Swartswood Creek - First Descent 2-14-09

On this Valentine’s Day the A-Team Sportsters made a first descent down the
Swartswood Creek. The source of its headwaters is Swartswood Lake which was once
known as Great Pond until of course the Delaware Indians killed Captain Anthony
Swartwout, his wife and 4 of his children. Sadly his named was misspelled when they
renamed the lake in his honor.

The put-in was at an historic landmark, Keen's Grist Mill circa 1838. The waters
tumbled down the dam and through the sluice into the creek below. We all lined our
canoes down the steep and icy hill. As we looked downstream we could see our first
obstacle. Portage. We looked downstream and of course there was another downed
tree. Portage. Somehow Uncle Harold managed to sneak under this one. Cowboy
went up over the top. Linda and I were struggling with "Old Misery," our Mad River
Freedom 16ft, 72lbs empty, through a field of wild roses and barberry. "Old
Misery" was loaded down with 2 large dry bags, 1 car battery, 1 small console stereo
system with 2 bookshelf speakers and of course 1 keg of Bud Lite. With the clarity of
hindsight I realize taking a 16ft canoe on a 12ft wide creek is not advisable.

Ok, all jokes aside, the creek and its surrounding countryside are very scenic and
unspoiled. The water level was leaning toward the low side so for some of the stretch
it was like bumper cars and pinball all rolled into one. It definitely kept us alert. The
creek opened up somewhat and we were able to pinball down many sections with
great glee. We stopped for a rest at the confluence of Trout Brook. Something inside
my head kept thinking about running the Trout into the Swartswood into the Paulins
into the Delaware. Lofty dreams but why not? I'd be thrilled with the trifecta of the
first three. We packed up lunch and headed downstream.
Our spirits were high and we were all enjoying this unique experience. There were
big smiles on everyone’s face. Maybe joy? Maybe gas? Either way it’s a smile. We
approached the Pond Brook Road Bridge. There’s an excellent access just
downstream of the bridge complete with a wooden foot bridge. We now had less then
a 1/4 mile before we emptied out into the upper Paulins, 2 miles above Stillwater.
What was nice was that it was a virtually new section for us and added flavor to an
already great trip. Somehow we managed to snap 109 pictures and two videos while
being pinballed downstream.

The Paulins was running fairly high and our pinball carnival ride turned into a smooth
cruise. We past that old River Billy shack where all the River Hooples live. Several
shots were fired over our heads as a warning! Cowboy yelled out, "Now hold on
there!" Two more shots rang out and then it sounded like the Three Stooges fleeing.
Two of the Sportsters, who will remain nameless, messed themselves. One Sportster
needed a "Time Out" and was sent to the dog house. The remaining
Sportsters barked and howled in support of their colleague. I would imagine from an
outsider’s perspective this would look to be a depraved and disturbing act. I
pondered this for only a moment before I once again began barking. Woof!
There was one more strainer 1/2 mile above Stillwater. It appeared to have been
there for years with no good place to get out and portage. Cowboy went up and over
the top again. Linda and I crawled out onto a melting crumbling ice sheet underneath
thick briars and had to crawl on our stomachs while the ice broke under us. Finally
after even more crawling, we pulled "Old Misery" through the thickets. Uncle Harold
was on the Western channel navigating his way to meet us just above the Stillwater
Bridge. About a 1/2 mile below the bridge Linda yelled out, "Mink!" and a very large
reddish brown mink scampered along the bank on the right bank. We all got a good
look at it. What a treat!

It was a little after 3 pm and the sun was getting low and one could feel the cold
creeping in. The next few miles flew by and we had reached Marksboro by the old
mill. The small rapid downstream of the bridge and ledges below were very
lively today due to the increased flow. We finished the final leg of our trip across the
lake, past the ever present swan, towards Blairstown dam. Our 9.4 mile journey,
complete with a first descent, had come to an end.

