Neversink River
Encyclopedia
The Neversink River is a 55 miles (88.5 km) tributary of the Delaware River
in southeastern New York
in the United States
. The name of the river comes from an Algonquian language
phrase meaning "mad river."
Because of Theodore Gordon
expertly matching dry fishing flies to actual insects in the 1890s, and due to the research of Edward Ringwood Hewitt from his property above the town of Neversink, the Neversink River is considered by many to be the birthplace of American dry fly fishing
.
The Neversink's main flow begins just south of the border between Ulster
and Sullivan
counties, where the east and west branches of the river join near the hamlet
of Claryville. Both branches begin on the slopes of Slide Mountain, the highest peak in the Catskills
. The west branch is joined by several major tributaries, such as Biscuit Brook and Pigeon Creek at Frost Valley YMCA in the town of Shandaken, Ulster County. In its upper course it is a rocky and wild stream, ideal for trout fishing although most of the land around it is privately owned.
Not far downriver from the confluence in Neversink
, it is impounded to form the Neversink Reservoir
. It is connected by a 5 miles (8 km) water tunnel
to Rondout Reservoir
, and subsequently to the Delaware Aqueduct
. The Neversink Reservoir resulted in the displacement of many locals as several towns along the river were flooded to make the reservoir.
It flows generally southeast through the mountains and is impounded in the town of Neversink to form the Neversink Reservoir
of the New York City Water Supply System. It flows through the town of Fallsburg
, the hamlets of Woodbourne
, South Fallsburg
, and Old Falls. It then enters the town of Thompson near Bridgeville
, where it intersects New York State Route 17
/Interstate 86
at Exit 107. It runs past Holiday Mountain Ski Area. In southern Sullivan County, it returns to less developed country, going over its largest waterfalls, Denton Falls and High Falls in the Neversink Gorge
. It then turns southeastward into western Orange County
. Near Cuddebackville, it is joined from the northeast by Basher Kill, then flows southwest, paralleling US 209
, joining the Delaware at Port Jervis
, at Tristate Rock, where New York, New Jersey
, and Pennsylvania
converge
underneath the Interstate 84
bridge.
stream, mostly north of Woodbourne. In addition to rainbow trout
, brown trout
, and brook trout
, the river is home to other fish species such as smallmouth bass
, carp
, sucker
, bluegill
, American eel
,lampreys and a diverse range of flora and fauna. Other forms of recreation are rarely pursued on the river. Several swimming holes are available, however many are on private property or restricted public property. The relative narrow nature of the river allows for limited boating. The river is mostly navagable with small watercraft from near its dam in Hasbrouck to its mouth, however, it is seldom traveled. In the late 19th century the river was said to have been navagable to Claryville, where a tannery existed. The river may have been a popular route for the tannery's trade as well as smaller steam propelled vessels.
It was formerly crossed by the Delaware & Hudson Canal at Cuddebackville by an early aqueduct
bridge designed by John Roebling and built in 1851.
, that continues to have an effect. In addition, heavy rains in combination with an extended period of unusually warm weather after a moderate to heavy winter with a considerable snowpack can produce devastating floods at the headwaters of the river from January to April.
A detailed history of the river can be found in James Eldrige Quinlan's History of Sullivan County, published in 1873.
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
in southeastern 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...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The name of the river comes from an Algonquian language
Algonquin language
Algonquin is either a distinct Algonquian language closely related to the Ojibwe language or a particularly divergent Ojibwe dialect. It is spoken, alongside French and to some extent English, by the Algonquin First Nations of Quebec and Ontario...
phrase meaning "mad river."
Because of Theodore Gordon
Theodore Gordon
Theodore Gordon, a consumptive hermit, was a writer who fished the Catskill region of New York State in the late 19th century through the early 20th century. He wrote articles for the Fishing Gazette from 1890 on and published works in Forest and Stream from 1903, sometimes under the pseudonym...
expertly matching dry fishing flies to actual insects in the 1890s, and due to the research of Edward Ringwood Hewitt from his property above the town of Neversink, the Neversink River is considered by many to be the birthplace of American dry fly fishing
Fly fishing
Fly fishing is an angling method in which an artificial 'fly' is used to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. Casting a nearly weightless fly or 'lure' requires casting techniques significantly different from other forms of casting...
.
