Spuyten Duyvil, Bronx

Location of Spuyten Duyvil in New York City

Spuyten Duyvil Creek as seen from the Metro North station, with the Amtrak railroad bridge in the background

Spuyten Duyvil (pron.: /ˈspaɪtən ˈdaɪvəl/) is the name of a subsection of the Riverdale section of the Bronx in New York City. It currently refers to the southernmost section of Riverdale, below West 232nd Street, or below 239th Street by some definitions.

The area is named after Spuyten Duyvil Creek, where "Spuyten Duyvil" literally means "Spouting Devil" or Spuitende Duivel in Dutch; a reference to the strong and wild tidal currents found at that location. It may also be translated as "Spewing Devil" or "Spinning Devil", or more loosely as "Devil's Whirlpool" or "Devil's Spate." Spui and spuit are still today commonly used Dutch words involving outlets for water.

Spuyten Duyvil neighborhood is home to The Henry Hudson Memorial Park and the Henry Hudson Bridge, which connects it to the island of Manhattan. It is also the location of the Spuyten Duyvil train station, which is served by the Hudson Line of the Metro-North Railroad.

History

Saint Nicholas Avenue in Manhattan was originally an Indian path named Weekquaeskeek, which accommodated travelers going north to Spuyten Duyvil.

In 1642, Anthony Van Corlaer died while attempting to swim across the Hudson from Spuyten Duyvil. A witness to Van Corlaer's death stated that "the devil" in the shape of a giant fish swam up and proceeded to "seize the sturdy Antony by the leg and drag him beneath the waves." This may be the earliest recorded shark attack in the New World.

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Fernicola, Richard G. (2001). Twelve Days of Terror: A Definitive Investigation of the 1916 New Jersey Shark Attacks. Guilford, CT: Lyons Press. ISBN 978-1-58574-575-3. Retrieved 20 August 2011. 

External links

• http://www.washington-heights.us/history/archives/spuyten_duyvil_creek_23.html
• http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=072&sh=map
• Another Translation