Early Monday morning on August 21, at about 2:45 am, New York State Forest Ranger Martin received a call from Ray Brook Dispatch about an injured subject on Mount Tremper. The peak is located near the hamlet of Phoenicia, in the valley of Esopus Creek in the town of Shandaken in the Catskills in Ulster County, NY. [Read more…] about Man Claims “Being Hunted” by Catskills Hiking Partner
Esopus River
Ulster County’s Historic ‘Osterhoudt Flats’ Protected; New Trail Planned
In July, the Open Space Institute (OSI) has acquired the historic 90-acre Osterhoudt Flats property that is expected to host a multi-use community trail in the Town of Marbletown, Ulster County, NY. OSI purchased the 90-acre property on Atwood Road from landowners Claude and Holly Osterhoudt. [Read more…] about Ulster County’s Historic ‘Osterhoudt Flats’ Protected; New Trail Planned
Ulster County, Ramapough Lenape Renewing 1665 Esopus Treaty
On October 7, 1665, a peace treaty was signed between the indigenous Esopus people (the Ramapough Munsee Lunaape Nation / Ramapough Lenape Nation) and European settlers in what is now Ulster County, NY. The treaty brought to a close hostilities between the two parties that had begun in 1659, known as the Esopus Wars.
Both parties promised to cease hostilities, to establish a course of justice and conduct trade with each other. In addition to the cessation of fighting, the treaty proclaimed, “That all past Injuryes, are buryed and forgotten on both sides” and “that it may bee kept in perpetuall memory.”
A ceremonial peace tree planting and treaty renewal will be held on Friday, August 5th in Kingston. There have been 13 renewals of the treaty found in the Ulster County archives, dating from 1669 to 1745, and six more times in the last ten years. [Read more…] about Ulster County, Ramapough Lenape Renewing 1665 Esopus Treaty
DEC Expands Review of Ashokan Reservoir Releases
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the agency is requiring the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) to undertake additional analysis and prepare a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) for releases from the city’s Ashokan Reservoir. [Read more…] about DEC Expands Review of Ashokan Reservoir Releases
Comments Sought On Ashokan Reservoir Water Release Plans
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has released of two draft documents related to water releases from New York City’s Ashokan Reservoir for public review and comment. DEC is also hosting a virtual public hearing on these draft documents on February 4th, 2021. [Read more…] about Comments Sought On Ashokan Reservoir Water Release Plans
New Documentary On Esopus Creek, From Headwaters to the Hudson
On Friday, December 4, at 7 p.m., Tobe Carey will take to Zoom to introduce three cuts from his latest documentary, Mountain River: The Esopus Creek, Headwaters to the Hudson.
This feature-length film follows the Esopus Creek from its headwaters on Slide Mountain in New York’s Catskill Mountains, to the Ashokan Reservoir and on to the Hudson River at Saugerties, NY. [Read more…] about New Documentary On Esopus Creek, From Headwaters to the Hudson
Historic Huguenot St Planning Seasonal Nature Walks
Historic Huguenot Street is set to host four seasonal nature walks in 2019 at the Nyquist-Harcourt Wildlife Sanctuary and the Mohonk Preserve led by ethno ecologist and founder of Wild Hudson Valley Justin Wexler, who specializes in folklore and land use among the native people of the Hudson Valley, thanks to a gift from the Thomas and Corinne Nyquist Foundation. [Read more…] about Historic Huguenot St Planning Seasonal Nature Walks
Washington Irving’s Spooky Tale of Mamakating Hollow
It was once without question the best known ghost story set in Sullivan County, written by one of America’s most respected writers, and yet it is largely unknown today.
It combines detailed descriptions of the rich and bountiful beauty of this area in the 19th century with cleverly conceived ghouls as hideous as any in American literature.
It is Washington Irving’s 1838 short story “Hans Swartz: A Marvelous Tale of Mamakating Hollow” and it is still appropriate reading this Halloween season, more than 170 years after it was penned. [Read more…] about Washington Irving’s Spooky Tale of Mamakating Hollow
New Netherland & The Esopus Wars
The Esopus Wars were fought primarily between the Munsee Esopus and the New Netherland colonists in 1659-1663. The image of an “Indian” war most often conjures up scenes of the American West, yet this conflict took place right in the proverbial backyard of the Hudson Valley.
The conflicts were centered around the settlement of Wiltwijck, a place we know today as Kingston. The conflict completely changed the power dynamic of the region, from one dominated by American Indians to European colonists. While from another angle, a look at the war’s participants offers a view of the diverse population that composed Dutch New York. [Read more…] about New Netherland & The Esopus Wars
Preservation Failures: The Hardenbergh House
My previous post about Weigand’s Tavern was written about an historic structure, one of the oldest in Newburgh, which was in peril. Sadly, it is but one instance of many; there are too many cases in other parts of Ulster and Orange counties.
Another example is the Johannes G. Hardenbergh house, which was introduced to me by a fellow firefighter who explored its remains as a young child. This post will be about what happens when a local community does not, or can not, move fast enough to save a piece of history in time. [Read more…] about Preservation Failures: The Hardenbergh House