| Kayaderosseras Creek | |
|---|---|
 Kayaderosseras Creek looking downstream from US Route 9, April 2012 | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| Region | Upstate New York |
| Metropolitan area | Capital District |
| Counties | Saratoga County |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Corinth,Saratoga County,New York |
| • coordinates | 43°12′00″N73°55′17″W / 43.20000°N 73.92139°W /43.20000; -73.92139[1] |
| • elevation | 1,400 ft (430 m) |
| Mouth | Saratoga Lake |
• location | Saratoga Springs/Malta,Saratoga County,New York |
• coordinates | 43°02′27″N73°44′14″W / 43.04083°N 73.73722°W /43.04083; -73.73722[1] |
• elevation | 200 ft (61 m) |
| Basin size | 195 sq mi (510 km2) |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Hudson River Watershed |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Mud Creek,Vly Creek, Star Brook, Geyser Brook, Bog Meadow Brook |
| • right | South Branch Kayaderosseras, Crook Brook, Glowgee Creek, Gordon Creek, Mourning Kill |
TheKayaderosseras Creek, usually shortened toKaydeross, is the largest river that lies completely withinSaratoga County,New York State. It originates in the Kayaderosseras Range in the northern part of the county, passes through the towns ofCorinth,Greenfield, andMilton, and serves as the boundary between the City ofSaratoga Springs and theTown of Malta before emptying intoSaratoga Lake.
TheMohawk tribe of theIroquois Five Nations used the associated valley as a summer hunting and fishing destination. In Arthur James Johnson'sHistory of Round Lake, N.Y., the nameKayaderosseras is described as an "Indian name" purchased by the colony of New York from the Mohicans. However, James goes on to claim that the word is "evidently a corruption by mispronunciation of two French terms:pays arrosé, a watered country, orpays des ruisseaux, acountry of streams.[2]: p.10
The creek is best known for providing water power to a host of paper mills and a hard edge-tool factory in the 19th century. "Paper Bag King"George West established hispaper bag empire on the banks of the Kayaderosseras Creek inRock City Falls in 1862. Of the dozen paper mills situated along the creek in the late 19th century, only the Cottrell Paper Company is still in operation as of 2024.[3]
From 1898 to 1929, the 12-mile (19 km)Kaydeross Railroad, or Ballston Terminal Railroad, atrolley railroad line, closely followed the banks of the creek to serve the paper mills andIsaiah Blood's tool factory. Although this line also carried passengers, it mainly existed to carry freight.
Over-logging caused the flow of the creek to decrease dramatically in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today the creek possesses several popular fishing spots, especially inRock City Falls, Milton Center, and Craneville. The principal fish is thebrown trout, which is stocked.[4]
