MOHAWK - Discovering the Valley of the Crystals Copyright 2003
Chapter 12 - Tributuaries
Nowadaga Creek - History
is Its Claim to Fame
Ohisa Creek and several smaller tributaries combine to form Nowadaga
Creek near Newville in the Town of Danube. From there it flows north for
five miles to Indian Castle and the Barge Canal.
For much of the year and for most of its length, it's too shallow and warm
to support fish.
Nowadaga's claim to fame is it's historical significance. Prior to the American Revolution it was the western boundary of the Upper Castle of the Mohawk Nation and the home of the celebrated Brant Family. Brother and sister, Molly and Joseph Brant lived here. Molly became Sir William's "Lady Johnson" and Joseph became his secretary. After Sir William's death in 1774 and the outbreak of the American Revolution, Joseph was commissioned a Captain in the British Army and commanded Iroquois warriors.
Indian Castle Church was built for the Mohawks in 1769.
Indian Castle Church and the remnants of Brant's
home and barn are located near the mouth of the stream. Joseph Brant donated
the land for the church and Sir William Johnson
provided the funds to build it in 1769.
In the early 1800s the Erie Canal was cut through
here, necessitating the construction of an aqueduct over the creek. Later
when the canal was enlarged, a double lock was built on the west side of
the creek. Today Lock 35 is buried under mounds of sand and mud dredged
from the Barge Canal.
Discovery: Mystery Fish & History's Footsteps
June 26, 2001, 76 degrees, Sunny
I had come to Nowadaga Creek to look for a canoe
launch on the canal, but couldn't resist exploring the lower reaches of
this historic tributary. Besides, I reasoned, there had to be some fish
this close to the canal. I was right.
When
I arrived at the mouth of the creek at 10:15 a.m. there was a dredge barge
in the canal. Merging waters presented quite a contrast: sparkling creek
running into pea-soup canal. Minnows scurried along the edge of the scum
line and disappeared into the soup as I headed upstream from the boat launch
on the east side of the creek.
Prior to the construction of the Barge Canal in
1915, Nowadaga Creek ran into the Mohawk, but today the river and canal
run separately through this area so the creek reaches the river by a more
circuitous route.
Shale chips dominate the sediment near the mouth of the creek. Just upstream, flat-rock ledges form a series of wide but low waterfalls. At 10:45 I waded up the waterfalls below the old railroad bridge and passed under the nearby NYS Thruway Bridge. The concrete abutments of the Thruway Bridge were covered with graffiti. Fifteen minutes later I passed under the Route 5S Bridge and flushed a small flock of pigeons.
Upstream from the 5S Bridge there were more rocks and boulders in the creek. On the right a big farm. On the left, through the trees, Indian Castle Church. I had been casting to pools and runs all the way up the creek without results. The water was so shallow and so clear, I made longer and longer casts to avoid spooking the fish I hoped were there. That technique paid off when I dropped a gold spoon next to a large boulder. A foot-long, white-bellied fish took the lure, jumped clear out of the water and was gone. The action was so fast and far away, I couldn't identify the fish.
A manure spreader atop a riprap bank overlooked
a deep run, but it was the shade of a nearby boulder that held the fish
that took my lure, cut across the creek and shook loose. Again I couldn't
identify the fish.
Upstream from the farm, the creek runs over shelves of shale, making walking
easy but offering very little fish habitat. As I waded through this
area---road on the right, stand of evergreens on the left---killdeers,
announced my progress and flew in wide loops around me.
At 11:30 I discovered a sycamore with five trunks
growing from a large twisted bottom. Its creek-side roots were exposed
and washed bare. Just upstream, where a glacial boulder sat atop ledgerock,
I stopped in the shade to snack on milk and cookies. Chicory, purple loosestrife
and a variety of yellow flowers grew nearby. A red-tailed hawk circled
overhead.
At 12:10, after passing a stretch of cut-stone
rip rap, I headed for the road, noting a Curve Sign as a landmark should
I return to explore more of the stream. By following Creek Road to Route
5S, and then Canal Lock Road to the old railroad crossing, I was back at
the Jeep at 12:45.
In 2 1/2 hours I explored a mile of stream, hooked
and lost a couple of good fish, saw waterfalls, wildflowers and wildlife----and
walked where Molly, Joseph and Sir William once tread.
Follow the path of this discovery trip by clicking on Mohawk Valley Maps: by Maptech.
Type Indian Castle , select New York, press GO!
