In depth... As the last building came down it was clear that this was the end of an era. All that we based our lives on was doomed to be covered by water in a few short years. This was our town, our way of life and it was deemed frivilous by a court of law, with no reason aside from eminate domain our property and industry was snatched away from us. We fought tooth and nail, exhausted all legal means to hang on to our life but in the end,well you know the result. To us the Delaware River valley is the definition of life. Since our first years it has taught us what it knows about life and death. Nestled beneath every rock or floating in the northern air are the elements that create our world. To the natives of this land, life and earth are linked together in dying and in living, what happens to our land has a large impact on what happens to our way of life. In the fall of 1966 one very large blow was received to our way of life and is still stinging 44 years later.
My family, from all walks of life they came to settle in the beautiful valleys of a Virgin River valley in the western Catskills. Setting creed and culture aside, communities arose from the forests of the lenelanpe, Indian hunters that had been displaced from the land years earlier. As time progressed the once wild land became suited for agricultural development and soon became a stronghold run by the descendants of the first generation of settlers.
It is from these early settlements and farms that the town of Cannonsville was formed. Ministering to the needs of surrounding farms and hamlets Cannonsville began to develop into a township that was key in the economic stability of the area. The mainstay of the rural economy in the area was the dairy business. Following the milk strikes of 1936 that hurt sales all over the country the people of Cannonsville answered this problem by creating dairy Co-operatives that in a few short years got the entire New York milk shed back on its feet. Two creameries were created in 1938, one located in Cannonsville and a larger station in the adjacent hamlet of Rock Royal. These creameries were a major force in the dairy production for all of New York State, in effect playing a crucial role in saving the market worldwide. Needless to say the lives of the surrounding communities and the economic stability of a whole region depended on the industries that were developed in the Cannonsville area.
With economic stability provided by the two Dairy co-ops the prosperity of this developing community was at an all time high. In this period of elation my family began to catch wind of plans that would spell in end to their way of life by drowning it in a man made lake located in their valley. This lake was to aide the water shortages of a mistaken City to the south.
The city of New York had been in dire need of an adequate water source since the 1830? The conceptual ideal of tapping the Catskills for her water source had been turned over for many years but never realized because of the amount of distance the water would have to travel to reach the thirsty metropolitan throats. However in 1950 the New York State Water Power and Control commission gave the approval for the city to snatch up 19,910 acres of my family?elaware home. This was made possible by the construction of plans to build a massive aqueduct from the proposed reservoir to the city. When these plans were made public the people of the Delaware valley took up direct legal action to stop or find alternatives to the building of the reservoir. Appeals were made for the city to clean up its poorly run water systems and to consider the Hudson River as a possible alternative water source. Regardless of these protests and litigations the damn dam would be built.
For my family the battle war over, the city began to assess the value of their land and possessions giving them half the value and no alternative but to leave or be destroyed. In the end the cities thirst was not quenched until 5 communities 94 farms and 941 people were displaced. The displaced were now on their own many settled down in areas that were safe from the flooding Delaware and the stringent watershed policies of NYC. Life began again in communities like my hometown Walton, or in the nearby towns of Deposit, Downsville or Delhi. However the impact the Cannonsville project had on the entire Catskill region is still felt today. Most alarming to the residences of Delaware County is the rapid disintegration of the dairy industry. Over the past forty years the production of milk and dairy products has faded into mere non-existence. Many correlate this directly to the influence of strict watershed sanitation policies that surround any type of enterprise with rules and restrictions. It is also believed that the loss of the Cannonsville production area crippled the local dairy industry beyond repair.
Now my family is scattered across the mountains and valleys of our Catskill home, some of them gone forever like the houses and streets of their towns. There is no reclaiming what was covered by water; the way of life that was created there now belongs to history. Your claim now lies in the knowledge gained from losses like this that occur worldwide. To Finalize this brief account of the intricate NY watershed saga I will leave you with a quote from courier magazine a few years before the flood waters buried Cannonsville for good:
I had a vision that I was standing on the bank of the Delaware River idly looking at the stream as it went rushing along to the Ocean. As I looked along the river I sure there was something unusual in the river and as I watched it seemed to be coming nearer. As they came nearer I could see more clearly. It was a party of canoes descending on my spot. In each canoe there were two Indian braves?e at each end with a paddle and between them were two squaws-some with papooses on their backs. They had all their possessions that they were able to carry in the canoes.
The braves were sitting in the bottom of the canoes, erect and dignified, looking straight ahead, striking the water on each side with their paddles with a rhythm and power that drove the canoes forward with every stroke. The women and children however were the same as in every land since Adam; they were leaving their home and they were sad. As I stood spell bound watching a great people going into the unknown I could only think of myself and my neighbors facing the same ruthless routine.
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