The Unadilla River is a
river in the
Central New York Region
The Central New York Region (formerly the Central-Leatherstocking Region, also known as Leatherstocking Country) is a term used by the New York State Department of Economic Development to broadly describe the central region of New York for to ...
of
New York State
New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...
. The river begins northeast of the hamlet of
Millers Mills and flows generally south to the village of
Sidney, where it converges with the
Susquehanna River, which drains into the
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / ...
, a bay of the Atlantic Ocean.
Most of the length of the Unadilla forms the western border of
Otsego County and the eastern borders of
Chenango and
Madison Madison may refer to:
People
* Madison (name), a given name and a surname
* James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States
Place names
* Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...
counties, all in New York. This border made up a significant portion of the
Fort Stanwix Treaty Line of 1768. It was meant to establish the border for an Indian reserve, beyond which European-American settlers were not supposed to go. Settlers resented British efforts to control their movements, and continued to encroach on Native American territories.
[
]
Branches
The Unadilla has two branches which join at Unadilla Forks on the Otsego-Madison County border.
*The main branch of the Unadilla, referred to as the Unadilla River, starts northeast of the hamlet of Millers Mills in southwestern Herkimer County
Herkimer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,139. Its county seat is Herkimer. The county was created in 1791 north of the Mohawk River out of part of Montgomery County. It is named af ...
.
*The West Branch Unadilla River starts a few miles north of Bridgewater in southeast Oneida County. This branch was known as ''Eghwagy Creek'' during the early 18th century.
Tributaries
The Unadilla's tributaries
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 drainag ...
, from north to south, include:
* Campbell Brook: from the east, near the Skaneateles Turnpike
The Skaneateles Turnpike was an east–west turnpike (pre-freeway), turnpike in central New York in the United States. It began east of the Skaneateles (village), New York, village of Skaneateles and ran east across southern Onondaga County, New Yo ...
north of Leonardsville
*Button Creek: from the west, between Leonardsville and West Edmeston
* Beaver Creek: from the west, between South Brookfield and Columbus Quarter
* Tallette Creek: from the west, near Columbus Quarter
* Center Brook: from the west, at New Berlin
* Wharton Creek: from the east, at New Berlin
*Butternut Creek: from the east, near Mount Upton
*Guilford Creek: from the west, north of Sidney
Alternate names and spellings
Unadilla has had various spellings and alternate names, particularly in the 18th century:[History of Chenango County, Ch. 7]
/ref>
*Che-on-a-dill-ha: Oneida dialect
*Teyonadelhouogh: Gideon Hawley, ''Journey to Broome County, Oquaga (Onaheghgwage)'', 1753
*Tiona-derha: Guy Johnson's 1768 map
*Tienaderha: Guy Johnson's 1771 map and Southeir's 1779 map
*Tianaderaha: Surveyor-General, Simeon De Witt
Simeon De Witt (December 25, 1756 – December 3, 1834) was Geographer and Surveyor General of the Continental Army during the American Revolution and Surveyor General of the State of New York for the fifty years from 1784 until his death.
Life ...
's map
*Tianaderha: Fort Stanwix Treaty
The Treaty of Fort Stanwix was a treaty signed between representatives from the Iroquois and Great Britain (accompanied by negotiators from New Jersey, Virginia and Pennsylvania) in 1768 at Fort Stanwix. It was negotiated between Sir William J ...
of 1768
*Tunadilla: Common spelling 18th century correspondence
* Susquehannock: Vaughan's 18th century ''Chorographical Map''
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 unio ...
References
History of Chenango County, Ch. 7.
* Francis W. Halsey, ''The Old New York Frontier'', 1901
External links
Upper Unadilla Valley Association
{{authority control
Tributaries of the Susquehanna River
Rivers of New York (state)
Rivers of Otsego County, New York
Rivers of Chenango County, New York
Rivers of Madison County, New York
Rivers of Oneida County, New York
Rivers of Delaware County, New York
Rivers of Herkimer County, New York