![Canisteo valley 1453](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Canisteo_valley_1453.JPG)
The Canisteo River is a
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
, accessed August 8, 2011 tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...
of the
Tioga River in western
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. It drains a
dissected plateau
A dissected plateau is a plateau area that has been severely eroded such that the relief is sharp. Such an area may be referred to as mountainous, but dissected plateaus are distinguishable from orogenic mountain belts by the lack of folding, me ...
, a portion of the northern
Allegheny Plateau
The Allegheny Plateau , in the United States, is a large dissected plateau area of the Appalachian Mountains in western and central New York, northern and western Pennsylvania, northern and western West Virginia, and eastern Ohio. It is divide ...
southwest of the
Finger Lakes
The Finger Lakes are a group of eleven long, narrow, roughly north–south lakes located south of Lake Ontario in an area called the ''Finger Lakes region'' in New York, in the United States. This region straddles the northern and transitional ...
region, in the far northwestern reaches of the
watershed
Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to:
Hydrology
* Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins
* Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...
of the
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...
.
It rises in the hills of northern
Allegany County, New York
Allegany County is a County (United States), county in the Southern Tier of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the population was 46,456. Its county seat is Belmont, New York, Belmont. ...
approximately southwest of
Dansville, New York. It flows east into northern
Steuben County, New York
Steuben County (stu-BEN) is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 93,584. Its county seat is Bath. Its name is in honor of Baron von Steuben, a Prussian general who fought on the American ...
, then generally southeast past
Hornell, New York
Hornell is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in Steuben County, New York, Steuben County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 8,259 at the 2020 census. The city is named after the Hornell family, early set ...
and
Canisteo, New York
Canisteo () is a town in Steuben County, New York, United States. The population was 3,294 at the 2020 census. The name was taken from a former Native American village located there, and is Iroquoian in origin.
The Town of Canisteo is in the ...
. It joins the Tioga from the west in southeastern Steuben County, approximately north of the
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
state line and southwest of
Corning, New York
Corning is a city in Steuben County, New York, United States, on the Chemung River. The population was 10,551 at the 2020 census. It is named for Erastus Corning, an Albany financier and railroad executive who was an investor in the company t ...
.
The origin of the name of the river is obscure, likely from the
Algonquian languages
The Algonquian languages ( or ; also Algonkian) are a subfamily of Indigenous languages of the Americas, indigenous American languages that include most languages in the Algic languages, Algic language family. The name of the Algonquian language f ...
subfamily of American indigenous languages meaning either "
pickerel" or "head of water".
History
The Canisteo River empties via the Tioga into the
Chemung River
The Chemung River ( ) is a tributary of the Susquehanna River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 in south central New York and northern ...
, and it into the
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...
. This allowed goods transported on the Canisteo River to reach the Atlantic via the ports of
Havre de Grace and
Perryville, Maryland
Perryville is a town in Cecil County, Maryland, United States. The population was 4,361 at the 2010 census. The town is located near an access for Interstate 95, on the north side of the outlet of the Susquehanna River.
History
Perryville was fir ...
, midway between Baltimore and Philadelphia. Prior to the opening of the
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east-west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing t ...
in 1825, this was western New York State's most direct route for products going to market. As on other rivers in the Susquehanna basin, transportation on the Canisteo before the middle of the 19th century was often accomplished by
ark
Ark or ARK may refer to:
Biblical narratives and religion Hebrew word ''teva''
* Noah's Ark, a massive vessel said to have been built to save the world's animals from a flood
* Ark of bulrushes, the boat of the infant Moses
Hebrew ''aron''
* ...
s up to long.
Arkport, New York
Arkport is a village in Steuben County, New York, United States. The population was 844 at the 2010 census. The name comes from the barges used to ship products through the village. The postal code is 14807.
The Village of Arkport is in the Tow ...
, on the Canisteo River, was the highest navigable point in the Susquehanna watershed.
Since the upper headwaters went through virgin forest, an early
timber
Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...
industry developed. Logs were
floated down the river after being cut. Livestock and crops soon followed.
In the
floods of 1936, the river overflowed and inundated parts of the
Canisteo and
Hornell, leading to the construction of
flood control systems in both communities. The only flooding since then was from
Hurricane Agnes
Hurricane Agnes in 1972 was the costliest hurricane to hit the United States at the time, causing an estimated $2.1 billion in damage. The hurricane's death toll was 128. The effects of Agnes were widespread, from the Caribbean to Canada, ...
of 1972, in which the river destroyed the
Erie Railroad
The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake Erie ...
line south of Hornell and New York Route 36 between Canisteo and Hornell, which was rebuilt further from the river.
See also
*
List of New York rivers
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
*
Canisteo (village), New York
Canisteo () is a village in Steuben County, New York, United States. The population was 2,270 at the 2010 census.
The Village of Canisteo is in the northwest corner of the Town of Canisteo and is southeast of Hornell.
History Native America ...
*
Canisteo, New York
Canisteo () is a town in Steuben County, New York, United States. The population was 3,294 at the 2020 census. The name was taken from a former Native American village located there, and is Iroquoian in origin.
The Town of Canisteo is in the ...
References
External links
Canisteo River history
{{authority control
Rivers of New York (state)
Tributaries of the Chemung River
Rivers of Allegany County, New York
Rivers of Steuben County, New York
Allegheny Plateau
Canisteo, New York