River ramble

Posted 8/21/12

History has shown that rivers, in general, have been used as meeting places and places to settle. Even in pre-European settlement times, Indian tribes used rivers for both living areas and a food …

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River ramble

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History has shown that rivers, in general, have been used as meeting places and places to settle. Even in pre-European settlement times, Indian tribes used rivers for both living areas and a food source. Locally, Lenape artifacts recovered near the Delaware River have shown that net fishing was greatly utilized and fresh water mussels were a major food source. Sometimes while walking near the river, a flint arrowhead could be found by a woodchuck burrow in the mound of excavated dirt.

Today, we have towns and villages along our river where people call home. We have a railroad and a Scenic Byway that run alongside the river, and just as people took trains from New York City during the 1800s to enjoy the river, people come by car to do the same today.

This time of year is always a great time to take advantage of what the river has to offer. Fishing opportunities abound, and the river conditions look good at the moment. Rafting and canoeing this time of year offer a wealth of wildlife viewing. An abundance of birds can be seen and heard as they go through the spring breeding season, and eagles can be spotted along the river as they hunt for fish for the growing young eagles in nests up and down the river.

For folks who don’t want to paddle the river, there are plenty of accessible points along the water for nature viewing or other attractions. New York State Route 97, also known as the Upper Delaware Scenic Byway, runs along the river from Port Jervis to Hancock, NY. There are several hiking trails along the Delaware River as well. For more information as well as conditions, view the National Park Service Upper Delaware site at https://www.nps.gov/upde.

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