Ramapo River
The Ramapo River is a tributary of the Pompton River, approximately 30 mi (48 km) long, in southern New York and northern New Jersey in the United States.
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[edit] Course
It rises in a mountainous area of central Orange County, New York, near Monroe and flows southeast to Harriman, then south into western Rockland County, then into northern Bergen County, New Jersey. In New Jersey, it flows SSW, along the east side of the ridge of the Ramapo Mountains. It flows into Potash Lake in Oakland and officially ends at Pompton Lake in Pompton Lakes, although the river which flows out of Pompton Lake is still called the Ramapo River until it makes a junction with the Pequannock River, whereupon the two tributaries are then called the Pompton River.
The river is a popular destination for fly fishing of trout. The New York State Thruway follows the valley of the river between Harriman and Suffern.
[edit] History
There are areas noted along the Ramapo that were inhabited by the Lenape tribes of the area. Of particular note was a large "encampment" of the native tribe across from what is now Ramapo College in Mahwah, New Jersey.
There are also many smaller archeological sites in Oakland that were inhabited by the early tribes. Areas of Oakland also contain many areas where fossilized crustaceans can be found along the banks of the river.
