Niska Isle
Encyclopedia
Niska Isle, despite its name, is not an island, but a peninsula
in the town of Niskayuna, New York
. Niska Isle is along the Mohawk River
's south shore, with a back bay and swamp that surrounds it to the south.
at the junction of the Lisha Kill
(creek) and Mohawk River and was once the site of a Native American
village. A trail led from the village to the Normans Kill
and Helderberg Escarpment
. A rope ferry was started in 1790 by Eldert Vischer connecting Ferry Road on the Niskayuna side to the Ferry Road on the opposite bank. The ferry was replaced by a short-lived bridge from 1900–2. The damming of the Mohawk River for the creation of the New York State Barge Canal in 1915 caused the mouth of the Lisha Kill to become a back bay and this required the building of a bridge to connect Ferry Road to the "mainland". The bridge, despite getting a new deck in the 1980s, was showing its age by 2008 when it was proposed that Niska Isle be abandoned. This was rejected due to a projected price tag of over $6 million to buy out the landowners. A new bridge, costing almost as much, was built in 2010.
s. Most of the peninsula is home to two families, the Schoolcrafts and the Burgers. The Schoolcrafts, who occupy most of the land south and east of Ferry Road have been there on a resident basis since 1937 though owned land as early as the early-20th century; while the Burgers have been residents since 1947 on most of the land north of the road to Lock 7 though they worked and later rented the land starting in the late-19th century. Some other families live in houses over-looking the Ferry Road bridge.
in Saratoga County
, a back bay is to the south. The Lisha Kill empties into this bay which tends to be clogged with water chestnut
s, an invasive plant species. The Mohawk tends to get clogged with ice jams during the winter and flooding on the island is common, with an especially severe flood occurring in the 1980s.
) and the back bay. The original bridge was a one-lane bridge built around 1915 due to the construction of the Barge Canal that flooded the mouth of the Lisha Kill cutting off Niska Isle from the "mainland". Because the Mohawk River is part of the Barge Canal the bridge was owned by the New York State Canal Corporation
(and later New York State Thruway Authority and then the New York State Department of Transportation
). The deck was replaced in the 1980s and the bridge replaced in 2010 with a new 588 ft (179.2 m) long bridge.
, pike, muskie
, panfish
, and 20–30 pounder carp
.
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
in the town of Niskayuna, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Niska Isle is along the Mohawk River
Mohawk River
The Mohawk River is a river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The Mohawk flows into the Hudson in the Capital District, a few miles north of the city of Albany. The river is named for the Mohawk Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy...
's south shore, with a back bay and swamp that surrounds it to the south.
History
Niska Isle was prior to 1915 a 0.5 mi (0.80467 km) by 0.25 mi (0.402335 km) highly defensible hillockHillock
A hillock or knoll is a small hill, usually separated from a larger group of hills such as a range. Hillocks are similar in their distribution and size to small mesas or buttes. The term is largely a British one...
at the junction of the Lisha Kill
Kill (body of water)
As a body of water, a kill is a creek. The word comes from the Middle Dutch kille, meaning "riverbed" or "water channel." The modern Dutch term is kil....
(creek) and Mohawk River and was once the site of a Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
village. A trail led from the village to the Normans Kill
Normans Kill
The Normans Kill is a creek in New York's Capital District located in Schenectady and Albany counties, which flows southeasterly from its source in the town of Duanesburg near Delanson to its mouth at the Hudson River in the town of Bethlehem. The stream creates the Watervliet Reservoir in the...
and Helderberg Escarpment
Helderberg Escarpment
The Helderberg Escarpment is an escarpment in eastern New York, roughly west of the city of Albany....
. A rope ferry was started in 1790 by Eldert Vischer connecting Ferry Road on the Niskayuna side to the Ferry Road on the opposite bank. The ferry was replaced by a short-lived bridge from 1900–2. The damming of the Mohawk River for the creation of the New York State Barge Canal in 1915 caused the mouth of the Lisha Kill to become a back bay and this required the building of a bridge to connect Ferry Road to the "mainland". The bridge, despite getting a new deck in the 1980s, was showing its age by 2008 when it was proposed that Niska Isle be abandoned. This was rejected due to a projected price tag of over $6 million to buy out the landowners. A new bridge, costing almost as much, was built in 2010.
Demographics
Niska Isle is home to roughly nine householdHousehold
The household is "the basic residential unit in which economic production, consumption, inheritance, child rearing, and shelter are organized and carried out"; [the household] "may or may not be synonymous with family"....
s. Most of the peninsula is home to two families, the Schoolcrafts and the Burgers. The Schoolcrafts, who occupy most of the land south and east of Ferry Road have been there on a resident basis since 1937 though owned land as early as the early-20th century; while the Burgers have been residents since 1947 on most of the land north of the road to Lock 7 though they worked and later rented the land starting in the late-19th century. Some other families live in houses over-looking the Ferry Road bridge.
Geography
To the north and east of Niska Isle is the Mohawk River which separates it from the hamlet of Vischer FerryVischer Ferry, New York
Vischer Ferry is a hamlet in the town of Clifton Park in Saratoga County, New York, United States, along the Mohawk River.-History:