Pequest River
Encyclopedia
The Pequest River is a 35.7 miles (57.5 km) tributary
of the Delaware River
in the Skylands Region
in northwestern New Jersey
in the United States
.
The Pequest, Native American
for "open land", drains an area of 162.62 square miles (421.2 km²) across Sussex
and Warren
counties, consisting of ten municipalities.
in Sussex County
and flows southward through Springdale
and Huntsville, about 3.5 miles (5.6 km), where it starts to turn southwest. Flowing through Tranquility, it runs along the northwestern side of the Allamuchy Mountain ridge near Allamuchy
, where it meets Trout Brook.
It now joins Bear Creek
in Bear Swamp and passes through the reclaimed swampy area known as the Great Meadows
, lying between the ridges of Jenny Jump Mountain and Cat Swamp Mountain. Shades Of Death Road
runs along the foot of Jenny Jump Mountain on the north side of the valley here. Some of the land here was drained for cultivation by excavation and clearing of the Pequest and its tributaries. It exits the Great Meadows in a long loop through the gap between Cat Swamp Mountain and Danville Mountain and resumes its course along the southeastern side of Mount Mohepinoke, entering the Pequest Wildlife Management Area. Furnace Brook empties into it as it descends into a small gorge cut between Mt. Mohepinoke and an outlying spur of the Scotts Mountain massif. It turns west, and Mountain Lake Brook enters the stream just above Buttzville
, where it exists the Pequest WMA. It passes west through Bridgeville, turns slightly towards the north, and meets Beaver Brook
as it turns southwest again. It tumbles down to Belvidere
in a series of falls, where it meets the Delaware River.
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 Delaware River
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 the Skylands Region
Skylands Region
The Skylands Region is a marketing area of the State of New Jersey located in the Northern and Central part of the state. It is one of six tourism regions established by the New Jersey State Department of Tourism, the others being the Gateway Region, Greater Atlantic City Region, the Southern...
in northwestern 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...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The Pequest, Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
for "open land", drains an area of 162.62 square miles (421.2 km²) across Sussex
Sussex County, New Jersey
The County of Sussex is the northernmost county in the State of New Jersey. It is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 Federal decennial census, 149,265 persons resided in Sussex County...
and Warren
Warren County, New Jersey
Warren County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 108,692. Its county seat is Belvidere...
counties, consisting of ten municipalities.
Course
The Pequest starts in a swamp south of NewtonNewton, New Jersey
Newton is a town in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the town population was 8,244. It is the county seat of Sussex County....
in Sussex County
Sussex County, New Jersey
The County of Sussex is the northernmost county in the State of New Jersey. It is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 Federal decennial census, 149,265 persons resided in Sussex County...
and flows southward through Springdale
Springdale, New Jersey
Springdale is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Cherry Hill Township, in Camden County, New Jersey. As of the United States 2000 Census, the section population was 14,409.-Geography:...
and Huntsville, about 3.5 miles (5.6 km), where it starts to turn southwest. Flowing through Tranquility, it runs along the northwestern side of the Allamuchy Mountain ridge near Allamuchy
Allamuchy Township, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 3,877 people, 1,692 households, and 1,133 families residing in the township. The population density was 188.8 people per square mile . There were 1,774 housing units at an average density of 86.4 per square mile...
, where it meets Trout Brook.
It now joins Bear Creek
Bear Creek (New Jersey)
Bear Creek is a tributary of the Pequest River in New Jersey in the United States.-Crossings:These crossings exist from north to south:*Shades Of Death Road*Interstate 80-References:...
in Bear Swamp and passes through the reclaimed swampy area known as the Great Meadows
Great Meadows, New Jersey
Great Meadows is an unincorporated area mostly within Liberty Township and Independence Township in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP code 07838....
