Scajaquada Creek ( ) is a stream in Erie County,

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 * '' ...

, United States. The name is derived from Philip Kenjockety, a Native American described as the oldest resident of the region upon his death in 1808. The creek lends its name to the Scajaquada Expressway,

New York State Route 198 New York State Route 198 (NY 198) is a state highway located entirely within the city of Buffalo, New York, in the United States. It is named the Scajaquada Expressway for Scajaquada Creek, which it covers over as it heads across norther ...

, a highway that briefly adjoins the creek's southern shore. A bike path follows the creek's northern shore most of the way from Delaware Park to the Niagara River. Buffalo State College, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the

Buffalo History Museum The Buffalo History Museum (founded as the Buffalo Historical Society, and later named the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society) is located at 1 Museum Court (formerly 25 Nottingham Court) in Buffalo, New York, just east of Elmwood Avenue and ...

overlook Scajaquada Creek.

Course

A stream that drains a watershed of , Scajaquada Creek rises in the Town of Lancaster in Erie County, east of Buffalo. The creek passes through most of the Town of Cheektowaga before it is diverted into an underground

culvert A culvert is a structure that channels water past an obstacle or to a subterranean waterway. Typically embedded so as to be surrounded by soil, a culvert may be made from a pipe, reinforced concrete or other material. In the United Kingdom ...

. The culvert carries the creek for miles through much of Buffalo, emerging in Forest Lawn. The creek passes through the Forest Lawn Cemetery, next to Delaware Park, and over Serenity Falls. The falls has a total vertical drop of in a horizontal distance of . It is one of two waterfalls in Buffalo, along with Cazenovia Park Falls. While the Scajaquada once flowed into Hoyt Lake in Delaware Park, it was buried by 1921 in response to pollution and urban development. Today, it bypasses the lake through a channel and culvert on the lake's south shore. The creek flows through part 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 ...

known as the Black Rock Canal, then empties into the

Niagara River The Niagara River () is a river that flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the province of Ontario in Canada (on the west) and the state of New York (state), New York in the United States (on the east) ...

1814 Battle

In early August, 1814, during

The War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

a force of about 600 British Soldiers crossed into New York from Canada in an attempt to raid American supply depots kept in Black Rock, New York in preparation for the Siege of Fort Erie. American Riflemen, having detected the British landing prepared, defenses at Scajaquada Creek, then known as "Conjocta Creek". British Forces attempted to cross the creek to reach Black Rock, but became engaged in an intense skirmish with the roughly 200 American riflemen defending the creek. The fighting lasted an hour before the British force retreated to Canada. The British force suffered 12 killed and 17 wounded, the Americans 2 killed and 8 wounded. English Author and Inventor,

Shadrack Byfield Shadrack Byfield (sometimes Shadrach) was a British infantryman who served in the 41st Regiment during the War of 1812. He is best known as the author of a memoir of his wartime experiences, ''A Narrative of a Light Company Soldier's Service'' ...

was wounded in the Battle and had his arm amputated as a result.

References

External links

Scajaquada Creek information

*

Battle of Conjocta Creek The Battle of Conjocta Creek was an attempt by British forces under the command of Lieutenant Colonel John Tucker to raid the American supply depots at the towns of Black Rock and Buffalo. The Raid was ordered by British Lieutenant General Gordo ...

{{authority control Geography of Buffalo, New York Subterranean rivers of the United States Rivers of Erie County, New York