A GEOLOGICAL HISTORY. 33 



that part of the city on which West Broadway is 

 now built, crossed Canal Street, and ended where 

 Spring Street now intersects Laurens Street — 

 from east to west, it ranged between Howard and 

 Walker Streets, west of Orange Street, and was 

 bounded on the south by the Kolck pond, it 

 covered much of the ground on each side of Canal 

 Street, had a creek in its centre, whose source 

 was the aforesaid Kolck pond, and ran under the 

 " stone bridge," into the Hudson, where the foot 

 of Canal Street now is. Another brook came in 

 from the north ; these streams, met in the middle 

 of the swamp, near where West Broadway and 

 Laurens Street meet Canal Street — at the source 

 of the northern branch, there was a spring of fresh 

 water, which gave the name to Spring Street. At 

 " spring tides" the water of the creek was often 

 backed up, and could be seen running up, as far 

 as the stone bridge, which stood where Canal 

 Street crosses Broadway. 



The " Minetta water" which gave the name to 

 that little crooked lane, Minetta Street, was a small 

 brook, the head of which lay north of part of " old 

 Potters' Field" now Washington Parade Ground, 

 and near where the corner of 6th Street and 5th 

 Avenue now is. In 1820, there was still a small 

 colony of muskrats, bordering this creek. The 

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