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Rancocas Waterway |
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A Brief History.... Sometime during 1400's - 1700's the Delaware valley was settled by the Lenni-Lenape native Indian tribes. The Delaware River and its many tributaries, such as the Rancocas, being of major importance for food, travel, and trade between settlements. The natives named the river Lenape-Wihituck or “the rapid stream of the Lenape,” long before European settlers named it after Sir Thomas West (Lord-de-la-Ware) hence the modern name the Delaware. Three major tribes of the Lenape occupied much of the South and North of New Jersey, the Unami, Minsi, and Unilachtigo; their totems being respectively the Turtle, Wolf and Turkey. The Rancocas Creek purportedly receives its name from the one of the many sub-tribes, the Ancocus. Around the time of 1677 a large contingent of Quakers came prepared to trade with the local Indians and during the course of 10-20 years, settlers began to move further along the Rancocas Creek, much to the demise of the local Indians whose numbers began to dwindle from new diseases and the pressures of settlement from the Europeans. In the late 1600’s, Lumbertown, known today as Lumberton, played its part in history as a place from where early pioneers felled pine trees and cord wood. At one time Lumberton was home to several lumber yards and saw mills. Boats and rafts transported the cut lumber down the Rancocas Creek to thriving towns like Philadelphia, and beyond. During the 1800’s the Rancocas Creek was host to all manor of water craft from canoes and rafts, to sloops and barges, and in 1855 steam boats even appeared on the creek.
A view of Ironwood's tidal pond The Rancocas Watershed Today The Rancocas Creek watershed is the largest watershed in south central New Jersey, comprising of three main tributaries: the north branch, south branch (which runs the perimeter of Ironwood Outdoor Center) and the southwest branch. The main stem of the Rancocas splits into its primary branches of north and south at the juncture of land that is now Rancocas State Park. This main stem flows 8 miles west and drains an area of approximately 49 square miles before emptying in the Delaware River. The northern branch is 31 miles long and takes a meandering course east through Mt. Holly, Ewansville, Pemberton and Browns Mills, draining an area approximately 167 square miles. It is the only branch to have a navigable (by canoe/kayak) section within the Pine Barrens. If one should take the Greenwood section, you will find tributaries running through Lebanon State Forest. The southern branch drains approximately 144 square miles of land and heads south through Haines port, Lumberton, Eayrestown, and Vincentown eventually splitting into smaller tributaries just north of Leisuretown. The smaller southwest branch heads down through Kirby Mill and into Medford.
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