The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1905-09-09
Romantic Traditions That
Hang Around New Jer-
sey's Beautiful Inland Sea
LEGEND AND FACT
LENNI LENAFEs OR SARITICoNG
WE'RE THE EARLIEST TRIBE
THAT LIVED AND HUNTED AT
HOPATCoNG.

How much romance and tradition help
to nlake the history of Lake Hopatcong
peculiarly interesting is strikingly shown
in the results of careful research and pa
tient inquiry made for the Advertiser
by the Rev. Henry Merle Mellen, pastor
of Christ Reformed Church, Newark
during his s'rustication'' on the shores
of the beautiful sheet of water. Mr..
Mellen made extended quests for
relics and old landmarks. and from these
i and other sources has been able to piece
together many historic facts interviewer
with much that is legendary and con-
jeetural. Here is his interesting story:
The lake probably has its name from
its elongated and somewhat irregular
shore line. 'Hopatcong' is corruption
of "Hopatclung, meaning pipe water,
which, with little Imagination, can be
interpreted crooked waters" The Indi-
an pipe. of course, is bent or crooked
This may mean either that the lake re-
sembies a pipe in shape or that it is
peculiarly crooked and indentured in its
outline Again, it may be that the name
indicates a commingling of both mean
ings.
The Lenni Lenapes or Nariticongs. ii
seems, were the earliest and only tribe
that inhabited the region about Hopat-
cong. 1t is comforting to know that
these shores have no blood-stained Indian
battle fields, and that dark stories of
Indian cruelties and atrocity are un-
these ancient dwellers of northern New
Jersey were, they have handed down
through the centuries the spirit Of the
pipe of peace"
These Lennh Lenapes or Nariticongs
were branch Of the Delawares. and
about two centuries ago began their final
exodus toward the West. They followed
the trail, first to the Susquehanna, then
to the Ohio river, latterly settling in Mis-
souri, and Arkansas. The last remnant
Of these melancholy tribes-a few
hundred at the most-now occupy the
Indian reservation on the Washita river,
near Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
Near Woodport, at the upper end Of
the lake, may be seen the crumbling
ruins of what was once called Indian
wharf. 1t seems to have been a pain
out into the lake and leading TO a large
Indian village. Here numbers of relies
have been picked up. The situation, site
and surroundings argue for reliability Of
this account The relics found here in
dicate healthy type Of aboriginal In
dian life.
The burial place of these Indians was
| rediscovered some years ago by William
Chincopee. full-blooded Nariticong, who
suddenly appeared with his squaw on the
shores of the lake one spring and built
a wigwam. He stayed but few weeks.
| when he was driven away by the white
| inhabitants. who foolishly feared bloody
revenge at his hands. Chincopee's main
| object, according to his own statement,
was to find the burying ground of his
| fathers. He had crude sort of map
| and certain landmarks We're in his mind
| --an old tree near the st. Johns Lodge,
| the summer home of Mr.. James T..
Griggs, of Somerville. on the eastern side
! Of Raccoon Island, for instance. From
| this point the boundary line of the bury
| ing ground ran to a sand bar out from
| Halsey Island directly opposite. All this
ground Is now covered with water from
three to eleven feet deep. Chincopee's
1 findings are borne out by the fact that
many arrowheads are annually picked up
here A few years ago beautiful tonla-
hawk was found BY Mr.. 3. B. Decker of
Somerville, whose summer home. Loko-
ongoto," is on Raccoon Island opposite
Halsey Island, in the part Of the stretch
indicated by Chincopee as the resting
place Of many sleeping Nariticongs. 1t
is pity that this last scion of his race
on these shores was not allowed to re-
main. How many legends, tales and
stories he could have told! How many
old Indian landmarks he could have
pointed ont! Alasi tits many years since
Chincopee followed his fathers toward
their Western camp
One Of the myths handed down III the
dim annals Of these shores IS that Of
Iuaanahela. great saeheln who, Il il
tsIa, started aut from the River styS,
E :