The Kayaderosseras Creek, usually shortened to Kaydeross, is the largest river that lies completely within Saratoga County,

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

. It originates in the Kayaderosseras Range in the northern part of the county, passes through the towns of

Corinth Corinth ( ; el, Κόρινθος, Kórinthos, ) is the successor to an ancient city, and is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Since the 2011 local government refor ...

, Greenfield, and Milton, and serves as the boundary between the City of

Saratoga Springs Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over ...

and the Town of Malta before emptying into

Saratoga Lake Saratoga Lake is a lake in the eastern part of Saratoga County, New York. The lake is approximately long, about wide at its widest point, and about deep. The lake is bordered by the city of Saratoga Springs on the northwest, the town of Mal ...

History

The

Mohawk Mohawk may refer to: Related to Native Americans * Mohawk people, an indigenous people of North America (Canada and New York) *Mohawk language, the language spoken by the Mohawk people * Mohawk hairstyle, from a hairstyle once thought to have been ...

tribe of the

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

Five Nations used the associated valley as a summer hunting and fishing destination. They named the creek ''Kayaderosseras'' (which translates into "Valley of the Crooked Stream") due to its tortuous course and dramatic drop in elevation. An 1887 source says that the name was derived from French terms, a Mohawk corruption of either ''pays arrosé'', a watered country, or ''pays des ruisseaux'', a country of streams, adapted by the Mohawk when they pushed out the previous inhabitants, the

Mahican The Mohican ( or , alternate spelling: Mahican) are an Eastern Algonquian Native American tribe that historically spoke an Algonquian language. As part of the Eastern Algonquian family of tribes, they are related to the neighboring Lenape, w ...

, in the 17th century. 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 A paper bag is a bag made of paper, usually kraft paper. Paper bags can be made either with virgin or recycled fibres to meet customers’ demands. Paper bags are commonly used as shopping carrier bags and for packaging of some consumer go ...

empire on the banks of the Kayaderosseras Creek in

Rock City Falls Rock City Falls is a hamlet in the town of Milton, Saratoga County, New York, United States. The principal roads are Route 29 and Rock City Falls Road. The hamlet achieved fame as the origins of Paper Bag King George West, who established his E ...

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 2016. From 1898 to 1929, the

Kaydeross Railroad The Kaydeross Railroad, earlier known as the Eastern New York Railroad and Ballston Terminal Railroad, was an electric-powered trolley line that served industries along the Kayaderosseras Creek in the town of Milton, Saratoga County, New York. ...

, 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

, Milton Center, and Craneville. The principal fish is the brown trout, which is stocked.

Gallery

Image:Kaydeross_MinerRoad.jpg, Kayaderosseras Creek crossing Miner Road in Corinth NY, near its source Image:Kayaderosseras Creek at Howe Road.jpg, Kayaderosseras Creek crossing Howe Road in Corinth NY Image:Kayaderosseras Creek at Spier Falls Road.jpg, Kayaderosseras Creek Crossing Spier Falls Road in Greenfield NY Image:Kayaderosseras Creek at Ballston Spa NY.jpg, Kayaderosseras Creek at the former Union Mill complex in Ballston Spa, NY Image:Kayaderosseras Creek Below Ballston Spa.jpg, Kayaderosseras Creek below Ballston Spa crossed by railroad trestle Image:The Mourning Kill joins the Karaderosseras.jpg, Confluence of the Mourning Kill with the Kayaderosseras Creek in Malta, NY Image:Kaydeross Creek in the Arrowhead Casino Prehistoric Site.jpg, Kayaderosseras Creek near its mouth Image:Mouth of Kaydeross Creek at Saratoga Lake.jpg, Mouth of Kayaderosseras Creek at Saratoga Lake

References

*''The Ballston Terminal Railroad And Its Successors,'' 2007

External links

Friends of the Kayaderosseras

Ballston Spa History - Industries and Railroads

Town of Milton, N.Y.

Taff, Conor. "Geologic History of the Kayaderosseras Watershed"

Kayaderosseras Creek Preserve
{{authority control Rivers of New York (state) Rivers of Saratoga County, New York