Kayaderosseras

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Kayaderosseras Creek
KayaderosserasCreekApril2012.jpg
Kayaderosseras Creek looking downstream from US Route 9, April 2012
Kayaderosseras
Location
Country United States
State New York
Region Upstate New York
Metropolitan area Capital District
Counties Saratoga County
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • location Corinth, Saratoga County, New York
 • coordinates 43°12′00″N73°55′17″W / 43.20000°N 73.92139°W / 43.20000; -73.92139 [1]
 • elevation1,400 ft (430 m)
Mouth Saratoga Lake
 • location
 Saratoga Springs/Malta, Saratoga County, New York
 • coordinates
 43°02′27″N73°44′14″W / 43.04083°N 73.73722°W / 43.04083; -73.73722 [1]
 • elevation
200 ft (61 m)
Basin size195 sq mi (510 km2)
Basin features
River system Hudson River Watershed
Tributaries 
 • left Mud Creek, Vly Creek, Star Brook, Geyser Brook, Bog Meadow Brook
 • rightSouth Branch Kayaderosseras, Crook Brook, Glowgee Creek, Gordon Creek, Mourning Kill

The Kayaderosseras Creek, usually shortened to Kaydeross, is the largest river that lies completely within Saratoga County, New York State. It originates in the Kayaderosseras Range in the northern part of the county, passes through the towns of Corinth, Greenfield, and Milton, and serves as the boundary between the City of Saratoga Springs and the Town of Malta before emptying into Saratoga Lake.

Contents

History

The Mohawk tribe of the Iroquois Five Nations used the associated valley as a summer hunting and fishing destination. In Arthur James Johnson's History of Round Lake, N.Y., the name Kayaderosseras is described as an "Indian name" purchased by the colony of New York from the Mohicans. However, James goes on to claim that the word is "evidently a corruption by mispronunciation of two French terms: pays arrosé, a watered country, or pays des ruisseaux, a country of streams. [2] : p.10 

George West's "Empire Mill" along the creek at Rock City Falls Empire Mill Rock City Falls NY.jpg
George West's "Empire Mill" along the creek at Rock City Falls

The creek is best known for providing water power to a host of paper mills and a hard edge-tool factory in the 19th century. "Paper Bag King" George West established his paper bag empire on the banks of the Kayaderosseras Creek in Rock City Falls in 1862. Of the dozen paper mills situated along the creek in the late 19th century, only the Cottrell Paper Company is still in operation as of 2024. [3]

From 1898 to 1929, the 12-mile (19 km) Kaydeross Railroad, or Ballston Terminal Railroad, a trolley railroad line, closely followed the banks of the creek to serve the paper mills and Isaiah Blood's tool factory. Although this line also carried passengers, it mainly existed to carry freight.

Over-logging caused the flow of the creek to decrease dramatically in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today the creek possesses several popular fishing spots, especially in Rock City Falls, Milton Center, and Craneville. The principal fish is the brown trout, which is stocked. [4]

References

  1. 1 2 "Kayaderosseras Creek". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  2. ↑ Weise, Arthur James (1887). History of Round Lake, Saratoga County, N.Y. New York: Douglas Taylor.
  3. ↑ Starr, Timothy (2007). The Lost Industries of the Kaydeross Valley: A History of Manufacturing in Ballston Spa, New York. Instant Pub.
  4. ↑ "Fly Fishing Kayaderosseras Creek New York". Perfect Fly. Retrieved Sep 16, 2016.
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