Muddy Kill
Encyclopedia
Muddy Kill is a 4.2 miles (6.8 km) tributary
of the Wallkill River
that runs entirely through the town of Montgomery
in Orange County
, New York
, USA. It rises from a small pond just over a mile (1.7 km) west of the village of Walden
, flowing first southwesterly then roughly due south to empty into the Wallkill just upstream from the village of Montgomery
.
Its course takes it mostly through areas cleared for agriculture, although not all are presently cultivated. Near its mouth it passes through a large horse
farm, and then once it runs through a culvert
under NY 17K
it is within 102 acres (41.3 ha) recently acquired and developed by the town as Benedict Farm Park. It drains the low-lying Comfort Hills to the west.
The name is an English interpretation of Modder Kill, as it was called by early Dutch settlers
in the region. In Dutch
, Modder means "mud" or "slime", so the meaning of the creek's name stayed the same. The fertile lands of the creek's valley attracted many early settlers, and the houses of some, such as Abraham Dickerson
, Jacob Bookstaver
, Moses Mould
and Wilhelm Schmitt
, still stand. It has been equally attractive to contemporary real estate developers, and to lessen environmental impacts on the stream and the Wallkill watershed
as a whole the Open Space Institute
and the town cooperated in 2005 to obtain a permanent agricultural easement
on the 227 acres (91.9 ha) Zylstra Farm, one of the largest properties along the creek.
With little significant woodland in its valley, the creek can rise quickly when heavy rains fall. After the April 2007 Nor'easter
, it flooded severely enough near its mouth that Route 17K had to be closed west of Montgomery for two days.
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the Wallkill River
Wallkill River
The Wallkill River, a tributary of the Hudson, drains Lake Mohawk in Sparta, New Jersey, flowing from there generally northeasterly to Rondout Creek in New York, near Rosendale, with the combined flows reaching the Hudson at Kingston....
that runs entirely through the town of Montgomery
Montgomery (town), New York
Montgomery is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 20,891 at the 2000 census. It was named in honor of Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general killed in 1775 at the Battle of Quebec....
in Orange County
Orange County, New York
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located at the northern reaches of the New York metropolitan area. The county sits in the state's scenic Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, USA. It rises from a small pond just over a mile (1.7 km) west of the village of Walden
Walden, New York
Walden is the largest of three villages of the Town of Montgomery in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 6,978 at the 2010 census. It has the ZIP Code 12586 and the 778 telephone exchange within the 845 area code...
, flowing first southwesterly then roughly due south to empty into the Wallkill just upstream from the village of Montgomery
Montgomery (village), New York
Montgomery is a village located in Orange County, New York, United States, 60 miles northwest of New York City, and 90 miles southwest of Albany. The population was 3,636 at the 2000 census...
.
Its course takes it mostly through areas cleared for agriculture, although not all are presently cultivated. Near its mouth it passes through a large horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
farm, and then once it runs through a culvert
Culvert
A culvert is a device used to channel water. It may be used to allow water to pass underneath a road, railway, or embankment. Culverts can be made of many different materials; steel, polyvinyl chloride and concrete are the most common...
under NY 17K
New York State Route 17K
New York State Route 17K is an east–west state highway located within Orange County, New York, in the United States. It extends for from an intersection with County Route 76 east of Bloomingburg to a junction with U.S. Route 9W midway across the city of Newburgh...
it is within 102 acres (41.3 ha) recently acquired and developed by the town as Benedict Farm Park. It drains the low-lying Comfort Hills to the west.
The name is an English interpretation of Modder Kill, as it was called by early Dutch settlers
Dutch colonization of the Americas
Dutch trading posts and plantations in the Americas precede the much wider known colonization activities of the Dutch in Asia. Whereas the first Dutch fort in Asia was built in 1600 , the first forts and settlements on the Essequibo river in Guyana and on the Amazon date from the 1590s...
in the region. In Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
, Modder means "mud" or "slime", so the meaning of the creek's name stayed the same. The fertile lands of the creek's valley attracted many early settlers, and the houses of some, such as Abraham Dickerson
Abraham Dickerson Farmhouse
The Abraham Dickerson Farmhouse is a Registered Historic Place in Orange County, New York's Town of Montgomery. It is located on West Searsville Road, which was originally its entrance driveway....
, Jacob Bookstaver
Jacob Bookstaver House
The Jacob Bookstaver House is located off Albany Post Road in Orange County, New York's Town of Montgomery, not far from The Smith House. It has been a Registered Historic Place since 1996....
, Moses Mould
Moses Mould House
The Moses Mould House is a Registered Historic Place located at the junction of NY 17K and Kaistertown Road in the Town of Montgomery, in Orange County, New York. It is just up Kaisertown from another site on the National Register, the Jacob Shafer House. Mould was the first of a large family of...
and Wilhelm Schmitt
The Smith House (Montgomery, New York)
The Smith House is located on Albany Post Road in the Orange County Town of Montgomery, New York, approximately two miles north of NY 17K and a mile southwest of Walden. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1996....
, still stand. It has been equally attractive to contemporary real estate developers, and to lessen environmental impacts on the stream and the Wallkill watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
as a whole the Open Space Institute
Open Space Institute
Open Space Institute is a conservation organization and think tank with an extensive mission statement. It seeks to preserve scenic, natural and historic landscapes for public enjoyment, conserve habitats while sustaining community character, and help protect the environment...
and the town cooperated in 2005 to obtain a permanent agricultural easement
Easement
An easement is a certain right to use the real property of another without possessing it.Easements are helpful for providing pathways across two or more pieces of property or allowing an individual to fish in a privately owned pond...
on the 227 acres (91.9 ha) Zylstra Farm, one of the largest properties along the creek.
With little significant woodland in its valley, the creek can rise quickly when heavy rains fall. After the April 2007 Nor'easter
April 2007 Nor'easter
The April or Spring Nor’easter of 2007 was a nor'easter that affected mainly the eastern parts of North America during its four day course April 14 to April 17, 2007. The combined effects of high winds, heavy rainfall, and high tides led to flooding, storm damages, power outages, and evacuations,...
, it flooded severely enough near its mouth that Route 17K had to be closed west of Montgomery for two days.