The Schoharie Valley is a corridor that runs through

Schoharie County Schoharie County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 29,714, making it the state's fifth-least populous county. The county ...

from

Schoharie, New York Schoharie ( ) is an incorporated town in and the county seat of Schoharie County, New York. The population was 3,299 at the 2000 census. The Town of Schoharie has a village, also called Schoharie. Both are derived from the Mohawk word for dr ...

Gilboa, New York Gilboa is a town in Schoharie County, New York, United States. The population was 1,215 at the 2000 census. The Town of Gilboa is in the southern part of the county and is southwest of Albany. History The town was first settled around 1760. ...

Geography

The Schoharie Valley is made up of plains surrounding the Schoharie Creek. Within the Schoharie Valley are the towns of Middleburgh, Schoharie,

Fulton Fulton may refer to: People * Robert Fulton (1765–1815), American engineer and inventor who developed the first commercially successful steam-powered ship * Fulton (surname) Given name * Fulton Allem (born 1957), South African golfer * Fult ...

, and the Hamlet of Breakabeen. The Valley is cut in the middle by NYS Route 30. Vroman27s Nose

History

The Schoharie Valley was colonized by the British in the early eighteenth century. However, the majority of the settlers were

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

. The Schoharie Valley was famous for its role in the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

. Battles in the Valley included those in Breakabeen, at the Old Stone Fort, and the Battle of the Lower Fort. The Valley was ransacked by Tories and loyal Indian forces during the latter portion of the war. The Schoharie Valley's main fortress, the Old Stone Fort was used as an armory during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. The valley was once served by the

Schoharie Valley Railroad Schoharie may refer to: * Schoharie County, New York, USA ** Schoharie (town), New York, in the above county ***Schoharie (village), New York Schoharie ( ) is a village in Schoharie County, New York, United States. The population was 922 at the 20 ...

and the Middleburgh-Schoharie Railroad.

Economy

Today, the prime industry of the Schoharie Valley is farming. The NYS Power Authority also has a hydroelectric power plant in

Blenheim, New York Blenheim is a town in Schoharie County, New York, United States. The population was 377 at the 2010 census. The town was named after a land patent, which itself was named after the Battle of Blenheim. The Town of Blenheim is in the southwestern pa ...

. There is also some tourism, primarily to the Old Stone Fort, Dr. Best

Museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

, Vroman's Nose, and the

Old Blenheim Bridge Old Blenheim Bridge was a wooden covered bridge that spanned Schoharie Creek in North Blenheim, New York, United States. With an open span of , it had the second longest span of any surviving single-span covered bridge in the world. The 1862 B ...

Notable residents

* Timothy Murphy, Revolutionary War Hero. * William C. Bouck, New York Governor. *

Gabriel Bouck Gabriel Bouck (December 16, 1828 – February 21, 1904) was an American lawyer, Democratic politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He represented Wisconsin in the United States House of Representatives for two terms. He also served as Wisconsin's 6 ...

, Wisconsin Congressman. *

Joseph Bouck Joseph Bouck (July 22, 1788 – March 30, 1858) was an American politician and a U.S. Representative from New York serving one term from 1831 to 1833. Biography Born on Bouck's Island, near Fultonham, New York, Bouck attended the rural schools of ...

, New York Congressman. *

John McGiver John Irwin McGiver (November 5, 1913 – September 9, 1975) was an American character actor who made more than a hundred appearances in television and motion pictures over a two-decade span from 1955 to 1975. The owl-faced, portly character ac ...

, actor. *

Nicole Sullivan Nicole Sullivan (born April 21, 1970) is an American actress and comedian best known for her six seasons (1995–2001) on the sketch comedy series ''MADtv''. She also played Holly Shumpert in five seasons (2001–2005, 2007) of the CBS sitcom '' ...

, actress. {{authority control Landforms of Schoharie County, New York Palatine German settlement in New York (state) Valleys of New York (state)