Part 1

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Text emphasis denoted as _Italics_ and =Bold=. Table of Contents added to assist the reader.

GEOGRAPHY OF NEW JERSEY

Henry Snyder, A.M., Sc.D.

Superintendent of Schools, Jersey City, New Jersey

Copyright, 1916, 1921, by American Book Company.

Table of Contents

Section PAGE EARLY HISTORY i POSITION AND SIZE iv RELIEF iv CLIMATE vii DRAINAGE viii PLANTS AND ANIMALS ix AGRICULTURE xi MINERALS xii TRAVEL AND TRANSPORTATION xiv RECREATION AND HEALTH xv GOVERNMENT AND EDUCATION xvi POPULATION xix CITIES, TOWNS, BOROUGHS, AND VILLAGES xx TABLES xxvii

EARLY HISTORY

The original inhabitants of New Jersey H were Indians of the Delaware tribe, which belonged to the Algonquin family. The early white settlers were of different nationalities,--Dutch, Swedes, English, and French. The geographical names of the state are interesting reminders of the various occupants.

The first exploration of the state was made by Henry Hudson, who, in the employ of the Dutch East India Company, sailed for a week in 1609 on the waters of Delaware Bay and Delaware River, which the Dutch called South River, in search of a northwest passage to India. Failing to find it, he sailed north and entered New York Bay and Hudson River, or North River, as it is still called. In 1614 the Dutch founded New Amsterdam, afterwards New York, and, about the same time, established a trading post in what is now Hudson County. Later the Swedes attempted settlements in the southwestern part of the state, but were expelled by the Dutch. The Dutch made settlements at various places, some of which proved to be only temporary. The first permanent settlement in New Jersey was at Bergen, now a part of Jersey City, to which was granted a town form of government, separate from that of New Amsterdam, in 1660.

In 1664 the English took possession of New Netherland--the Dutch Colony including New York and New Jersey, King Charles II granted it to his brother, the Duke of York, who in turn granted that part of it lying between the Hudson and Delaware rivers to Lord John Berkeley and Sir George Carteret. The latter had been governor of the Isle of Jersey, and their new grant was named New Jersey in his honor. Disagreements between Carteret and Berkeley led the latter to sell his interest to other proprietors, among whom afterwards was William Penn. In 1676 the colony was divided into East Jersey and West Jersey by a line running from Little Egg Harbor to the Delaware in the northern part of the state. It is because of this division that the state is still often referred to as "the Jerseys." In 1702 the proprietors surrendered their proprietary rights to the crown. From that time to its independence the whole of New Jersey was under royal government.

Five representatives from New Jersey signed the Declaration of Independence. The position of the state made it "The War Path of the Revolution." Paulus Hook, Springfield, Morristown, Monmouth, Princeton, and Trenton are famous names in Revolutionary history. The troops of the state were in every conflict. In the army of General Wayne, which punished the Indians after the Wyoming massacre, one third were New Jersey soldiers under General Maxwell.

POSITION AND SIZE

New Jersey lies between 73° 55′ and 75° 32′ west longitude and between 38° 56′ and 41° 21′ north latitude. Its northernmost point is marked by a rock on the shore of the Delaware River just south of Port Jervis, New York, known as Tri-States Rock. From this point to Cape May the length of the state is 166 miles. Its narrowest part, between Trenton and Raritan Bay, is 335 miles wide. Its widest part, measured on a line extending northwest from Great Egg Inlet, is 57 miles wide.

It is the smallest of the Middle Atlantic states and has an area of 8224 square miles, of which 7514 square miles are land surface and 710 square miles are water surface. It is the forty-fifth of the states in size.

RELIEF

In a general way the surface of New Jersey may be described as mountainous in the northern part, undulating in the middle part, and low and sandy in the southern part. The state is divided into four provinces or zones; namely, the Appalachian zone, the Highlands, the Piedmont Plateau, and the Coastal Plain. These zones extend from southwest to northeast.

The Appalachian zone, which consists of Kittatinny Mountain and Kittatinny Valley, extends across the northwestern part of the state from the Delaware River in the vicinity of the Delaware Water Gap to the New York state line. The width of this belt varies from twelve to fourteen miles. The Kittatinny Mountain extends along the Delaware River for thirty miles in the northwestern corner of the state. It extends into Pennsylvania, where it is known as Blue Mountain. The height of this range varies from 1500 feet to 1800 feet. Its highest point and the highest in the state is High Point, which has an elevation of 1804 feet. The Kittatinny Valley is on the southeast side of Kittatinny Mountain and runs parallel with it.

