Delaware River
The Delaware River is a significant waterway that flows from the Catskill Mountains in New York, traversing through Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware before it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at the Delaware Bay. Notably, it is the longest un-dammed river east of the Mississippi River. The river's upper sections are characterized by clear and swift waters, particularly within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, which features dramatic landscapes and a deep gorge. As it progresses southward, the river broadens and encounters industrial regions, where pollution has become a pressing issue, prompting regulatory efforts by the Interstate Commission on the Delaware River Basin.
Historically, the river has been crucial for transportation and commerce, serving as a primary route before the advent of railroads. It was first charted by Henry Hudson in 1609 and subsequently became central to the Dutch colony of New Netherland. The Delaware River is also famous for its historical significance during the American Revolution, particularly for George Washington's daring crossing on Christmas night in 1776, a moment that has been immortalized in American culture. Today, the river continues to be a vital resource and a site of ecological and historical importance.
Delaware River
The Delaware River flows from two branches in the Catskill Mountains of New York to form a boundary first between New York and Pennsylvania, then between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and finally between New Jersey and Delaware before emptying into the Delaware Bay on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the longest un-dammed river east of the Mississippi.
The River's Course
In its upper section, the Delaware's waters run clear and swift. The river streams south from Port Jervis, New York to Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania through an area designated as the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in 1965. It tumbles through Delaware Water Gap, a narrow three mile-long gorge between rocky walls rising as high as 1,400 feet on each side.
Farther south, the river slows and widens across the industrial area between Trenton, New Jersey, and Wilmington, Delaware, where pollution continues to be a major problem. The Interstate Commission on the Delaware River Basin has worked since 1931 to control pollution and development in the river's four-state basin (NY, PA, NJ, DE). The Delaware River Basin Compact was formed in 1961 to regulate water usage in the area.
History
Henry Hudson discovered what would become known as the Delaware Bay and the Delaware River in 1609, while sailing up the east coast of North America in search of a river passage through the continent to the Orient. Because both the bay and the river became shallow, with sandy shoals appearing, Hudson speculated that it could not lead to Asia and did not pursue its course. He did, however, claim it for the Dutch, on whose behalf he had undertaken the trip. During this same voyage, Hudson charted would become known as the Hudson and Connecticut Rivers, and sailed up the Hudson as far as present-day Albany, New York, before shallow water forced him to turn around.
The Delaware River region became the first Dutch colony in the New World, known as New Netherland. The Dutch referred to the river as "the South River" because it formed the main highway in the southern part of New Netherland, whereas they referred to the Hudson as "the North River" because it was the main artery in its northern portion. A culturally diverse settlement quite different from the predominantly English settlements in Virginia and New England, New Netherland formed a melting pot from which Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, English, and German settlers migrated years later to fan out across the Appalachians into the Midwest and deep South.
Commercial Route
The river played an important role as a travel and commercial route before the development of railroads, and numerous canals were built along its expanse. The Delaware and Hudson Canal between Honesdale, Pennsylvania and Kingston, New York on the Hudson River established the first direct transportation link between Pennsylvania's anthracite coalfields and New York Harbor. It was an engineering marvel in its day, completed in 1828 under the supervision of Benjamin Wright and John B. Jervis, two engineers from the newly completed Erie Canal. John A. Roebling, future engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge, designed four large aqueducts on the canal which themselves incorporated groundbreaking technology. One of these, the Delaware Aqueduct, is the oldest existing wire suspension bridge in the United States, and was restored by the National Park Service in 1986.
The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal connected the Chesapeake Bay and the Delaware River, and shortened the sea route between Baltimore and Philadelphia by 300 miles. This canal opened in 1829 and continues in operation today under the supervision of the US Army Corps of Engineers as part of the Intercoastal Waterway, accommodating oceangoing vessels. The Delaware and Raritan Canal was completed in 1834 to connect the Delaware River with the Raritan Bay and the lower portion of New York Harbor. The main part of the canal stretched across New Jersey, from Bordentown to New Brunswick, and provided a stimulus to the growth of Trenton. It was last used for boat traffic in 1923, and is now used by the state of New Jersey to supply water to the central part of the state.
The Delaware River assumed a permanent position in American history as the site of a pivotal moment in the American Revolution. On Christmas night, 1776, General George Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware from Pennsylvania into New Jersey to seize the British garrison at Trenton in a surprise attack. The victory took place after a series of demoralizing defeats for the Americans, and was immortalized in a large painting by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The site of the crossing is preserved in Washington Crossing State Parks on both sides of the river, in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Bibliography
"The Delaware River—A Little Known Natural Treasure." Delaware Riverkeeper Network, 2017, www.delawareriverkeeper.org/delaware-river. Accessed 23 Oct. 2017.
"History of Delaware River Flooding." US Army Corps of Engineers, www.nap.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Delaware-River-Basin-Comprehensive-Study/History-of-Delaware-River-Flooding/. Accessed 23 Oct. 2017.
"History of the Upper Delaware Valley." National Park Service, 26 Feb. 2015, www.nps.gov/upde/learn/historyculture/history.htm. Accessed 23 Oct. 2017.
Lawlor, Julia. "No More Barges but Plenty of Beauty." The New York Times, 29 July, 2010, www.nytimes.com/2010/07/30/nyregion/30canal.html. Accessed 23 Oct. 2017.
Taylor, Hal. The Illustrated Delaware River: The History of a Great American River. Schiffer, 2015.