Story & Photos by Wes Evans

Factoids

The Paulins Kill was originally known as the Tockhockonetcong by the local Native
Americans who were likely Munsee, a tribe or phratry of the Lenni Lenape. The name
Tockhockonetcong (or Tockhockonetcunk) roughly translates to "stream that comes
from Tok-Hok-Nok"—Tok-hok-nok being an Indian village believed to been within the
boundaries of present-day Newton, New Jersey,[20] near which the eastern (main)
branch of the Paulins Kill begins, and the Lenape roots hannek meaning "stream" and
the suffix -ong denoting "place."[21]

Mill Pond Keen's Grist Mill, circa 1838, built from native limestone and slate.

Swartswood Lake is a 550 acre hole dug out by glaciers, and is surrounded by
10,000 acres of Kittatinny Mountains, its watershed. The mountains and the Neldons
Brook are its headwaters. The lake spreads out into shallow coves and Little
Swartswood Lake before it rides the dam then empties into the Mill Brook.

History:

The park area was once farmland with fields of hay and grains separated by stone
fences. Much of this farmland is now returning to forest.

The name for Swartswood comes from Captain Anthony Swartwout, slain by Indians.

During the French and Indian War (1754l-1763), a raid by the Delaware Indians had
as its goal the capture of Captain Richard Hunt of Hardwick (now Hunt's Pond,
Fredon), Captain Daniel Harker of Stillwater, and Captain Anthony Swartwout of
Great Pond (now Swartswood Lake). They attacked Swartwout's farm. They killed
his wife and three of her children. Anthony and three of his remaining children had
to surrender as captives. About a mile from the house, the Indians killed him. They
also killed the youngest of the three children, probably because she was too small to
keep up with the escaping raiding party. (McCabe 2300:14)
Keen's Grist Mill is located off of County Route 521 near the outlet of Swartswood
Lake. This mill was built in the 1830's on the site of several other mills, the earliest
dating back to the Revolutionary War. This mill was used to grind locally grown
grains.

The mill was built on the site of an earlier mill built by Charles Rhodes. Blair
Academy (founded in 1848 by John I. Blair) acquired it in 1895 to control the flow of
water to the Academy's power station on the Paulinskill at Paulina. In the 1930's,
Mary and Levi Serey, who lived in Lake Cottage, managed the sluice gate for the
Academy and rented boats on the millpond. A new dam was built in 1905. In the
1980s a still newer dam was built by the Army Corps of Engineers.

early 1900s -- Swartswood Lake was a major resort, according to local historian
Elsie Roof, with weekenders coming into nearby Blairstown by train through the
1940s. The North Shore Inn, visible across the lake, was once a booming hotel. The
Casino and The Dove Island Inn were other places for visitors to stay. Later,
weekenders stayed in summer cabins.

(Source: http://www.njskylands.com/tnstlwtr.htm)

Lake Cottage, Swartswood Lake, was at the southern end of the millpond fed by
Swartswood Lake, one half mile north of Middleville. It was a boarding house
patronized by summer visitors. The house is still there.

The State of New Jersey began acquiring land for Swartswood State Park in 1914.
The Emmans Grove Picnic Area was one of the original acquisitions. The 12.5 acres
gift was from Mr. George M. Emmans with "... an intent that the people may have
use of the premises herein conveyed as a public park forever . . ."

1,040 acres were acquired through the Green Acres programs.

Problems: http://www.epa.gov/ecoplaces/ecosystems.pdf > "Swartswood"

Swartswood Lake is 204 hectares (504 acres) in size, with a mean depth of 6.7
meters (22 feet) and a maximum depth of 128 meters (42 feet). The watershed
covers 4,523 hectares (11,196 acres), including the lake. Some of the major
environmental problems here are: high in-lake phosphorus, reduced fish habitat,
excessive weed/algal growth, anoxia caused by internal phosphorus recycling, and
reduction in clarity.

Some of the actions taken or proposed are: inactivation of internal phosphorus by

hypolimnetic aeration, weed harvesting, development of a septic management plan,
implementation of homeowner best management practices, and control of future
land development.

“River Hoople” Pronounced: Hoop Pull. Large indigenous biped omnivore found along
rivers and streams throughout North America.

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