| West Canada Creek | |
|---|---|
 View of West Canada Creek in Prospect Gorge | |
  Location of the mouth of the West Canada Creek in New York State Show map of New York Adirondack Park West Canada Creek (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| Counties | Hamilton,Oneida,Herkimer |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | West Lake,Mud Lake, South Lake |
| • location | Town of Arietta,Hamilton County |
| • coordinates | 43°35′14″N74°36′49″W / 43.58722°N 74.61361°W /43.58722; -74.61361[1] |
| Mouth | Mohawk River |
• location | Village of Herkimer,Herkimer County |
• coordinates | 43°01′16″N74°57′46″W / 43.02111°N 74.96278°W /43.02111; -74.96278[1] |
| Length | 76 mi (122 km) |
| Basin size | 565 sq mi (1,460 km2)[2] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Kast Bridge, 4 miles (6.4 km) upstream from mouth[3] |
| • average | 1,356 cu ft/s (38.4 m3/s)[3] |
| • minimum | 20 cu ft/s (0.57 m3/s) (September 3, 1929)[3] |
| • maximum | 25,300 cu ft/s (720 m3/s) (June 28, 2013)[3] |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | South Branch West Canada Creek |
| • right | Honnedaga Brook,Cincinnati Creek |
| Waterfalls | Wilmurt Falls,Trenton Falls |
TheWest Canada Creek is a 76-mile-long (122 km)[4]river in upstateNew York, United States. West Canada Creek is an important water way inHamilton,Oneida, andHerkimer counties, draining the south part of theAdirondack Mountains before emptying into theMohawk River near theVillage of Herkimer. The name "Canada" is derived from anIroquoian word for "village" (Kanata).
A series ofwaterfalls in the Prospect Gorge, principallyTrenton Falls, was a major tourist attraction in the past. Today, the West Canada is used by public utilities for power generation, and is used by the public for trout fishing, tubing, and other outdoor recreational pursuits. For fishing and fly fishing advocates, a trophy section exists from Trenton Falls to the Oneida/Herkimer county border, also known as Comstock Bridge. Efforts to balance the impacts of power generation and the habitat needs of wild trout in West Canada Creek have been undertaken by advocacy groups such as the Trout Power Initiative.[5]
The timber, fish, and game of the area have been harvested for centuries. Today, all of the West Canada Creek is classified and protected under the New York State Wild, Scenic and Recreational Rivers System Act.
The West Canada Creek got its name from being the western boundary ofSir William Johnson's Royal Land Grant,[citation needed] and because theSt. Lawrence Iroquoian word for village isKanata or Canada. The name "Canada" may also refer to the creek's importance as a trail toCanada in colonial times. The creek was also known by Native Americans asTe-ugh-ta-ra-row, meaning "its waters are discolored"; the color of the creek that resulted from its sources in the forest also gave rise to another historical name, "Amber Creek".[6]
The stream was formerly known as theKuyahoora River, from the Native American termKuy-a-ho-ra, meaning "slanting waters",[7] or "leaping waters".[8] The river's valley is also known as theKuyahoora Valley.[9]
On October 30, 1781,Walter Butler was killed along West Canada Creek near Black Creek.[10] He was attempting to delay American forces and allowLoyalist forces to escape following theBattle of Johnstown during theAmerican Revolutionary War. According to legend his body was stripped naked and left to the wolves propped up in an old tree stump.[10]
Following the Revolutionary War, Arthur Noble II (son ofArthur Noble) purchased 80,000 acres (320 km2) in the present town ofOhio, and called it "Nobleboro". He built a saw mill there to export lumber to Ireland. In 1790 Noble got a road built to Nobleboro so that he could ride to his saw mill in a coach-and-four.[11] Some logging occurred at Nobleboro before the Civil War, but by the late 1800s a new call for lumber and paper caused new activity in the woods of the region. Pulp and paper mills were built at Hinkley, with saw mills and a debarking mill at Nobleboro. The vast forests to the north were still in private ownership and they supplied these industries for decades. Each spring logs and pulpwood were flushed downstream on the wave of snowmelt and Nobleboro was an important staging area for these log drives. The foundation logs of the river drive dam that controlled water flow can still be seen at the river's edge. Log drives continued on the West Canada Creek until 1949. Since then the land here has healed nearly hiding the once-thriving industrial complex once known as "Nobleboro, the gateway to the great north woods".
In the late-19th century and first decade of the 20th century, the area surrounding the creek's source at the West Canada Lakes was inhabited by several woodsmen who were lumberjacks, trappers, fishermen, hunters and guides. Most notable was a character named Louis Seymore, commonly known asFrench Louie.[12] In 1922 theAdirondack Mountain Club was founded with the purpose of enacting conservation work and maintaining trails. They laid out and maintained theNorthville-Placid Trail which runs through the West Canada Lakes area and is now maintained by theNew York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC).