, lying between the ridges of Jenny Jump Mountain and Cat Swamp Mountain. Shades Of Death Road
Shades Of Death Road
Shades Of Death Road, sometimes referred to locally as just "Shades", is a two-lane rural road of about 7 miles in length in central Warren County, New Jersey. It runs in a generally north-south direction through Liberty and Independence townships, then turns more east-west in Allamuchy Township...
runs along the foot of Jenny Jump Mountain on the north side of the valley here. Some of the land here was drained for cultivation by excavation and clearing of the Pequest and its tributaries. It exits the Great Meadows in a long loop through the gap between Cat Swamp Mountain and Danville Mountain and resumes its course along the southeastern side of Mount Mohepinoke, entering the Pequest Wildlife Management Area. Furnace Brook empties into it as it descends into a small gorge cut between Mt. Mohepinoke and an outlying spur of the Scotts Mountain massif. It turns west, and Mountain Lake Brook enters the stream just above Buttzville
Buttzville, New Jersey
Buttzville is an unincorporated community in White Township, Warren County, New Jersey, United States. It lies along U.S. Route 46 at the north end of Route 31 ....
, where it exists the Pequest WMA. It passes west through Bridgeville, turns slightly towards the north, and meets Beaver Brook
Beaver Brook (New Jersey)
Beaver Brook is a tributary of the Pequest River in western New Jersey in the United States.Beaver Brook originates near Blairstown and terminates at its confluence with the Pequest River near Belvidere.-References:...
as it turns southwest again. It tumbles down to Belvidere
Belvidere, New Jersey
Belvidere is a Town in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 2,681. It is the county seat of Warren County....
in a series of falls, where it meets the Delaware River.
Tributaries
- Beaver BrookBeaver Brook (New Jersey)Beaver Brook is a tributary of the Pequest River in western New Jersey in the United States.Beaver Brook originates near Blairstown and terminates at its confluence with the Pequest River near Belvidere.-References:...
- Mountain Lake Brook
- Furnace Brook
- Bear CreekBear Creek (New Jersey)Bear Creek is a tributary of the Pequest River in New Jersey in the United States.-Crossings:These crossings exist from north to south:*Shades Of Death Road*Interstate 80-References:...
- Trout Brook
Books, monographs, and other references
- Armstrong, William C. Pioneer Families of Northwestern New Jersey (Lambertville, New Jersey: Hunterdon House, 1979).
- Cawley, James S. and Cawley, Margaret. Exploring the Little Rivers of New Jersey (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1942, 1961, 1971, 1993). ISBN 0-8135-0684-0
- Chambers, Theodore Frelinghuysen. The early Germans of New Jersey: Their History, Churches, and Genealogies (Dover, New Jersey, Dover Printing Company, 1895), passim.
- Cummings, Warren D. Sussex County: A History (Newton, New Jersey: Newton Rotary Club, 1964). NO ISBN
- Documents Relating to the Colonial, Revolutionary and Post-Revolutionary History of the State of New Jersey [Title Varies]. Archives of the State of New Jersey, 1st-2nd series. 47 volumes. (Newark, New Jersey: 1880-1949). NO ISBN
- Honeyman, A. Van Doren (ed.). Northwestern New Jersey--A History of Somerset, Morris, Hunterdon, Warren, and Sussex Counties Volume 1. (Lewis Historical Publishing Co., New York, 1927). NO ISBN
- Schrabisch, Max. Indian habitations in Sussex County, New Jersey Geological Survey of New Jersey, Bulletin No. 13. (Union Hill, New Jersey: Dispatch Printing Company, 1915). NO ISBN
- Schrabisch, Max. Archaeology of Warren and Hunterdon counties Geological Survey of New Jersey, Bulletin No. 18. (Trenton, N.J., MacCrellish and Quigley co., state printers, 1917). NO ISBN
- Snell, James P. History of Sussex and Warren Counties, New Jersey, With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers. (Philadelphia: Everts & Peck, 1881). NO ISBN
- Stickney, Charles E. Old Sussex County families of the Minisink Region from articles in the Wantage Recorder (compiled by Virginia Alleman Brown) (Washington, N.J. : Genealogical Researchers, 1988)