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  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  Helderbergs 
  in 
  New 
  Scotland 
  township, 
  the 
  first, 
  Country- 
  

   man 
  hill 
  from 
  near 
  the 
  northern 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  Helderbergs 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  

   of 
  New 
  Salem, 
  and 
  the 
  second, 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  farther 
  south 
  along 
  

   Oniskethau 
  creek 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Clarksville. 
  The 
  more 
  

   northerly 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  sections 
  will 
  be 
  described 
  first. 
  

  

  NEW 
  SALEM 
  AND 
  COUNTRYMAN 
  HILL 
  

  

  New 
  Salem 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  village 
  with 
  less 
  than 
  200 
  people 
  located 
  

   in 
  the 
  northern 
  central 
  part 
  of 
  New 
  Scotland 
  township 
  at 
  the 
  

   foot 
  of 
  the 
  steepest 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Helderbergs 
  and 
  three 
  miles 
  south- 
  

   west 
  of 
  Voorheesville, 
  a 
  station 
  on 
  both 
  the 
  Susquehanna 
  di- 
  

   vision 
  of 
  the 
  Delaware 
  and 
  Hudson 
  and 
  the 
  West 
  Shore 
  railroads. 
  

   To 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  New 
  Salem, 
  its 
  base 
  being 
  only 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  

   from 
  the 
  village, 
  is 
  the 
  rugged 
  slope 
  of 
  Countryman 
  hill 
  which 
  

   forms 
  the 
  highest 
  and 
  most 
  precipitous 
  point 
  of 
  the 
  Helderberg 
  

   range. 
  For 
  two 
  miles 
  and 
  a 
  quarter 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  escarpment 
  is 
  specially 
  marked, 
  being 
  composed 
  of 
  massive 
  

   limestone 
  cliffs 
  which 
  form 
  perpendicular 
  walls 
  from 
  50 
  to 
  100 
  

   feet 
  high 
  and 
  then 
  it 
  turns 
  sharply 
  to 
  the 
  west. 
  New 
  Salem 
  is 
  

   a 
  little 
  over 
  400 
  feet 
  above 
  sea 
  level, 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  cliffs 
  of 
  

   Countryman 
  hill 
  500 
  feet 
  and 
  its 
  top 
  about 
  1650 
  feet 
  A. 
  T. 
  The 
  

   eastern 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  hill 
  consists 
  of 
  three 
  steep 
  cliffs 
  which 
  are 
  sep- 
  

   arated 
  by 
  two 
  marked 
  terraces. 
  The 
  two 
  lower 
  cliffs 
  are 
  com- 
  

   posed 
  mainly 
  of 
  massive 
  limestones 
  between 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  terrace 
  

   of 
  shaly 
  limestone 
  and 
  shale 
  the 
  central- 
  part 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  broken 
  

   by 
  a 
  heavy 
  ledge 
  of 
  limestone 
  and 
  sandstone, 
  while 
  the 
  upper 
  cliff 
  

   is 
  composed 
  principally 
  of 
  shales 
  which 
  become 
  arenaceous 
  to- 
  

   ward 
  the 
  top. 
  On 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  hill 
  it 
  is 
  comparatively 
  level 
  for 
  sev- 
  

   eral 
  acres 
  while 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  valley 
  formed 
  by 
  a 
  branch 
  

   of 
  the 
  Oniskethau 
  creek, 
  on 
  the 
  western 
  side 
  of 
  which 
  rises 
  a 
  

   higher 
  ridge 
  which 
  forms 
  the 
  culminating 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Helder- 
  

   bergs, 
  its 
  summit 
  being 
  given 
  by 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  coast 
  survey 
  as 
  1823 
  

   feet 
  A. 
  T. 
  From 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  these 
  hills 
  on 
  a 
  clear 
  day 
  a 
  magnifi- 
  

   cent 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  Hudson 
  valley 
  and 
  the 
  mountains 
  to 
  the 
  

   east 
  may 
  be 
  had, 
  a 
  view 
  that 
  well 
  repays 
  one 
  for 
  the 
  steep 
  ascent. 
  

  

  