﻿202 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  | 
  

  

  Ots-ga-ra-gee, 
  hemp 
  lull, 
  is 
  the 
  Indian 
  name 
  for 
  Cobleskill, 
  and 
  

   may 
  be 
  compared 
  with 
  one 
  already 
  given. 
  The 
  name 
  has 
  also 
  been 
  

   applied 
  to 
  Howes 
  cave. 
  The 
  present 
  Onondaga 
  word 
  for 
  hemp 
  is 
  

   osekah, 
  but 
  Zeisberger 
  has 
  it 
  ochschiara, 
  and 
  this 
  fairly 
  agrees 
  with 
  

   the 
  name. 
  

  

  O-wa-ere-son-ere 
  is 
  a 
  conical 
  hill 
  near 
  the 
  south 
  line 
  of 
  Carlisle, 
  

   and 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  highest 
  points 
  in 
  the 
  county. 
  

  

  Oxt-don-tee 
  was 
  a 
  hill 
  east 
  of 
  Schoharie 
  creek, 
  and 
  may 
  be 
  com- 
  

   pared 
  with 
  Karighondontee. 
  

  

  Sa-ga-wan-nah 
  is 
  a 
  mountain 
  in 
  this 
  county. 
  It 
  might 
  be 
  derived 
  

   from 
  asaga, 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  cough, 
  and 
  gowanne, 
  great, 
  from 
  the 
  hard 
  

   breathing 
  caused 
  in 
  climbing 
  it; 
  or 
  it 
  might 
  come 
  from 
  atsagannen, 
  

   to 
  speak 
  a 
  different 
  language, 
  as 
  being 
  on 
  a 
  border 
  land. 
  

  

  Scho-ha'-rie, 
  driftwood, 
  is 
  written 
  Sko-har'-le 
  by 
  Morgan. 
  There 
  

   are 
  many 
  early 
  forms. 
  Spafford 
  derived 
  it 
  from 
  its 
  present 
  form, 
  

   which, 
  " 
  according 
  to 
  Brandt, 
  is 
  an 
  Indian 
  word 
  signifying 
  drift 
  or 
  

   flood 
  wood 
  ; 
  the 
  creek 
  of 
  that 
  name 
  running 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  a 
  steep 
  

   precipice 
  for 
  many 
  miles, 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  collects 
  great 
  quantities 
  of 
  

   wood." 
  Simms 
  wrote 
  [Hist. 
  Mag. 
  Ser. 
  3, 
  1:129]: 
  "Schoharie— 
  

   driftwood 
  in 
  the 
  river. 
  This 
  is, 
  it 
  is 
  true, 
  the 
  signification 
  of 
  the 
  

   word 
  ; 
  but 
  a 
  better 
  idea 
  of 
  its 
  whole 
  meaning, 
  as 
  the 
  name 
  was 
  local, 
  

   would 
  be 
  ' 
  the 
  drftwood/ 
  as 
  to 
  produce 
  driftwood 
  a 
  stream 
  of 
  water 
  

   is 
  implied." 
  Then 
  he 
  says 
  that 
  about 
  the 
  year 
  1703 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  

   great 
  accumulation 
  of 
  this 
  just 
  above 
  the 
  present 
  village 
  of 
  Middle- 
  

   burg. 
  There 
  was 
  heavy 
  timber 
  along 
  the 
  banks, 
  and 
  tributary 
  

   streams 
  made 
  an 
  obstruction 
  when 
  trees 
  fell. 
  A 
  raft 
  was 
  formed, 
  

   which 
  was 
  long 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  settlers 
  and 
  Indians 
  for 
  a 
  foot 
  bridge. 
  

   The 
  word 
  river 
  is 
  not 
  included 
  in 
  the 
  name. 
  Hough 
  has 
  it 
  a 
  natural 
  

   bridge 
  of 
  driftwood. 
  

  

  To-was-scho'-her 
  is 
  given 
  by 
  French 
  as 
  the 
  original 
  name 
  of 
  

   Schoharie 
  creek, 
  and 
  this 
  certainly 
  implies 
  a 
  bridge 
  of 
  driftwood. 
  

  

  To-wok-nou-ra, 
  one 
  that 
  is 
  near, 
  is 
  Spring 
  hill, 
  west 
  of 
  Middle- 
  

   burg. 
  

  

  Ut-sy-ant-hi-a 
  lake, 
  beautiful 
  spring, 
  cold 
  and 
  pure; 
  all 
  this 
  is 
  

   implied 
  in 
  this 
  name, 
  though 
  not 
  fully 
  expressed. 
  French 
  says 
  : 
  

   " 
  This 
  lake 
  is 
  1800 
  feet 
  above 
  tide. 
  It 
  is 
  often 
  mentioned 
  in 
  old 
  

   documents, 
  and 
  was 
  an 
  angle 
  in 
  the 
  bounds 
  of 
  Albany 
  co. 
  in 
  colo- 
  

   nial 
  times. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  source 
  of 
  the 
  w. 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  Delaware," 
  and 
  

   is 
  also 
  called 
  Summit 
  lake. 
  

  

  