Upper Rondout Creek: A History of Life

The Rondout Neversink Stream Program (RNSP) is dedicated to protecting the communities and waterways along Rondout Creek and across the Rondout-Neversink Watersheds (see map). The Rondout Neversink Stream Program offers a wide range of support and funding opportunities to Rondout-Neversink residents and community organizations.&nbsp; RNSP provides streamside landowners with:&nbsp; • Native trees/shrubs/wildflowers &amp; streamside planting services&nbsp; • Invasive species identification &amp; control recommendations&nbsp; • River management recommendations&nbsp; • Erosion control &amp; soil conservation services&nbsp; RNSP provides community organizations with:&nbsp; • Watershed Educational Grant Funding&nbsp; • Stream Process Educational Workshops&nbsp; • Permaculture-Focused Workshops&nbsp; • Project-Based Learning Activities&nbsp; Contact the RNSP team at&nbsp;info@rondoutneversink.org&nbsp;to learn more about available support and funding opportunities.&nbsp; Find us on Instagram or Facebook @rondoutneversink to stay up to date on local streamside programs &amp; projects.

The Upper Rondout was important in many ways to local folks. Here they gather in their Sunday best for baptism rites—some preparing to be immersed in the icy water.

Dipping your toes in the icy waters of Peekamoose Lake was a refreshing way to cool off on a hot summer day.

In the winter months, ice skating was popular. Folks used every little frozen pond for skating.

Flood damage in the Upper Rondout Valley was often catastrophic.

Fishing 2 Here stands James B. Smith of Eureka, fishing pole in hand. The Smiths were early settlers in the Upper Rondout Valley and only left when eminent domain took their homes so New York City could have drinking water. Baptisms Here we see the bridge across the stream at East Mountain. The nearby Lows Corners Baptist Church had a membership of 150 at their best enrollment. Stream immersions were still taking place in the 1960s and 1970s. Today the church at Lows Corners is no more. It disbanded a few years ago as membership dwindled to less than 5. Ice Skating These skaters were gathered on the County Line Pond, which was located right where Ulster and Sullivan Counties met along the Upper Rondout Creek. The group was likely friends or family of the Smith Family of Eureka. The County Line Hotel was nearby. It had a barbershop on the Sullivan County side and a bar on the Ulster County side. The Town of Neversink in Sullivan County was “dry” and didn’t allow alcohol. The Town of Wawarsing, on the Ulster County side, permitted alcohol. Hence, the hotel positioned the two enterprises to take advantage of the difference in town laws. Ice Harvesting In the winter, as the water froze over, ice cutters went to work. Much of the ice cutting and harvesting was done by hand, and one man reported he worked for a local icehouse after his day job. He was paid a dollar a day and his supper for the hard work and was pleased with the arrangement. Flood Damage This scene shows people surveying damage from the 1928 flood. The previous page’s scene shows the Burl Burch home located on the corner of Sugar Loaf Rd and Glade Hill Rd. The house still stands today. It sits between a minuscule Little Rock Brook and the Sugar Loaf Creek, both of which feed into the Rondout Creek.&nbsp;There was a log cabin Methodist Church further up Sugar Loaf Creek, and Mrs. Burch reported seeing the log cabin church go by in pieces in an earlier flood.

The folks who lived along the Upper Rondout enjoyed the outdoors so much they often went camping near their homes.

You could rent a room in a hotel, boarding house, or farmhouse to escape New York City&apos;s sweltering summer heat and enjoy boating on a nearby lake.

If I were a trout, I would ascend every stream until I found the Rondout.

Generations have found the Rondout to be good fishing, whether for sport or food.

Each little community along the Upper Rondout Creek showed a great sense of togetherness—picnics were common.

This virtual photo album was created as a collaboration between Carol Smythe, Neversink Town Historian, Margaret Helthaler, graphic designer and local resident, and Haley Springston, Watershed Planning Coordinator of the Rondout Neversink Stream Program. Together, their distinct backgrounds, perspectives, and skill sets made this project possible. The intention of this project is to bring to light the rich history of life along Rondout Creek, as well as inspire today’s community members to protect the pristine Catskill streams and rivers that we continue to enjoy.

Rondout Neversink Stream Program is a project of Sullivan County Soil &amp; Water Conservation District in partnership with Denning and Neversink funded by NYC Department of Environmental Protection.

Frozen lakes and ponds had multiple uses—including ice harvesting.

Hiking Guests of nearby wealthy landowners visited the upper Rondout Creek’s Blue Hole dressed for a garden party. In 1875 the Sullivan County Atlas referred to the stream as “Lackawacks Creek.” The Beers Atlas showed the name changing to Rondout Creek at Eureka. Whether called Lackawacks Creek or Rondout Creek, water from this stream now helps fill the Rondout Reservoir. Swimming Here are two gals circa the 1920s enjoying some time by Peekamoose Lake. Summer fun on the lake co-existed with nearby sawmills. A hardscrabble group of determined settlers established the original community of Peekamoose high atop the mountain. Wealthy investors quickly acquired prime real estate down in the Peekamoose Valley. Camping Nell, Eva, and Mary Smith lived in Eureka and went camping nearby. Their long dresses must have made it difficult to camp, fish, hike, and cook over a wood fire. It’s hard to imagine, but they did it. Take a look at their fish creel hanging in the tree and their blankets airing out on a clothesline. Picnicking These folks from Sundown, Lows Corners, and Eureka have gathered for a picnic circa 1939 or 1940. There were the Willing Workers, Grange members, Baptists, and Methodists—everyone got together to work or play. Boating Life in the Upper Rondout Valley centered around the three communities of Eureka, Montela, and Lackawack. Each community had farms, a country store, at least one church, and a one-room school. There were sawmills, hotels, boarding houses, and small businesses that mostly centered around the creek. People from New York City would take the train to nearby Ellenville, then travel by horse-drawn conveyances to hotels, boarding houses, and farmhouses with a room or two to rent for a few weeks or the summer. You could buy a penny postcard at the Eureka general store and mail it for a penny more. Fishing 1 Here is a very young Alberta George—Herbert and Esther George’s daughter—with a trout almost as big as she was. This image was captured when she was fishing with family in the Sundown Creek in 1935 or 1936. Their home abutted the creek, which feeds into the Rondout Creek.

The iconic Blue Hole was a destination even in the early 1900s; only the visitors&apos; attire was different.

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