History of Columbia County, New York
By Captain Franklin Ellis
Published by Everts & Ensign
Philadelphia, PA
1878
CHAPTER I
Page 9
GEOGRAPHICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
The county of Columbia is the fifth (counting northward) in that range of counties of which the Hudson river forms the entire western boundary
On the north it is bounded by Rensselaer county, on the south by Dutchess, which also forms a small part of its east boundary. The remainder of its eastern border lies against the State of Massachusetts.
The surface of the county is diversified. There is no part of it which can properly be called mountainous, though that term is sometimes applied to the eastern portion, which is traversed in a northerly and southerly direction by the hills of the Taghkanic range, from which in several places, spurs and detached ridges extend for a considerable distance westward. A prolongation of the Peterborough ridge enters Columbia upon its northern border, but soon diminishes into inconsiderable hills. to the westward of these ranges the county is an undulating plateau, which extends to the river, there generally terminating in bold shores or bluffs.
Of waters, the principal is the majestic Hudson river. Its largest tributary from Columbia county is Stockport creek (formerly called "Major Abraham's creek"), which enters the river about eleven miles below the Rensselaer county line. This stream is formed from the Kinderhook and Claverack creeks, which, approaching each other from the northeast and from the south respectively, unite their waters at a point only about three miles distant from the great river. It is estimated that these two streams collect and pour into the Hudson through Stockport creek the waters drained from fully seven-tenths of the entire area of the county.
Kinderhook creek takes it rise in Rensselaer county, flows in a southerly course into the northeastern part of Columbia, where it receives the waters gathered by the Wyomanock creek among the Lebanon hills; then turning northwest it re-enters Rensselaer, whence, after being augmented by several small streams, it returns to Columbia, and pursues a general southwesterly course, being joined from the south by Kline Kill and Stony creek, and from the north receiving the tribute sent by beautiful Kinderhook lake through Valatie Kill; after which it turns still more towards the south, and flows on to its confluence with Claverack creek.
The sources of Claverack creek are in a number of small lakes and ponds situated in the eastern and southeastern parts of the county. One of the principal of these is Copake lake, which gives a considerable contribution to the southern branch of the creek. The two branches unite near the village of Claverack, from whence the course of the main stream is nearly north till it meets the creek of Kinderhook.
A cluster of small lakes or ponds, of which some of the principal are Rhoda, Snyder's and Robinson's pond, lie in the southeastern part of the county, near the southwest corner of Massachusetts. From these, and from other sources farther to the north, among the Taghkanic hills, rise the numerous streams which, united, form the creek which for two centuries has borne the name of Roeloff Jansen's Kill. At first it flows in southerly direction along the base of the Taghkanic hills, then swerves towards the southwest until it reaches and barely crosses the south line of the county into Dutchess, but immediately returns in a northwesterly course to Columbia, where it is joined by the waters of the outlet stream of Lake Charlotte, which lies a few miles north of the Dutchess line. Beyond this it continues to flow in a north-northwesterly direction, receiving from the eastward the small stream called Kleina Kill, and then entering the river eight miles above the southern line of the county.
Up to and for several miles above this point, the Hudson is navigable for vessels of the largest class. The river frontage of the county is twenty-nine and three-eighths miles, and its superficial area is six hundred and eighty-eight square miles, or more than four hundred and forty thousand acres.