The Appalachian zone, with its rugged surface, extensive forests, and many lakes, is noted for its beautiful scenery, which attracts many summer visitors. The Delaware Water Gap is particularly noted on this account. This is a break in the Kittatinny Mountain through which the Delaware River flows. Because of the rough surface this section of the state is not adapted to agriculture, although on the bottom lands bordering on the streams and in the Kittatinny Valley there are many farms devoted to the raising of crops and to grazing.

The second zone, The Highlands, immediately southeast of the Appalachian zone, extends from the Delaware River into New York. Its southeastern boundary passes near Morristown and Boonton. This zone is from ten to twenty miles wide. Its height generally varies from 900 feet to 1400 feet. Hamburg Mountain and Wawayanda Mountain reach an altitude of 1469 feet. The Highlands, as well as the Appalachian zone, belong to the Appalachian region, but in New Jersey the term "Appalachian" is applied only to the region consisting of Kittatinny Mountain and Valley.

The Highlands contain many irregular mountain masses, interspersed with fertile valleys, and much forest land. The zone contains, besides, many lakes, most of which are of glacial origin. The section is consequently one of great natural beauty, and is a popular resort for many who desire out-door recreation. There is much fertile farm land and land suitable for grazing. Parts of it are specially suitable for the raising of peaches and other fruits. It contains many valuable mineral deposits, including gravel, cement rock, zinc, and iron.

Next to the Highlands and parallel with it is the Piedmont Plateau. This extends from the Delaware River to the northeast corner of the state and is about thirty miles wide. Its southeastern boundary is a line running from Trenton to Woodbridge in Middlesex County, which represents in this state the Fall Line (Sec. 47). It comprises about one fifth of the area of the state. Its elevation varies from sea level to about 900 feet.

The Piedmont Plateau is characterized by the presence of red sandstone and shale. Its surface is very irregular. In its eastern part it is undulating or rolling. In the western, it contains higher lands which may be called plateaus. It contains also irregular ridges such as the Watchung Mountains, the Palisades, and the mountains in Hunterdon County. The Watchung Mountains and the Palisades are composed of trap rock, which in a molten condition was forced up through overlying rock strata. The eastern sides of these trap ridges are steep slopes. The underlying sandstone has been worn away while the harder trap rock has resisted erosion.

The Falls of the Passaic River at Paterson are located in this section. These falls, which are seventy feet high, were formed by the water passing over the hard trap rock and wearing away the softer rock below.

Because of the nearness of the Piedmont Plateau to the great commercial centers of the country and the excellent facilities for transportation, most of the larger cities of the state are located in this zone.

The fourth zone, the Coastal Plain, includes the remainder of the state south and east of the Fall Line. The land of this zone is highest in the interior along a range of elevations extending from Atlantic Highlands in the northeast to Mount Holly in the southwest, and slopes outward from these elevations towards the margins of the zone. The greatest elevation is 390 feet, which is found in Monmouth County. About three fourths of this portion of the state has an elevation of less than 100 feet and about one third has an elevation of less than 50 feet. The Coastal Plain is bordered along Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Coast by salt marshes, or tidal marshes, often called salt meadows, whose elevation above sea level is rarely as much as four feet. The total area of these marshes, including those of the valley of the Hackensack River, is almost 660 square miles. Along the Atlantic coast the marshes are separated from the ocean by beaches. These are low ridges of sand, constructed in the shallow water by the action of the waves and wind. These beaches are absent along the shore of Delaware Bay and along the coast from Manasquan to Monmouth Beach. The water between the beaches and the mainland is shallow and is becoming more shallow because of the deposit of sediment which is washed down from the land by streams.

Although the coast line of the state along the Atlantic is 120 miles long, there are no good harbors on this line, because of the barrier beaches and the shallowness of the water between the beaches and the mainland.

The northern fourth of New Jersey was covered by ice during the Glacial Period (Sec. 32). It therefore contains many moraines, or deposits of material carried along by the glacier. These deposits consist of clay, sand, gravel, and bowlders. In some places they take the form of hills or ridges, in others they are spread out as level sheets. Some valleys are partly filled by them. Many lakes in the northern part of the state occupy basins which were scooped out by the glacier, or were formed from river valleys whose outlets were blocked by glacial deposits. The terminal moraine which marks the southern limit of the glacier extends from Belvidere, through Morristown, to Perth Amboy. As the ice passed over the hard rocks of the mountains it polished their surfaces, and left in them scratches, which indicate the general southward movement of the glacier.