Course
Ulster County, New York
Ulster County is a county located in the state of New York, USA. It sits in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 182,493. Recent population estimates completed by the United States Census Bureau for the 12-month period ending July 1 are at...
and Sullivan
Sullivan County, New York
Sullivan County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 77,547. The county seat is Monticello. The name is in honor of Major General John Sullivan, who was a hero in the American Revolutionary War...
counties, where the east and west branches of the river join near the hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Claryville. Both branches begin on the slopes of Slide Mountain, the highest peak in the Catskills
Catskill Mountains
The Catskill Mountains, an area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are a mature dissected plateau, an uplifted region that was subsequently eroded into sharp relief. They are an eastward continuation, and the highest representation, of the Allegheny Plateau...
. The west branch is joined by several major tributaries, such as Biscuit Brook and Pigeon Creek at Frost Valley YMCA in the town of Shandaken, Ulster County. In its upper course it is a rocky and wild stream, ideal for trout fishing although most of the land around it is privately owned.
Not far downriver from the confluence in Neversink
Neversink, New York
Neversink is a town in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The population was 3,553 at the 2000 census.The Town of Neversink is in the northeast corner of the county...
, it is impounded to form the Neversink Reservoir
Neversink Reservoir
Neversink Reservoir is one of several in the Catskill Mountains that supply water to New York City and other communities along its water supply network. It is located in Sullivan County's Town of Neversink, 75 miles northwest of the city....
. It is connected by a 5 miles (8 km) water tunnel
Water tunnel (physical infrastructure)
Water tunnels are tunnels used to transport water to areas with large populations or agriculture. They are part of aqueducts.-See also:*Metropolitan Water District of Southern California*Moffat Tunnel...
to Rondout Reservoir
Rondout Reservoir
Rondout Reservoir is part of New York City's water supply network. It is located 75 miles northwest of the city in the Catskill Mountains, near the southern end of Catskill Park, split between the towns of Wawarsing in Ulster County and Neversink in Sullivan County...
, and subsequently to the Delaware Aqueduct
Delaware Aqueduct
The Delaware Aqueduct is the newest of the New York City aqueducts. It takes water from the Rondout Reservoir through the Chelsea Pump Station, the West Branch Reservoir, and the Kensico Reservoir, ending at the Hillview Reservoir in Yonkers, New York....
. The Neversink Reservoir resulted in the displacement of many locals as several towns along the river were flooded to make the reservoir.
It flows generally southeast through the mountains and is impounded in the town of Neversink to form the Neversink Reservoir
Neversink Reservoir
Neversink Reservoir is one of several in the Catskill Mountains that supply water to New York City and other communities along its water supply network. It is located in Sullivan County's Town of Neversink, 75 miles northwest of the city....
of the New York City Water Supply System. It flows through the town of Fallsburg
Fallsburg, New York
Fallsburg is a town in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The town is in the eastern part of the county. The population was 12,234 at the 2000 census. The town takes its name from a waterfall on the Neversink River...
, the hamlets of Woodbourne
Woodbourne, New York
Woodbourne is a hamlet in the town of Fallsburg in Sullivan County, New York, United States.Woodbourne is bordered by the town of Neversink, the hamlet of Grahamsville, the hamlet of Loch Sheldrake, the hamlet of Old Falls, and the hamlet of Hasbrouck. The major thoroughfares of Woodbourne are New...
, South Fallsburg
South Fallsburg, New York
South Fallsburg is a hamlet in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The population was 2,061 at the 2000 census and 2,121 according to a 2007 estimate.South Fallsburg is located within the town of Fallsburg on Route 42....
, and Old Falls. It then enters the town of Thompson near Bridgeville
Bridgeville, New York
Bridgeville is a hamlet southeast of Monticello, New York located in the southern Catskill Mountains in the Town of Thompson, County of Sullivan, and State of New York, U.S.A. Bridgeville is located on the Neversink River on New York State Route 17 , at an elevation of...
, where it intersects New York State Route 17
New York State Route 17
New York State Route 17 is a state highway that extends for through the Southern Tier and Downstate regions of New York in the United States...
/Interstate 86
Interstate 86 (east)
Interstate 86 is an Interstate Highway that extends for through northwestern Pennsylvania and southern New York in the United States...
at Exit 107. It runs past Holiday Mountain Ski Area. In southern Sullivan County, it returns to less developed country, going over its largest waterfalls, Denton Falls and High Falls in the Neversink Gorge
Neversink Gorge
The Neversink Gorge is located in the town of Forestburgh, New York, USA, and is one of the more outstanding features of the Neversink River. A portion of the western side of the The Gorge, above Denton Falls, through High Falls, to the entrance of Eden Brook, is a private nature sanctuary called...
. It then turns southeastward into western 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...
