March 28
It was snowing in western-central PA this morning, and enough on the ground to know we are not fully into spring. Quite a change from last week, being in the Caribbean. Delaware Water Gap NRA has been the home to humans for thousands of years. But it was not until 1975 that the area was given its current name. After some devasting floods in the mid-20th century, proposals were generated to build the Tocks Island Dam. This would have created a reservoir measuring 40 miles long by one mile wide. Over 600 families were relocated. By the 1970s sufficient energies behind environmental concerns forced the shelving of the project. Since the Federal Government now owned 70,000 acres of land, a different chord was struck. A few pen strokes, and the NPS was given authorization to manage the area.
By the turn of the 20th century, New York City and the surrounding areas were becoming stuffy; too many people. Folks heard about the R&R that awaited them in the Delaware River valley, so began flocking to this region. A railroad line which had been installed years earlier to help businesses and manufacturing ventures in the area, allowed for easy access. The valley flourished.
Once the railroad dropped people off, ferries would move them, and goods, from one side of the river to the other. This had been happening since 1735, when settler Andrew Dingman placed a flat-bottom boat on the water and ran an overhead cable between the two shores. Though the ferries no longer exist, the current Dingman Ferry Toll Bridge (in operation since November-1900) provides the same service, for $2. It is the last privately owned toll bridge in America.
It just so happens that Congress decided to give the river itself its own NPS designation. This is akin to Big Bend National Park and its adjoining Ro Grande Wild and Scenic River. The Middle Delaware National Scenic River is 40 miles of free-flowing water, the longest stretch east of the Mississippi. A board at the HQ building said the river level was 8 feet today. That is significantly lower than the all-time high of 35.5 feet from October-1903. Or the 35.2 feet mark in 1955. No need to explain the math with numbers like that. Made sense for a dam, to mitigate flooding damage and death, and provide a new source of power generation. But it was not to be. Even modern technologies of the 21st century could not hold back the river’s wrath. In 2004, 2005, and 2006, “100-year” floods (over the 30-foot mark) hit, just after the NPS had built new facilities and infrastructure. All were lost. We can only hope it will be quite some time before the local residents see anything that high again.
Paterson Great Falls NHP is smack dab in the middle of congestion. Rush-hour was horrendous. I was able to find parking next to the VC. But turns out it is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. And the main attraction, the bridge which goes above the falls, is indefinitely closed, due to repair work. So, I had to view the falls from a distance. Oh yeah, the falls itself is the main attraction. But the bridge closure did not diminish the history of this place. Paterson was the industrial capital of the country around 1800. The city was established in 1792, as the first “planned industrial city” for the new nation. Alexander Hamilton had brought George Washington to the falls of the Passaic River, to explain how its power could be harnessed. Raceways (rectangular canals which water flows through) were built downstream of the falls, to provide power to the paper mills, cotton mills, silk factories, locomotive plants, and firearm manufacturers. By 1900, Paterson became known as “Silk City”, for the volume of silk its mills produced.
A unique asset for this park is Hinchliffe Stadium. It is one of the last remaining venues used in the Negro Leagues for baseball. Twenty Hall of Famers played in this ballpark, including Larry Doby (gained fame with the Cleveland Indians). When I looked at the field I was confused. It looked more like a football field, not baseball. But a few minutes ago I learned the lay-out is similar to the Polo Grounds, with a horseshoe-shaped homeplate area and a rectangular design going into the outfield. Now it makes sense. The city of Paterson is currently renovating the stadium.