The Coastal Plain was once beneath the ocean and was part of the continental shelf which extends along the Atlantic. The ancient shore is now the Fall Line.

CLIMATE

The climate of New Jersey is milder and less subject to extreme fluctuation than that of the interior states in the same latitude, because it extends along the ocean (Sec. 107). The average annual temperature of New Jersey is 51.5°. The average annual temperature of the extreme northern part is 5° lower than that of the extreme southern end of the state. The lower temperature of the northern part of the state is due to the higher latitude, its distance from the ocean, and its greater altitude.

The prevailing winds are from the west and northwest. New Jersey is in the track of storms, which cross the continent from the west. The south and east winds blowing from the ocean toward the storm centers bring with them much moisture and insure the state an ample rainfall. Local showers or thunderstorms which move from the west or northwest are frequent in the spring and summer months. In the summer time all along the coast the benefit of sea breezes is felt (Sec. 372).

The rainfall is sufficient for all kinds of crops which can be grown in the state. It is greatest in the northeastern part of the state, where the annual precipitation is more than fifty inches; and least in the southern and southwestern part along Delaware Bay, where it is about forty-one inches.

DRAINAGE

The divide between the streams that flow into the Delaware River and Delaware Bay on the west and those that flow into the Hudson River, Newark Bay, New York Bay, Raritan Bay, Sandy Hook Bay, and Atlantic Ocean on the east is a very irregular line extending from the northwest corner of the state to Cape May. It is so near the Delaware River and Delaware Bay that only a little more than one third of the state is drained into these waters. The tributaries which drain this basin are, therefore, small. The eastern drainage area contains several rivers of considerable size. The Wallkill River flows northeast through the northwestern part of this state and through the southeast corner of New York into the Hudson River. The Hackensack River rises in New York and flows south into Newark Bay. The Passaic River, which has as tributaries Saddle River, Pompton River, Ramapo River, Wanaque River with Greenwood Lake, Pequannock River, and Rockaway River, follows a very tortuous course and flows into Newark Bay. Just north of the middle of the state is the Raritan River, which rises near the Delaware River and flows into Raritan Bay.

All the rivers which flow into the Atlantic Ocean or into the bays which border the state are affected by the tidal flow, and the largest are navigable for at least some parts of their courses. In the case of the Delaware the tide extends to Trenton. Important cities which are located on tidal waters are Hoboken, Jersey City, Bayonne, Newark, Elizabeth, New Brunswick, Perth Amboy, Long Branch, Asbury Park, Atlantic City, Camden, and Trenton.

Between the Watchung Mountains on the east and south and the Highlands on the northwest is a broad, flat basin, which is drained by the Passaic River. Before the Glacial Period the Passaic River did not flow from this basin through the mountains at Little Falls and Paterson, as it does now. This area was then drained by a stream which crossed the Watchung Mountains near Summit and Millburn and flowed southeast into the sea. During the Glacial Period most of this basin was covered by the ice sheet. As the ice receded, this gap in the Watchung Mountains was filled with glacial drift and there was formed a large lake, which the geologists call Lake Passaic and which was drained for a long time by a stream which flowed southwest through the hills near Liberty Corner into the Raritan River. As the ice sheet receded still farther north, the gaps through the mountains at Little Falls and Paterson were exposed. As these gaps are lower than the older outlets, the water of Lake Passaic escaped through them over the present course of the Passaic River to Newark Bay, and the lake disappeared. These changes in the drainage of the Passaic basin explain the presence of much swampy land in this section.

The water power generated by the rapid descent of the streams in the part of the state lying north of the Fall Line has long been utilized for manufacturing purposes, and mills are found along all the streams in this part of the state. The location of Paterson as a manufacturing center is due to the water power developed from the Passaic Falls. At Trenton, water power is secured from the rapids of the Delaware River. In the northern part of the state, several streams and lakes are used to provide electric power and light.

