundary returns to land at Orange County's northernmost point. The Shawangunk continues to meander into a wider and wider valley, populated mostly with farms and woodlots , the mountain ridge spreading across

Shawangunk Kill - Misplaced Pages Continue

2142-615: The subject for several Hudson River School painters. The Shawangunk Ridge is the northern end of a long ridge within the Appalachian Mountains that begins in Virginia , where it is called North Mountain , continues through Pennsylvania as Blue Mountain , becomes known as the Kittatinny Mountains after it crosses the Delaware Water Gap into New Jersey and becomes the Shawangunks at the New York state line. These mountains mark

2193-411: The tower ceased fire lookout operation at the end of the 1971 fire lookout season, and was later removed. In 1948, the Conservation Department built a 35-foot-tall (11 m) Aermotor steel fire lookout tower on the ridge northeast of Wurtsboro . Due to increased use of aerial detection, the tower ceased fire lookout operations at the end of the 1972 fire lookout season. The tower was later sold, and

2244-522: The valleys and the harder parts of the folds (quartzites) formed the mountain tops and ridges. The ridges represent the edges of the erosion-resistant strata, and the valleys portray the absence of the more erodible strata. Smaller streams have developed their valleys following the lines of the more easily eroded strata. A few major rivers, including the Delaware River , the Susquehanna River ,

2295-485: The western and northern edge of the Great Appalachian Valley . The ridge is widest (7.5 miles (12.1 km)) near the northern end and narrow in the middle (1.25 miles (2.01 km)), with a maximum elevation of 2,289 feet (698 m) near Lake Maratanza . The ridge rises above a broad, high plain which stretches to the Hudson River to the east. On the west the low foothills of the Appalachian Mountains mingle with

2346-474: The western sky. Finally, it curves due east and joins the Wallkill just south of US 44 - NY 55 near Gardiner . In the early 1990s, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service , when it was researching the fate of the former Galeville air base site (now Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge ) found that the lower Shawangunk (from its mouth to Pine Bush) supports an unusually diverse plant and animal community for

2397-540: Was a nearly insurmountable barrier to European-American migrants who walked or rode horses traveling west to settle the Ohio Country , and later the Northwest Territory and Oregon Country . In the era when animal power dominated transportation, there was no safe way to cross east–west in the middle of the range; crossing was only possible nearer its extremes except for a few rough passages opened mid-range during

2448-770: Was deposited over the Martinsburg Formation in thick braided river deposits during the Silurian (about 420 million years ago); both sequences of sedimentary rock were subsequently deformed in a continental collision associated during the assembly of the Pangean supercontinent during the Permian (about 270 million years ago). This collision deformed strata within the ridge in a northward plunging series of asymmetric folds (e.g., anticlines and synclines ) that are inclined gently westward. These same folds, involving strata that overlie

2499-598: Was difficult in the late 19th and 20th centuries to construct railroads and modern highways through this area. The eastern head of the Ridge and Valley region is marked by the Great Appalachian Valley , which lies just west of the Blue Ridge . The western side of the Ridge and Valley region is marked by steep escarpments such as the Allegheny Front , the Cumberland Mountains , and Walden Ridge . The Valley and Ridge

2550-609: Was mistakenly identified as the Munsee pronunciation by the Reverend Charles Scott writing on Shawangunk's etymology for the Ulster County Historical Society in 1861. The error has been reinforced in ethnographic sources and ridge literature, and by historians, librarians, and ridge educators for more than 140 years. Both "Shawangunk" and "Shongum" are popular usages among locals native to the region. The "Gunks"

2601-477: Was purchased with funds provided from the county and town, to protect the eastern and southern slopes of the Shawangunk Ridge. The tower was dismantled and moved to its current location in 1948. The tower ceased fire lookout operations at the end of the 1988 fire lookout season. It was officially closed in early 1989 by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation . The Graham Lookout Tower

SECTION 50

#1732855258458
#457542