By the 1930s float planes were bringing increasing numbers of anglers to the West Canada Lakes and the trout population was decreasing rapidly. Around that time the state began an aggressive stocking program which continued into the 1960s, but the fishery was still declining. By the mid 1970s water acidity had depleted trout populations in many of the lakes and in the river itself.[13] In 1972, theWest Canada Lake Wilderness Area was designated by the NYSDEC as "Wilderness", and as such no motorized vehicles or watercraft are allowed into the area.[13] It was determined that during summer and fall acidity was fine, but during the spring snow melt a large quantity of acidic water was entering the lakes and streams, just at the time that young trout were hatching.[14] In the late 1980s increasing catches ofbrook trout andlake trout renewed interest. Subsequent studies have shown reduced acidity and increased trout populations.[15]
In 1863,William H. Seward, then Secretary of State toAbraham Lincoln, met with representatives of foreign nations at Trenton Falls to persuade them not to recognize theConfederacy.
The West Canada Lakes (West Lake, Mud Lake, andSouth Lake) are the source of the West Canada Creek. Nearby Brook Trout Lake and Northrup Lake are the source of the Indian River which empties into theMoose River country.
The West Canada Creek's south branch gets its start at T-lake, northwest ofPiseco Lake. It travels southwest, through the town ofMorehouse, and joins the main branch of the West Canada at Nobleboro. North of Route 8 on Mountain Home Road is a man-made lake called The Floe on the maps, but to the locals it is called Mountain Home Pond.
Nobleboro is located at the confluence of the north and south branches of the West Canada Creek. The watershed at Nobleboro covers some 240 square miles (620 km2) of the southwesternAdirondack Park, and is rich in natural resources. The West Canada Lakes Wilderness Area has been expanded to include Fort Noble Mountain, which was the site of a fire tower that was erected in 1916 until it was deactivated and removed in 1985.[16] A kiosk next to the stream at Nobleboro, spells it "Nobleborough", however virtually every map and book refer to it as "Nobleboro."
Wilmurt Falls, which is downstream from Nobleboro in the town ofOhio, has the distinction of being the dividing line between brook trout in the waters upstream from the falls, andbrown andrainbow trout downstream. The browns and rainbows for the most part don't get above the falls. The falls is also the top end of the Ohio gorge.
Hinckley Reservoir, named after a community at its western end, is a man-made lake on the West Canada Creek just upstream from the Prospect Gorge.[17] It is held back by adam constructed of 117,000 cubic yards (89,000 m3) of concrete and 600,000 cubic yards (460,000 m3) of dirt. The dam was completed in 1911 and took 500 workers four years to build at a cost of $985,000. In 1928 the reservoir's name was changed to Kuyahoora Lake after campers encouraged the State committee on Geographic Names to alter the name,[17] however theUnited States Board on Geographic Names continues to list "Hinckley Reservoir" as the waterbody's official name as of 2016.[18] The water from Hinckley Reservoir is used as drinking water forUtica, and also to regulate the water level in theBarge Canal.
The entire Prospect Gorge in the town ofTrenton is inaccessible to the public. It is privately owned byBrookfield Asset Management, who administer power generation on the creek. Access is restricted due to the dangers presented by water releases from the dam, which occur at irregular intervals and can feature swiftly rising water levels. Prior to the late 1970s, restrictions were not as strictly enforced as they are today, and the water releases in the past were more predictable.[citation needed] The property was previously owned by the Niagara Mohawk Power Co.
By the time the West Canada reaches theMohawk River near theVillage of Herkimer, it has drained 569 square miles (1,470 km2) of watershed.[19]
TheUnited States Geological Survey (USGS) maintainsstream gauges along the West Canada. The gauge, in operation since October 1920, located 2.2 miles (3.5 km) north ofHerkimer, 4 miles (6.4 km) upstream from the mouth. It had a maximum discharge of 25,300 cubic feet (720 m3) per second on June 28, 2013, and a minimum discharge of 20 cubic feet (0.57 m3) per second on September 3, 1929.[20] Another station in operation since April 2001, is located 2.6 miles (4.2 km) southwest ofWilmurt and 3 miles (4.8 km) upstream from Hinckley Reservoir. This station had a maximum discharge of 25,500 cubic feet (720 m3) per second on April 28, 2011, and a minimum discharge of 34 cubic feet (0.96 m3) per second on September 14, 2002.[21] There was also formerly a stream gauge byNobleboro that took irregular measurements from 1945 to 2000.[22]
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help){{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help){{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help){{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help){{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
