Defining the Minisink area The Minisink has never been known as a region with distinct, set boundaries. It generally has been conceived as the valley of the Delaware River going northward from the Delaware Water Gap and including the valley of the
Neversink River (a tributary entering the Delaware near Port Jervis, New York). According to Vosburgh, "The 'Minisink county' consists of the valley of the Neversink west of the
Shawangunk Mountains, and the Delaware valley, as far as the Delaware Water Gap." Some sources imply that it was confined to the width of valley of the Delaware and its surrounding hillsides. Other sources define the region as an area extending for 20–30 miles to the east and west of the river. This latter definition would include parts or all of the Kittatinny Valley to the east of
Kittatinny Mountain in New Jersey, and westward deep into northeastern Pennsylvania. East of the Shawangunk ridge, in New York are the
Town of Greenville and the
Town of Minisink, both often included as part of the Minisink region. Their residents attend
Minisink Valley Central School District.
Course of the Delaware River The
Delaware River was often referred to as the
Minisink River in early Dutch colonial documents and on early maps. The Delaware River constitutes part of the boundary between
Pennsylvania and
New York, and the entire boundary between
New Jersey and
Pennsylvania. The middle section of the Delaware River's course, roughly between
Port Jervis, New York and the
Delaware Water Gap (a break in
Kittatinny Mountain where the river runs through) constitutes the north and southern points of the Minisink or Minisink Valley. The river flows down a broad
Appalachian valley. The Minisink is a
buried valley, where the Delaware flows in a bed of
glacial till that buried the eroded bedrock during the
last glacial period. At
Port Jervis, New York, the river enters the Port Jervis trough. At this point, the
Walpack Ridge deflects the Delaware into the Minisink Valley. It follows the southwest
strike of the eroded
Marcellus Formation beds along the Pennsylvania–New Jersey state line for to the end of the ridge at Walpack Bend in
Walpack Township, New Jersey in the
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. It skirts the
Kittatinny ridge, which it crosses at the
Delaware Water Gap, between nearly vertical walls of
sandstone,
quartzite, and
conglomerate.
Appalachian Mountains The features of the Ridge and Valley province were created approximately 300–400 million years ago during the
Ordovician period and
Appalachian orogeny—a period of tremendous pressure and rock thrusting that caused the creation of the
Appalachian Mountains. This physiographic province occupies approximately two-thirds of the county's area—the county's western and central sections. Its contour is characterized by long, even ridges with long, continuous valleys in between that generally run parallel from southwest to northeast. This region is largely formed by
sedimentary rock. Kittatinny Mountain is the dominant geological feature in the parts of the Minisink located within New Jersey. It is part of the
Appalachian Mountains, and part of a ridge that continues as the Blue Ridge or Blue Mountain in Eastern Pennsylvania, and as
Shawangunk Ridge in New York. It begins in New Jersey as the eastern half of the
Delaware Water Gap, and runs northeast to southwest along the Delaware River. Elevations range from 1,200 to 1,800 feet and attains a maximum elevation of 1,803 feet at
High Point, in Montague Township. Between Kittatinny Mountain and the Delaware River is the
Walpack Ridge, with elevations of 500 to 800 feet. It is a smaller ridge that parallels Kittatinny Mountain between the
Walpack Bend and
Port Jervis, New York, and encloses the watershed of the
Flat Brook which is also called
Walpack Valley. The
Kittatinny Valley lies to the east of Kittatinny Mountain and ends with the Highlands in the east. It is largely a region of rolling hills and flat valley floors. Elevations in this valley range from 400 to 1,000 feet. It is part of the
Great Appalachian Valley running from eastern Canada to northern Alabama. This valley is shared by three major watersheds—the
Wallkill River, with its tributaries
Pochuck Creek and
Papakating Creek flowing north; and the
Paulins Kill watershed and
Pequest River watershed flowing southwest. Kittatinny's valley floor is part of the
Ordovician Martinsburg Formation (shale and slate) which make up most of the valley—and the
Jacksonburg Formation (mostly limestone). The mountain is of the
Silurian Shawangunk Conglomerate which is mainly composed of quartz. Due to the hardness of the
quartz, the mountain is extremely resistant to
weathering. ==History==