Moodna Creek
Moodna Creek Murderers' Creek Murderer's Creek | |
---|---|
Town of Goshen | |
• coordinates | 41°22′06″N 74°19′02″W / 41.36833°N 74.31722°W |
• elevation | 460 ft (140 m) |
2nd source | Cromline Creek |
• location | Tomahawk Lake, Blooming Grove |
• coordinates | 41°24′57″N 74°13′07″W / 41.41583°N 74.21861°W |
• elevation | 340 ft (100 m) |
Source confluence | |
• location | Blooming Grove, New York |
• coordinates | 41°25′51″N 74°11′41″W / 41.43083°N 74.19472°W |
• elevation | 300 ft (91 m) |
Mouth | Hudson River |
• location | Cornwall |
• coordinates | 41°27′13″N 74°01′00″W / 41.45361°N 74.01667°W |
• elevation | 0 ft (0 m) |
Length | 15.5 mi (24.9 km) |
Basin size | 187.2 sq mi (485 km2) |
Basin features | |
Tributaries | |
• right | Woodbury Creek |
Moodna Creek is a small
, it is the longest stream located entirely within the county.Despite its small size relative to the Hudson, it has been a major influence on the topography of eastern central Orange County. Its 187.2-square-mile (485 km2)
Name
Before European contact, the creek was known as Waoraneck, which was also the name of
Most early records name the creek Murderer's Creek. One theory holds that "Moodna" is a
Writer Nathaniel Parker Willis, while living in Cornwall, near the creek's mouth, in the mid-19th century, popularized the name "Moodna."[4] He claimed that the "Murderers' Creek" name was a corruption of the name of a chief, likely Maringamus of the Waoraneck, who lived near its banks.[2] By the dawn of the 20th century, "Moodna Creek" was commonly used on maps although the older name persisted.[5]
Course
From the confluence, just off NY 208, the Moodna flows through woods and field alongside the highway for a short distance, then veers southwestward to where it crosses NY 94. The creek and Route 94 will keep close company for several miles as it turns eastward again into Washingtonville, where it crosses under 208 just south of downtown. Past the village, Route 94 and the creek enter first the Town of Blooming Grove and then Cornwall. They run close together at first, then further apart as the Moodna valley opens up just to the north of Schunemunk Mountain. At Salisbury Mills the viaduct crosses 193 feet (59 m) overhead.
After that point, the Moodna turns southward slightly, following the curve of Schunemunk's north end under the
Natural history
The 75 acres (30 ha) of tidal marsh in the creek's estuary, between Route 9W and the Hudson, are home to several rare plants and natural communities. Anadromous fish species, such as striped bass, spawn there as well. This fish supply has been attractive not only to human anglers but to predatory bird species as well: bald eagles and ospreys have been seen feeding in the Moodna's marshes[6] Bald Eagles have been confirmed nesting on the Black Meadow Creek.
Two herpetofaunal species listed by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation occur along the Moodna. One, the
While the water quality in that area remains generally good, there is effluent from the Town of New Windsor's sewage treatment plant. In November 2003 the Riverkeeper environmental organization sued the town over discharge into the creek leaking from two manholes into the creek. It was settled in 2005 when the town agreed to repair the manholes, remediate the area and provide public access to the water.[7]
History
A group of 25
The creek served as an important transportation route for soldiers during the American Revolutionary War.[4]
During
In 1909, the Moodna Viaduct, under which the creek passes, opened. It is the longest and highest railroad trestle east of the Mississippi River as of December 2019[update] and is still in use.[9]
In 1935, a Newburgh waitress named Dorothy Sherwood admitted to drowning her two-year-old son, Jimmy, in the Moodna. She was initially sentenced to death but, on appeal, was allowed to plead guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to between six and fifteen years in prison. The case received national press attention.[10]
By 1965, the Moodna was so heavily polluted that, according to
Heavy rains during the
Hurricane Irene caused the creek to swell, coming nearly to the platform of the 9W bridge,[15] and washing out an area at the Forge Hill Road bridge.[16][17] This caused the closing of part of Butternut Drive, and all of Forge Hill Rd, except the easternmost 640 feet, from Route 9W to Staples Lane. The portion east of Staples Lane remains open to local traffic, until the east end of the bridge, which is unstable. One house on Butternut Lane has been condemned, and the property fenced off, due to the dangerous dropoff on the property.[18]
Recreation
The six miles (10 km) between Woodbury Creek and Old Forge Hill Road in Cornwall have become a popular place for
Popular culture
In season three of
Tributaries
See also
References
- ^ MiB); Hudson Basin River Watch; retrieved June 29, 2007.
- ^ a b Moodna Creek Watershed Conservation and Management Plan (PDF) (Report). Orange County Water Authority. March 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
- ^ Murphy, Glenn; Town of New Windsor Online History Archived 2007-10-30 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved June 29, 2007.
- ^ a b c Randall, Michael (May 16, 2004). "Murderer's reek label hard to shake". Times Herald-Record. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
- ^ a b Smith, Richard; Francis Whiting Halsey (1906). A Tour of Four Great Rivers: The Hudson, Mohawk, Susquehanna and Delaware in 1769, Being the Journal of Richard Smith, Of Burlington, New Jersey. New York, NY: Charles Scribner & Sons. pp. 7. Retrieved 2007-06-29.
- KiB) retrieved June 30, 2007.
- ^ "Riverkeeper and New Windsor Settle Sewage Case" (Press release). Riverkeeper. March 24, 2005. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-30.
- ^ "Cornwall On Hudson : : : Our Town: A Look at Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY : History of Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY : Moodna History". www.cornwall-ny.com. Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
- ^ "Library/Book notes". Times Herald-Record. December 1, 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- Middletown Times Herald. 1 December 1939. p. 1. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- Daily News. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- Daily News. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- The Kingston Daily Freeman. United Press International. 1 October 1970. p. 2. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
- Times-Herald Record; retrieved June 30, 2007.
- ^ Young, Sue. "Hurricane Irene - Moodna Creek, Cornwall NY 8-28-11". YouTube. Designs by Sue. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
- ^ Rockman, Robby. "cornwall/new windsor NY old forge hill rd Damage from irene". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
- ^ Salisbury, Lance. "Hurricane Irene: Raging Moodna Creek near Forge Hill Road in New Windsor, NY". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
- ^ Google Map view of 348-350 Butternut Drive. Retrieved 11 May 2014
- ^ Moodna Creek, NY; Woodbury Creek to Old Forge Hill Road American Whitewater
- ^ "New York whitewater - Moodna Creek, Orange County". Riverfacts.com. Retrieved 2007-07-03.
- ^ "Spring 2007 Trout Stocking for Orange County". New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Retrieved 2007-07-03.
- ^ "'Turn' recap: Simcoe returns to Setauket, and Judge Woodhull has to pay the price". ew.com. Retrieved 17 April 2018.