The Wichita daily eagle., 1893-12-07
HUDSON RIVER NAMES.
Nearly All Are Corruptious of the Indiar
or Old Dutch Titles.

| Nearly All Are Corruptious OF the Indian
| Old Dutch Titles.
There has always been more or less
speculation concerning the origin of
| the names III which the noble Hudson
| river abounds. 1t may be interesting
to know something about the deriva-
tion of some of them.
The river itself, before Sir Hendricl1
! Hudson discovered it thinking it
would prove a short passage to the
northwest. was known to the Indians
who dwelt upon the banks and in the
| immediate neigh borhood as the Sha-te-
niue. The meaning Of the word has
never been satisfactorily defined.
The river at later date was divided
into fourteen rocks, or reaches by the
Dutch settlers. These were Horses
| Reach, the Sailmaker's Reach, the
Cooks Reach, the High Reach, the
Fox's Reach the Bakers Reach. John
Pleasures Reach. the Harts Reach,
the Sturgeon Reach, Fishers Reach
Fast Reach. These names ere literally
translated from the Dutch, and the
reaches are supposed to run from north
to south. In addition are the Long
Reach. the Clover Reach and the Mar
tyr's Reach, which are now the only
three which can be certainly shown.
The localities Of the others are indefi-
mite.
The Martelaer's Reach. or Martyrs
Reach, commences where the turn oc-
ours at West Point. and is that part of
the river which runs almost at right
| angles to the general course of the
stream.
The word martelaer was used fgura-
lively, in Dutch, to mean contending
or struggling. and also suffering. IT is
supposed that it received the name
from the fact that if fair wind were
blowing. that is, wind from the west
or southwest, vessel could shape it's
couse almost from New York to AL
bany. until it came to this reach when
the wind which had been favora BILE
would be ahead and, for this reason.
the vessel would be obliged to take
short tacks and beat and struggle so
as to round the headland. AS the old
Dutch ships were rather clumsy in
was matter of the greatest impor
tance to the seamen to get over this
reach.
The Longe, or Long, Reach COM
prises that beautiful sheet of water
know as Newburg bay, and extending
as far north, in an unbroken line, as
the Krom Elleboog, or. as it is at pres
ent called, the Crum Elbow.
At the southern extremity of this
reach there is small and strangely
shaped island familiarly known as
Pollipel's island This island derives
its name from the peculiar formation
of that part of which lies nearest the
shore, the semi-clrcular. or convex,
portion Of the island. Pollipel means
d ladle, and particularly the short one
used by the Dutch in beating up the
batter for the ''wafel''
On the opposite or west side of the
river is a small creek, called Murderers'
creek, deriving its name from the
massacre by the Indians of family as
they were attempting to escape to
Fishkill.
The last of the reaches of which any
knowledge is extant is the Hill Flauver
reach, or the Clover reach. This is the
one at Hudson. The bluffs. or termina-
ton OF the hills there, on the east side
of the river, were called by the Dutch
the klauvers, the Clovers. from their
resem blance to the clover, but whether
to the leaf or the flower opinions
differ
There are large number of creeks
or kills Commencing at the south, the
first is Spuyten Duyvil creek, which
derives its ma me from the Dutch ex-
preston Spyt-den-D Duyvil, which liter
ally translated means In spite of the
devil" Concerning its application there
are many stories told.
A little further north is Yonkers
creek, or Jouckers kill. which means
the Young lord, Or heir. of the fam
ily." 1t was named after its proprietor,
Van der Knee. and is now called the
Nepperhan creek.
Next in order is Peekskill, after Jan
Peeks, who was one of the first settlers.
just north of this there is promon-
tory called "Antonies Nose, corrupted
into ''St. Anthonys Nose" which is a
mistake. 1t has no reference to a saint
of that name, but was called after an
entirely different parsonage. Antonio
de Hoogc, who was secretary of the
colony of Rensselaerwyck.
Then comes FishlIill. which was
founded in the year 1888, and where the
first settlement was made by the Dutch
in Dutchess county. 1t received its
name from the Fishkill creek, or Wis
Kill. and has retained it over one hun
dred years.
Redoubt creek derived It's name from
redoubt built upon its banks by the
Dutch. 1t is now called Rondout creek.
The last of any Importance is Cats
kill. on the west side of the river.
The Dutch called our catamount, or
panther, '-het cat" emphatically the
cat This is also the name for our
domestic cat 4 branch OF this creek
has received the name OF kater's kill.