The Sparkill Creek is an eight mile long waterbody that begins in the mountains of Orangetown New York and ends in The Hudson River. As the rain falls onto the top of Clausland Mountain, it collects to form several tiny streams. These streams merge as the topography of the mountain summons more water to join. Multiple tributaries give life to the creek as it flows through Blauvelt, Orangeburg, Tappan, Northvale, Palisades, Sparkill and finally Piermont. The flow built up by all of the small additions along the way comes to a calming end as The Piermont Marsh softens its intoduction into much larger bodies of water. The Sparkill Creek is rich in history, beauty, value and ecological significance. The creek flows through wetlands and wildlife sanctuaries that are hosts to many fish, birds, amphibians and insects. It plays a key role in the hydrology of Orangetown and provides natural beauty to many of the residents there.
Unfortunately, The Sparkill Creek has undergone a drastic transformation in the past 50 years. As Orangetown became a very attractive place to live, the watershed that was once covered in vegetation, was replaced by roofs, lawns, and pavement. As a result, erosion, habitat loss and pollution from runoff have all occurred causing detrimental effects on the health of this precious waterbody. The good news is that The Sparkill Creek has received much attention from local residents, environmental groups and the government. Sparkill Creek Restoration Inc., a non-profit environmental organization, has launched The Sparkill Creek Restoration Project. It will bring everyone together to solve the problems facing the creek today.
Water Flow In Orangetown
The light blue arrows represent the general water flow direction. The dark blue arrow on the left represents Lake Tappan (reservoir) seen on the map. The dark , blue arrows on the right represent The Sparkill Creek.
A Map of The Sparkill Creek
The creek comes off of Clausland Mountain to the north and heads south to Tappan and Northvale, and then heads northeast to the Hudson River.
A Brief History
For thousands of years The Sparkill Creek and surrounding land was used by Native Americans. They found the creek to be rich with many different types of fish and the land had such animals as bear, wolves, elk and mountain lion. The Tappaens were the tribe that dominated the area until they began to do deals with The Dutch in the mid 1600's. Jan Claus, the leader of a local Native American tribe, who's Indian name was Tackamack is where the names of Clausland Mountain and Tackamack Park come from.
The land began to be transformed as the Europeans increased the amount of trade that was going on, especially with New York City. Agricultural areas were set up inland and the creek was used to transport goods out to The Hudson River. As the size of the boats got larger and activity increased, a center of commerce was established at the mouth of The Sparkill Creek, an area that became known The Tappan Slote (also known as Tappan Landing and Taulman Landing). Today this area is known as The Piermont Marsh and Piermont Landing.
During the Revolutionary War, the creek served as a strategic area as it is the first break in the palisades north of New York City that provides access to the inland. Into the age of industry, two dams were constructed on The Sparkill Creek and they were used to power several nearby mills. In the 19th century the construction of The Erie Railroad which ran right along the creek, brought a temporary surge in people and business to the area.
An artist's rendition of what the Sparkill Creek used to look like
The Erie Railroad signified the changing society and landscape
Infrastructure developed around the creek as fishing continued into the 1900's
The old drawbridge allowed boats to access the mills upstream
The old dam was used for powering mills
As the population and real estate values of New York City increased in the 20th century, the same was the case with Orangetown. The 1950's-1960's saw an explosion in the development of The Sparkill Creek watershed. Massive residential developments went up that brought more commercial development to the area. As the economy and population roared into the 1980's-1990's, a new wave of residential development occurred with large luxury housing appearing in Palisades, Sparkill and Blauvelt including on the side of Clausland Mountain.
The Sparkill Creek (center) and the surrounding watershed today
Sources: PiermontLibrary.org & Piermont Historical Society
The Sparkill Creek is an eight mile long waterbody that begins in the mountains of Orangetown New York and ends in The Hudson River. As the rain falls onto the top of Clausland Mountain, it collects to form several tiny streams. These streams merge as the topography of the mountain summons more water to join. Multiple tributaries give life to the creek as it flows through Blauvelt, Orangeburg, Tappan, Northvale, Palisades, Sparkill and finally Piermont. The flow built up by all of the small additions along the way comes to a calming end as The Piermont Marsh softens its intoduction into much larger bodies of water. The Sparkill Creek is rich in history, beauty, value and ecological significance. The creek flows through wetlands and wildlife sanctuaries that are hosts to many fish, birds, amphibians and insects. It plays a key role in the hydrology of Orangetown and provides natural beauty to many of the residents there. 
