Around Neversink: From the Rondout Reservoir to the Neversink Reservoir

By: Carol G. Smythe

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Synopsis: Around Neversink: From the Rondout Reservoir to the Neversink Reservoir takes readers back to rural life in the Catskill Mountains not long after its first settlers arrived. Before the land was commissioned to provide water for New York City's nine million residents, the area was known for some of the best trout fishing in the world. Red Hill, Peekamoose, Sundown, Branch, Frost Valley, Dewittville, Halls Mills, Willowemoc, Grahamsville, and Claryville were small communities mostly clustered around the banks of the headwaters of the Neversink River or the Rondout Creek. The area became a summer destination, and local farmhouses were converted into boardinghouses to accommodate seasonal travelers. In the 1900s, eminent domain took several communities to create the Rondout Reservoir and the Neversink Reservoir. As a result, Neversink Flats, Bittersweet, Eureka, Montela, and Lackawack ceased to exist. Today, residents and visitors enjoy a host of outdoor activities, including hiking on local mountains, snowmobiling on well-groomed trails, fishing in the reservoirs, bird watching, camping, and hunting.