History talk with Steve Skye on “LAKE AWOSTING: A UNIQUE D&H RESERVOIR”

1932 Post Card of Lake Awosting in Minnewaska, NY

CUDDEBACKVILLE, NY: The Neversink Valley Museum of History & Innovation has engaged Museum Historian Steve Skye for its History Talk Lecture Series on Wednesday, July 10, 2019, at 7:00 pm when he will be speaking about “Lake Awosting: A Unique D&H Reservoir”

Lake Awosting is one of 6 lakes on top of the Shawangunk ridge called the Sky Lakes. Located in Ulster County, NY Minnewaska State Park Preserve these lakes are situated on the dramatic Shawangunk Mountain ridge, which rises more than 2,000 feet above sea level and is surrounded by rugged, rocky terrain. Four of the five sky lakes on the Shawangunk Ridge lie within the preserve: Lake Minnewaska, Lake Awosting, Mud Pond (also known as Lake Haseco), and Lake Maratanza; Mohonk Lake, is on the property of the Mohonk Mountain House to the north of Minnewaska.

Lake Awosting is roughly three times as large as Lake Minnewaska, with a length of about one and eighth miles (1.8 km) and a maximum width of about one-quarter mile (0.4 km) mile. They are called Sky Lakes because the water they contain falls from the sky as rainwater. Consequently, these lakes are all considered to be acidic from acid-rain from air pollution caused by coal-fired industries to the west of us. Lake Awosting pH has been an acidic 4.5 for a long time according to the USGS reports.

Minnewaska was originally built as a resort by Alfred Smiley in the 1870s, complete with two hotels and many amenities. However, Minnewaska was also designed to be a nature preserve. Its carriage roads and trails offered visitors the chance to enjoy and appreciate nature, setting the stage for its current incarnation as New York’s largest state Park Preserve at 22,000 acres.

The D&H canal relied heavily on the system of manmade lakes and feeders to support a constant flow of water into the Canal to maintain the depth of the water from between 4 and 6 feet throughout its years of operation. The Summit level reservoirs all drained via the Canal into the Delaware River watershed, Lake Awosting drains via the Rondout River, part of the Hudson River watershed. The Awosting is also unique in that it is one of the last D&H reservoirs put into place in 1870. Join the folks at the Neversink Valley Museum of History and Innovation on July 10th at 7:00 to learn about the unique features of the D&H Canal’s Awosting Reservoir.

This History Talk will be presented at the D&H Canal Park Visitor’s Center at 58 Hoag Road (just off route 209) in Cuddebackville, NY 12729. It is a benefit for The Neversink Valley Museum of History and Innovation and lite refreshments will be served. A donation of $5 for Members and $7 for Non-Members is suggested.

                  For more information about the museum, its mission to preserve local history or any events, call (854) 754-8870, email at nvam@frontiernet.net or visit our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Neversink-Valley-Museum-of-History-Innovation.

Steven Skye: Museum Historian

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