
The Minisink or (more recently) Minisink Valley is a loosely defined geographic region of the Upper
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...
valley in northwestern
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
(
Sussex
Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...
and
Warren counties), northeastern
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
(
Pike and
Monroe counties) and New York (
Orange and
Sullivan counties).
The name was derived by Dutch colonists from the
Munsee name for the area, as bands of their people took names after geographic places which they inhabited as territory throughout the mid-Atlantic area. Originally inhabited by
Munsee, the northern branch of the
Lenape or Delaware Indians, the area's first European settlers arrived in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries and were
Dutch and French
Huguenot families from colonial New York's
Hudson River Valley. The term "Minisink" is not used often today. It is preserved because of its historical relevance concerning the early European settlement of the region during the American colonial period and as an artifact of the early "first contact" between Native Americans and early European explorers, traders and missionaries in the seventeenth century.
Much of the historical Minisink region has been incorporated into the
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area after defeat of
a controversial dam project proposed to be built by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the Delaware River near
Tocks Island.
Meaning of the name "Minisink"

The name Minisink comes from the
Munsee dialect of
Lenape
The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada.
The Lenape's historica ...
, a group of similar
Algonquian dialects that were spoken by the various groups of
Lenape
The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada.
The Lenape's historica ...
, or Delaware Indians who inhabited the region before European colonization. ''Minisink'' means "at the island" from the Algonquin root word ''minis'', meaning island.
During the colonial period, the Minisink was also an area of significant skirmishes and raids between British and French-allied forces in the
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...
(the North American front of the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...
). In response to attacks by larger forces of Delaware,
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...
ordered the construction of a series of forts along the
Pennsylvanian side of the
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...
. These forts included
Fort Hyndshaw,
Fort Dupuy,
Fort Norris, and
Fort Hamilton, among others.
Earlier historians posited that Minisink meant "people of the stony country" or "where the stones are gathered together." However,
Smithsonian linguist
Ives Goddard states that any of the attempts to derive either ''Minisink'' or ''Munsee'' from words meaning "stone" or "mountain," as proposed by these writers (including Lenape scholar
Daniel G. Brinton), are incorrect.
Geology and geography
Defining the Minisink area
The Minisink has never been known as a region with distinct, set boundaries. It generally has been conceived as the valley of the Delaware River going northward from the Delaware Water Gap and including the valley of the
Neversink River (a tributary entering the Delaware near Port Jervis, New York). According to Vosburgh, "The 'Minisink county' consists of the valley of the Neversink west of the
Shawangunk Mountains, and the Delaware valley, as far as the Delaware Water Gap." Some sources imply that it was confined to the width of valley of the Delaware and its surrounding hillsides.
Other sources define the region as an area extending for 20–30 miles to the east and west of the river. This latter definition would include parts or all of the Kittatinny Valley to the east of
Kittatinny Mountain in New Jersey, and westward deep into northeastern Pennsylvania. East of the Shawangunk ridge, in New York are the
Town of Greenville and the
Town of Minisink, both often included as part of the Minisink region. Their residents attend
Minisink Valley Central School District.
Course of the Delaware River
The
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...
was often referred to as the ''Minisink River'' in early Dutch colonial documents and on early maps. The Delaware River constitutes part of the boundary between
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
and
New York, and the entire boundary between
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
and
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
. The middle section of the Delaware River's course, roughly between
Port Jervis, New York and the
Delaware Water Gap (a break in
Kittatinny Mountain where the river runs through) constitutes the north and southern points of the Minisink or Minisink Valley. The river flows down a broad
Appalachian valley. The Minisink is a
buried valley, where the Delaware flows in a bed of
glacial
A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...
till
image:Geschiebemergel.JPG, Closeup of glacial till. Note that the larger grains (pebbles and gravel) in the till are completely surrounded by the matrix of finer material (silt and sand), and this characteristic, known as ''matrix support'', is d ...
that buried the eroded bedrock during the
last glacial period.
At
Port Jervis, New York, the river enters the Port Jervis trough. At this point, the
Walpack Ridge deflects the Delaware into the Minisink Valley. It follows the southwest
strike of the eroded
Marcellus Formation beds along the Pennsylvania–New Jersey state line for to the end of the ridge at Walpack Bend in
Walpack Township, New Jersey in the
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. It skirts the
Kittatinny ridge, which it crosses at the
Delaware Water Gap, between nearly vertical walls of
sandstone
Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
,
quartzite, and
conglomerate.
Appalachian Mountains
The features of the Ridge and Valley province were created approximately 300–400 million years ago during the
Ordovician period and
Appalachian orogeny—a period of tremendous pressure and rock thrusting that caused the creation of the
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...
. This physiographic province occupies approximately two-thirds of the county's area—the county's western and central sections. Its contour is characterized by long, even ridges with long, continuous valleys in between that generally run parallel from southwest to northeast. This region is largely formed by
sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rocks are types of rock (geology), rock formed by the cementation (geology), cementation of sediments—i.e. particles made of minerals (geological detritus) or organic matter (biological detritus)—that have been accumulated or de ...
.
[Lucey, Carol S. ''Geology of Sussex County in Brief.'' (Trenton, NJ: New Jersey Geological Survey, November 1969), 21pp]
located online here
(Retrieved August 28, 2012).[Dalton, Richard. "New Jersey Geological Survey Information Circular: Physiographic Provinces of New Jersey" (Trenton, NJ: Department of Environmental Protection, State of New Jersey, 2003, 2006), 2pp.]
located online here
(Retrieved August 28, 2012).
Kittatinny Mountain is the dominant geological feature in the parts of the Minisink located within New Jersey. It is part of the
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...
