This section gives general information about local history, climate, vegetation, geology, wildlife, hydrology, groundwater, hydric soils, water infiltration, runoff, and erosion, and soil formation.

LAND USE HISTORY

This area was used by Native American hunting and gathering tribes before the arrival of Europeans. Archaeological evidence of a camp, estimated by carbon dating to be about 10,000 years old, was discovered west of Richmondtown.

The first significant European settlement began with the granting of land patents by the British Crown in the late 1600s. The granting of these tracts established the village of Richmondtown, which lies just to the southeast of the project area (Fig. 2). The first known dwelling on the project area was built by the Latourette family in 1690. This building remained standing until 1909. Timber was probably harvested prior to 1690, but the clearing of land for agriculture began around this date. Before the American Revolutionary War, this land had been completely cleared of forest. The more level lands were used mostly for grain crops; the steeper slopes were used for orchards and sheep grazing. The tidal marshes (Ipswich soils) were used for salt hay farming to provide winter feed for farm animals. During the pre-Revolutionary period, a tidal grist mill had been constructed along the edge of the Richmond Creek marsh. Grain from around the island was processed at this mill and shipped by barge to population centers along the New York and New Jersey coastal areas. The mill was in operation until 1927.

Figure 2. Land use history, with (1) the first known dwelling, (x) other housing areas, (2) tidal grist mill, (3) British fort, (4) former millponds, (5) upland grist mill, (6) former orchard areas, (7) former large sand pit, (8) golf course and driving range, (9) topsoil removal area, (10) abandoned landfill, (11) model airplane land fields, and (12) baseball field.

In August of 1777, a small band of revolutionaries ascended Richmond Creek and attacked the British at Richmondtown. This attack spurred construction of a fort in the central uplands in the easily dug, well drained Manchester soils. In addition to protecting Richmondtown, this fort provided strategic lookouts for the British Navy, with views of the Atlantic coast and the Arthur Kill stream channel.

In the 1820s a millpond of several acres was constructed by damming the creek in the northwest portion of the project area in an area now mapped as Rippowam soils. The water from this pond was channeled to a mill on the south-facing slope, providing a 54-foot drop to a 24-foot diameter overshot wheel. This mill was in operation until about 1890. Diversion ditches and levees (now identified as Foresthills and Greenbelt soils) can still be seen in many areas marked by special symbols on the soil map.

After the completion of the Erie Canal, it became difficult for local grain farmers to compete with the vast grain producing areas to the north and west. The emphasis moved to growing perishable crops, such as vegetables, and producing dairy products. By 1911, large areas were being used for orchards, and large tracts had reverted to thickets and dense young forests. The majority of open land was presumably being used for grazing of dairy animals or as hay fields.