436 A. Guyot— Physical Structure and Hypsometry 
first settlers gained an entrance into the interior of the Cats- 
kills; for, though being over 900 feet higher than Stony Clove, 
it is more easy of access than that wild and rocky gorge. 
Stony Mountain sends to the southwest a high, massy spur of 
considerable elevation, between the Stony Clove and the Bea- 
verkill, where it bears the name of the Oleberg, or Olderbargh 
Mountain. 
The Overlook Mountain, on the southeast, and the South 
Mountain, near the old Mountain House, on the northeast, are 
two great promontories of the Northern Catskills, both termin- 
ating in perpendicular ledges; two natural observatories, from 
which the most extensive views are obtained over the broa 
valley of the Hudson, the chains of the Highlands and the 
Green Mountains. The Overlook can boast besides of a fine 
panoramic view of the high chains of the Southern Catskills. 
The second portion of the central chain, between the Stony 
Clove and Deep Hollow, a distance of 10 miles, is composed of 
two chains and contains the culminating points of the whole. 
It begins, on the east, by the broad mass of the Hunter Moun- 
tain, the highest point of the Northern Catskills, 4038 feet. 
This sends to the north a long and rocky spur terminating Op- 
posite Hunter village in the precipitous and rocky ridge bear- 
ing the name of the Colonel’s Chair, 8037 feet. It expands 
similarly to the southwest into a broad ridge. ‘T’o this is at- 
tached the Westkill chain, which, from its direction and greater 
altitude, may be considered as the true continuation of the cen- 
tral chain; while the Lexington chain attached to the northern 
spur is but a secondary feature. Between these two chains 
lies the deep valley of the Westkill, nine miles long, with the 
abrupt sides of the mountains turned toward it. The Westkill 
chain, like the Stony Mountain, descends toward the south west 
in long and gradual slopes which look more like an inclined 
plateau deeply furrowed by a few narrow valleys, such as the 
Peck Bushkill valley, the Broadstreet and Forest valley, the 
Ox Clove; all tributaries of the Esopus. This, in trath, is the 
outer margin of the north Catskill plateau. The Lexington 
chain, between the Westkill and Schoharie Creeks, falls ab- 
ruptly on both sides. 
he altitudes of both ranges decline regularly from Hunter 
Mountain westward, but more rapidly in the Lexingtoo 
chain, which terminates rather suddenly in the Lexington 
Flats; while the Westkill chain retains its preéminence an 
continues the main chain. In the last the Big Westkill mses 
to 8896 feet and at the west end the Deep Hollow Mountain 
still measures 3500; while in the Lexington range Rusk Moun- 
tain is only 3626 and Lexington Mountain, at the west end, 
2930 feet. The gaps in these two chains are indentations 