. Near Cuddebackville, it is joined from the northeast by Basher Kill, then flows southwest, paralleling US 209
U.S. Route 209
U.S. Route 209 is a long U.S. highway in the states of Pennsylvania and New York. Although the route is a spur of U.S. Route 9, US 209 never intersects US 9, making the connection via U.S. Route 9W instead. The southern terminus of the route is at Pennsylvania...
, joining the Delaware at Port Jervis
Port Jervis, New York
Port Jervis is a city on the Delaware River in western Orange County, New York, with a population of 8,860 at the 2000 census. The communities of Deerpark, Huguenot, Sparrowbush, and Greenville are adjacent to Port Jervis, and the towns of Montague, New Jersey and Matamoras, Pennsylvania face the...
, at Tristate Rock, where New York, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, and Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
converge
Tri-state area
There are a number of areas in the 48 contiguous United States known as tri-state areas where three states either meet at one point or are in proximity to each other. The best known of the latter type is the New York metropolitan area...
underneath the Interstate 84
Interstate 84 (east)
Interstate 84 is an Interstate Highway extending from Dunmore, Pennsylvania at an interchange with Interstate 81 to Sturbridge, Massachusetts, at an interchange with the Massachusetts Turnpike . I-84 has mile-log junction numbering in Pennsylvania; otherwise, exit numbers are roughly sequential...
bridge.
Recreation
Along much of its length it is a popular troutTrout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
stream, mostly north of Woodbourne. In addition to rainbow trout
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
, brown trout
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
, and brook trout
Brook trout
The brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, is a species of fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. In many parts of its range, it is known as the speckled trout or squaretail. A potamodromous population in Lake Superior are known as coaster trout or, simply, as coasters...
, the river is home to other fish species such as smallmouth bass
Smallmouth bass
The smallmouth bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of the order Perciformes. It is the type species of its genus...
, carp
Carp
Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...
, sucker
Catostomidae
Catostomidae is the sucker family of the order Cypriniformes. There are 80 species in this family of freshwater fishes. Catostomidae are found in North America, east central China, and eastern Siberia...
, bluegill
Bluegill
The Bluegill is a species of freshwater fish sometimes referred to as bream, brim, or copper nose. It is a member of the sunfish family Centrarchidae of the order Perciformes.-Range and distribution:...
, American eel
American eel
The American eel, Anguilla rostrata, is a catadromous fish found on the eastern coast of North America. It has a snake-like body with a small sharp pointed head. It is brown on top and a tan-yellow color on the bottom. It has sharp pointed teeth but no pelvic fins...
,lampreys and a diverse range of flora and fauna. Other forms of recreation are rarely pursued on the river. Several swimming holes are available, however many are on private property or restricted public property. The relative narrow nature of the river allows for limited boating. The river is mostly navagable with small watercraft from near its dam in Hasbrouck to its mouth, however, it is seldom traveled. In the late 19th century the river was said to have been navagable to Claryville, where a tannery existed. The river may have been a popular route for the tannery's trade as well as smaller steam propelled vessels.
It was formerly crossed by the Delaware & Hudson Canal at Cuddebackville by an early aqueduct
Aqueduct
An aqueduct is a water supply or navigable channel constructed to convey water. In modern engineering, the term is used for any system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and other structures used for this purpose....
bridge designed by John Roebling and built in 1851.
History
In heavy rains it sometimes floods near its mouth. This occurred most recently in April 2005, causing some destruction and dislocation in the Port Jervis area, particularly the Myers Grove community near HuguenotHuguenot, New York
Huguenot, New York may refer to:* Huguenot, Orange County, New York - a hamlet in the town of Deerpark, New York* Huguenot, Staten Island, a neighborhood located in Staten Island, New York...
, that continues to have an effect. In addition, heavy rains in combination with an extended period of unusually warm weather after a moderate to heavy winter with a considerable snowpack can produce devastating floods at the headwaters of the river from January to April.
A detailed history of the river can be found in James Eldrige Quinlan's History of Sullivan County, published in 1873.
Tributaries
- Basher Kill
- Sheldrake Stream
- Eden Brook
- Mullet Brook
- Monell Brook
See also
- Cuddebackville DamCuddebackville DamThe Cuddebackville Dam was a concrete dam on the Neversink River in Orange County, New York near the town of Cuddebackville, removed in October, 2004 to benefit aquatic life. It was the first dam removed in New York State for environmental reasons.-History:...
- List of crossings of the Neversink River
- List of New York rivers
- Neversink PreserveNeversink PreserveThe Neversink Preserve is located in Godeffroy in Orange County, New York. was created in 1993 by the Nature Conservancy. They purchased upland of land on the Neversink River and created the Neversink Preserve in order to protect the newly discovered and federally endangered species of mussel, the...