Closely connected with drainage systems and dependent largely upon them are the methods of supplying water to the people of towns and cities for domestic purposes. Formerly water for such purposes was obtained from near-by springs, wells, and streams. As population increased, the local sources of water supply became contaminated and dangerous to health. This danger and the larger quantity of water required by the increased population and by manufacturing interests have forced the larger cities to make provision for securing their water supply from sources, more or less remote, which are not subject to pollution. Their water-supply systems include pumping stations, reservoirs for storage, and long pipe lines. The drainage basins from which water is taken for municipal purposes are located in the thinly populated parts of the state. The northern mountainous section, which is not specially profitable for agriculture and other purposes, is particularly useful in furnishing sources of water supply. The many large cities in the northern part of the state draw their water from the upper parts of the Hackensack, Passaic, and Raritan basins. Formerly Newark and Jersey City drew their water from the Passaic River not far above the former city. This river was gradually so polluted by the sewage and the waste of factories discharged into it, that it had to be abandoned as a source of supply. These cities now bring their water long distances, Newark using the Pequannock basin, and Jersey City the Rockaway. In some cases water is obtained from artesian wells.

The pollution of streams by city sewers and drains from factories destroys fish in fresh-water streams. The damage extends even into tidal waters, and many oyster and clam fisheries in the bays have been abandoned. The state is alive to the necessity of protecting its streams against contamination of all kinds and has enacted legislation designed to maintain their purity by preventing the flow of sewage and other objectionable matter into them. It has provided for the construction of a trunk-line sewer along the valley of the Passaic from Paterson to the sea, into which the sewers of the cities along its course will be discharged. In cooperation with Pennsylvania the state has passed laws to prevent the pollution of the Delaware River.

PLANTS AND ANIMALS

=Forests.=--When the state was first settled it was covered with a vast primeval forest, consisting of pine, oak, maple, chestnut, hickory, ash, walnut, tulip, poplar, and cedar. For many years lumbering was an important industry, but it ceased a long time ago, after the best timber had been cut down. In the northern part of the state, where agriculture is difficult or impossible, the mountains are still covered with forests which promise to be of great value in the future. In the southern part, the section called "The Pines" is covered with stunted pines mingled with scrub oak. In all parts of the state are isolated forested areas of varied extent. About forty per cent of the total land surface of the state is covered with forest growth.

Until a very recent period no organized efforts were made to protect forest trees against forest fires or other destructive agencies, or to provide for reforestation. The state has, however, realized the commercial value of its forests and the importance of promoting their growth on lands that are not available for farming purposes. The state has also recognized the value of forests in preventing floods (Secs. 93, 136, 224). In recent years an additional reason for forest protection is the necessity of preserving the soils of the forested areas in the drainage basins from which the cities obtain their supply of water, so that by the storage of water in the soils and underlying rock strata the supply may at all times be constant and sufficient. The use of trees for shade and wind breaks and their natural beauty also justify their protection and care. For these reasons the state has adopted legislation which provides for the growth of trees and forests. It owns and maintains six forest reserves located in different parts of the state, containing nearly 14,000 acres, which are being devoted to forest culture. It has authorized the counties to create extensive parks and has provided for the diffusion of important information regarding the care of forests. It maintains lookout stations from which forest fires may be detected, and a force of firewardens to prevent or extinguish fires and to arrest those who cause them. This state and New York, acting together, have created the Palisades Interstate Park, which embraces thousands of acres of forest land in the latter state and the Palisades for a distance of twelve miles along the Hudson in New Jersey.

=Animals.=--The larger wild animals have practically disappeared, although the red deer is still frequently found in the northern and southern parts of the state because of the protection afforded this animal by the laws. Here are, also, still many of the smaller animals, such as the rabbit and squirrel. In many parts of the state wild ducks and quail are numerous.

The fresh-water streams and lakes abound in bass, trout, pickerel, and perch. In the spring the shad fisheries along the Delaware are very profitable. The catch of sturgeon is also very large. All these waters are constantly restocked by means of the hatcheries near Hackettstown which the state maintains. The shad fisheries of the Hudson were formerly extensive, but owing chiefly to destructive methods of fishing and to the pollution of the river this industry has practically disappeared.

The sheltered bays and inlets of the state and the nearness of the fisheries to the markets have made the salt water fisheries very successful. Bluefish and weakfish for food, and menhaden for oil and fertilizer are caught along the coast in large quantities, while in the bays and coves immense quantities of oysters and clams are gathered. Important centers of this industry are Keyport, Barnegat Bay, Tuckerton, Absecon, Maurice River Cove, and Bivalve.

AGRICULTURE