, and part of a ridge that continues as the Blue Ridge or Blue Mountain in Eastern Pennsylvania, and as
Shawangunk Ridge in New York. It begins in New Jersey as the eastern half of the
Delaware Water Gap, and runs northeast to southwest along the Delaware River. Elevations range from 1,200 to 1,800 feet and attains a maximum elevation of 1,803 feet at
High Point, in Montague Township.
[U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service. Soil Survey of Sussex County, New Jersey (Washington, DC: 2009), 3.] Between Kittatinny Mountain and the Delaware River is the
Walpack Ridge, with elevations of 500 to 800 feet.
It is a smaller ridge that parallels Kittatinny Mountain between the
Walpack Bend and
Port Jervis, New York, and encloses the watershed of the
Flat Brook which is also called
Walpack Valley.
The
Kittatinny Valley lies to the east of Kittatinny Mountain and ends with the Highlands in the east. It is largely a region of rolling hills and flat valley floors. Elevations in this valley range from 400 to 1,000 feet.
It is part of the
Great Appalachian Valley running from eastern Canada to northern Alabama. This valley is shared by three major watersheds—the
Wallkill River, with its tributaries
Pochuck Creek and
Papakating Creek flowing north; and the
Paulins Kill watershed and
Pequest River watershed flowing southwest.
Kittatinny's valley floor is part of the
Ordovician
The Ordovician ( ) is a geologic period and System (geology), system, the second of six periods of the Paleozoic Era (geology), Era, and the second of twelve periods of the Phanerozoic Eon (geology), Eon. The Ordovician spans 41.6 million years f ...
Martinsburg Formation (shale and slate) which make up most of the valley—and the
Jacksonburg Formation (mostly limestone). The mountain is of the
Silurian
The Silurian ( ) is a geologic period and system spanning 23.5 million years from the end of the Ordovician Period, at million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Devonian Period, Mya. The Silurian is the third and shortest period of t ...
Shawangunk Conglomerate which is mainly composed of quartz. Due to the hardness of the
quartz
Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The Atom, atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen Tetrahedral molecular geometry, tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tet ...
, the mountain is extremely resistant to
weathering
Weathering is the deterioration of rocks, soils and minerals (as well as wood and artificial materials) through contact with water, atmospheric gases, sunlight, and biological organisms. It occurs '' in situ'' (on-site, with little or no move ...
.
History
The Lenape and other cultures

This area was occupied for thousands of years by succeeding cultures of indigenous peoples. At the time of European encounter, the historic Lenape ( or ), a
Native American people, also called Delaware Indians after their historic territory along the Delaware River, inhabited the mid-Atlantic coastal areas and inland along the Hudson and Delaware rivers. As a result of disruption following the
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...
(1756–1763), the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
(1775–1783), and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, the main groups now live in
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
(Canada), and Wisconsin and Oklahoma in the United States. In Canada, they are enrolled in the
Munsee-Delaware Nation, the
Moravian of the Thames First Nation, and the
Delaware of Six Nations. In the United States, they are enrolled in three
federally recognized tribes, the
Delaware Nation and the
Delaware Tribe of Indians located in
Oklahoma
Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
, and the
Stockbridge-Munsee Community, located in
Wisconsin
Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
. The
Ramapough Mountain Indians and the
Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape, recognized as tribes by the state of New Jersey, identify as Lenape descendants.
Settlement by Dutch and Huguenot families
Condemnation
The Delaware River is prone to floods—some resulting from seasonal snow melt or rain run-off from heavy rainstorms. However, record flooding occurred in August 1955 in the aftermath of two separate
hurricane
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...
s (
Hurricane Connie and
Hurricane Diane) that passed over the area within the span of one week. On 19 August 1955, the river gauge at
Riegelsville, Pennsylvania recorded that the Delaware River reached a crest of 38.85 feet (11.84 m) above flood stage.
A project to dam the river near
Tocks Island was in the works before the 1955 floods. But several deaths and severe damages resulting from these floods brought the issue of flood control to the national level. The
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed the construction of the dam which would have created a 37-mile (60-km) long lake between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, with depths of up to 140 feet. The area around the lake would be established as the ''Tocks Island National Recreation Area'' under the oversight of the
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
to offer recreation activities such as hunting, hiking, fishing, and boating. In addition to flood control and recreation, the dam would be used to generate
hydroelectric power, and provide a clean water supply to New York City and Philadelphia.
Starting in 1960, the present day area of the Recreation Area was acquired for the
Army Corps of Engineers through
eminent domain
Eminent domain, also known as land acquisition, compulsory purchase, resumption, resumption/compulsory acquisition, or expropriation, is the compulsory acquisition of private property for public use. It does not include the power to take and t ...
. Approximately 15,000 people were displaced by the condemnation of personal property along the Delaware River and the surrounding area through eminent domain. An estimated 3,000 to 5,000 dwellings and outbuildings were demolished in preparation for the dam project and subsequent flooding of the valley. This included many irreplaceable historical sites and structures connected with the valley's colonial and Native American heritage. The plan was embroiled in controversy and protest by environmental groups and embittered displaced residents. Because of considerable opposition from environmental activists, the unavailability of government funding, and a geological assessment of the dam's safety given its location near active
fault lines, the federal government transferred the property to the
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
in 1978 and the project's land holdings were reorganized to create the
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
[The Legacy of Tocks Island, Pocono Record, August 12, 2001]
See also
*
Brau Kettle
*
Minisink Archaeological Site
References
External links
Minisink Valley Historical Society website (www.minisink.org) National Park Service
{{authority control
Delaware River
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
Sussex County, New Jersey
Warren County, New Jersey
Orange County, New York
Sullivan County, New York
Pike County, Pennsylvania
Northampton County, Pennsylvania
New Netherland