﻿l68 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  CONTROL 
  OF 
  DEVELOPMENT 
  AND 
  HISTORY 
  OF 
  

   SARATOGA 
  REGION 
  BY 
  THE 
  GEOLOGY 
  r 
  

  

  BY 
  R. 
  RUEDEMANN 
  

  

  Saratoga 
  and 
  Schuylerville 
  (the 
  original 
  Saratoga) 
  quadrangles 
  

   are 
  historic 
  ground. 
  The 
  battles 
  of 
  Bemis 
  Heights 
  and 
  Saratoga 
  

   (present 
  Schuylerville) 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  cited 
  among 
  the 
  fifteen 
  

   decisive 
  battles 
  in 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  world, 
  were 
  fought 
  on 
  this 
  

   ground, 
  and 
  these, 
  more 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  events 
  of 
  the 
  Revolutionary 
  

   War, 
  the 
  people 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  have 
  to 
  thank 
  for 
  their 
  

   freedom. 
  

  

  Any 
  one 
  who 
  studies 
  this 
  region 
  with 
  an 
  interest 
  both 
  for 
  its 
  

   fascinating 
  history 
  and 
  its 
  geology, 
  can 
  not 
  fail 
  to 
  be 
  impressed 
  

   by 
  the 
  close 
  relationship 
  between 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  historic 
  events 
  

   and 
  the 
  geology 
  of 
  the 
  region. 
  In 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  especial 
  interest 
  

   attaching 
  to 
  anything 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  Saratoga, 
  it 
  

   may 
  therefore 
  be 
  well 
  briefly 
  to 
  point 
  out 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  

   geology 
  upon 
  (i) 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  region, 
  and 
  (2) 
  the 
  

   course 
  of 
  the 
  struggle 
  between 
  the 
  American 
  and 
  British 
  armies. 
  

  

  The 
  Hudson 
  river 
  formed 
  the 
  natural 
  highway 
  through 
  this 
  

   country 
  not 
  only 
  for 
  the 
  Indians 
  but 
  also 
  throughout 
  colonial 
  his- 
  

   tory. 
  The 
  early 
  Dutch 
  settlers 
  followed 
  this 
  stream 
  into 
  the 
  northern 
  

   woods 
  and 
  first 
  settled 
  the 
  fertile 
  bottom 
  lands 
  and 
  then 
  the 
  edge 
  

   of 
  the 
  rich 
  land 
  on 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  clay 
  banks 
  laid 
  down 
  in 
  Lake 
  Albany. 
  

   When 
  Burgoyne 
  pressed 
  into 
  the 
  country 
  he 
  found 
  only 
  this 
  thin 
  

   first 
  line 
  of 
  settlements, 
  while 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  on 
  both 
  sides 
  there 
  

   extended 
  the 
  primeval 
  forests. 
  Here 
  the 
  Dutch 
  reached 
  the 
  

   northern 
  limit 
  of 
  their 
  settlements 
  and 
  gave 
  names 
  to 
  the 
  Moses 
  

   kill, 
  Snook 
  kill, 
  Batten 
  kill 
  and 
  Fish 
  kill. 
  Later, 
  New 
  England 
  

   pioneers 
  came 
  from 
  the 
  east 
  through 
  the 
  mountain 
  passes 
  provided 
  

   by 
  the 
  Batten 
  kill. 
  

  

  While 
  the 
  fertile 
  clay 
  plains 
  and 
  bottom 
  lands 
  along 
  the 
  river 
  

   attracted 
  the 
  first 
  farming 
  population, 
  another 
  geologic 
  influence 
  

   created 
  a 
  second 
  center 
  of 
  settlement 
  in 
  the 
  western, 
  less 
  fertile, 
  

   sand 
  region 
  of 
  these 
  quadrangles. 
  This 
  was 
  the 
  mineral 
  springs 
  

   that 
  issued 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  fault 
  scarp 
  at 
  Saratoga 
  and 
  which 
  

   were 
  already 
  highly 
  valued 
  by 
  the 
  Indians 
  for 
  their 
  healing 
  quali- 
  

   ties. 
  Because 
  of 
  them 
  Saratoga 
  Springs, 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  

   former 
  century, 
  became 
  the 
  foremost 
  summer 
  resort 
  of 
  the 
  con- 
  

   tinent 
  and 
  the 
  largest 
  town 
  on 
  the 
  two 
  quadrangles, 
  and 
  on 
  their 
  

   account 
  the 
  railroad 
  trunk 
  line 
  from 
  the 
  Hudson 
  river 
  through 
  

  

  