Kayaderosseras

The Kayaderosseras Creek is the largest river that lies completely within Saratoga County, New York State. It originates in the Kayaderosseras Mountain range in the northern part of the county, and passes through the Town of Greenfield and the Town of Milton before emptying into Saratoga Lake.

The Mohawk tribe of the Iroquois five nations utilized the Kayaderosseras Valley as a summer hunting and fishing destination. They named the creek "Valley of the Crooked Stream" (which translates into Kayaderosseras) due to its tortuous course and dramatic drop in elevation.

The creek is best known for providing water power to a host of paper mills and a hard edge tool factory in the 1800s. "Paper Bag King" George West established his paper bag empire on the banks of the Kayaderosseras Creek in Rock City Falls in 1862. Of the dozen paper mills situated along the creek in the late 1800s, only the Cottrell Paper Company survives today. [Lost Industries of the Kaydeross Valley]

From 1898 to 1929, a small, 12 mile long electric trolley railroad closely followed the banks of the creek to serve the paper mills and the hard edge tool factory of Isaiah Blood. The Ballston Terminal Railroad was unique in that it was one of the few trolley railroads with the primary purpose of hauling freight. [The Ballston Terminal Railroad]

Over-logging caused the flow of the creek to decrease dramatically in the late 1800s and early 1900s. However, today the creek possesses several popular fishing spots, especially in Rock City Falls, Milton Center, and Craneville.

Sources

1. Lost Industries of the Kaydeross Valley, 2007

2. The Ballston Terminal Railroad And Its Successors, 2007

External Links

[http://www.kayaderosseras.org/ Friends of the Kayaderosseras]

[http://www.ballstonhistory.com Ballston Spa History - Industries and Railroads]

[http://www.townofmiltonny.org/milton-services.asp Town of Milton, Saratoga County, NY]