12 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



complex gneisses. They are especially well developed along certain 

 stretches on the east side where the land in places runs back almost 

 level for half a mile to the foot of the bordering steep hills. This 

 terrace development has given opportunity for establishment of 

 such settlements as West Point, Cold Spring, Garrison and High- 

 land Falls. It is not continuous enough, however, to be made 

 use of by the transportation lines which on both sides of the river 

 follow close to the water's edge, and which are constructed by cut- 

 ting and tunnelling and sometimes even by running out on the 

 glacial fill and alluvium of the river. In some places this drift and 

 silt support has been rather unstable and has required considerable 

 protection from stream erosion. If one pictures the rock gorge in 

 its true cross-section without its filling it is very striking that the 

 West Shore and the main line of the New York Central railroads 

 are perched along the sides several hundred feet above the bottom, 

 not even on the terraces, but sometimes following along the rock 

 wall in narrow notches and tunnels and sometimes resting on the 

 loose drift fill. 



The tributaries to the Hudson are all very small streams. Those 

 that enter the gorge are unimportant, both in size and number. 

 North of the Highlands, Fishkill creek flows in from the east over 

 the flat lands, and near the south margin, Peekskill Hollow and 

 Annsville creeks empty together into the Hudson. 



Some of the tributary valleys have the typical U-form character- 

 istic of glacial erosion and some of the smaller ones are hanging. 

 In the back country drainage is comparatively poor because of 

 glacial deposits, and small lakes are common. Some advantage has 

 been taken of these natural basins in the making of larger water 

 storage reservoirs in water supply development. 



Soil 



The quadrangle as a whole is rocky and rugged with many bare 

 rock stretches and a very stony, poor looking, or difficult working 

 soil. This is true of great portions of the north and west sides of 

 the area. It is not true, however, of the southeast portion nor of 

 some of the principal creek valleys, such as Foundry brook or Peeks- 

 kill creek, where there are very good farmlands. Occasional upland 

 localities have good soil, but these are comparatively rare. 



The soils, with few and insignificant exceptions, are of glacial 

 origin and have the variety that characterizes drift soils and drift 

 accumulations. The glacial ice which swept over this region came in 



