At The Gateway Of The Catskills

by Ernest Ingersoll from May 1877 Harper's New Monthly Magazine

From the webmaster:

This is the story of the Esopus valley from Shokan to Boiceville in the late 19th century; of the hard working, self reliant people of the valley, unaffected by the rapidly changing world not far away. The author writes of the old mill, pictured above, and says "The history of this old mill thus suggests the history of the whole region." He had no idea how right he would turn out to be. On the site of the old mill, the waters of the Esopus would be stopped for the construction of the Ashokan reservoir. Forty years after the article was written, the old covered bridge , the mill and the farms of the valley would be gone, replaced by the reservoir and its sanitary zone. Be sure to visit A Town Called Olive for more history and a personal perspective on this displaced community.

Part 1 - The Gateway of the Catskills

Part 2 - Bear Hunting in the Catskills

Other websites:

In particular, look at the 1890 map of Olive with the Ashokan Reservoir overlayed for a clearer view of the disruption of valley life caused by the reservoir construction.

A Town Called Olive

A Perspective on New York City's Water Supply

Excellent website by Camilla Calhoun, whose ancestors were uprooted by the reservoir construction.

History of the New York City Water Supply System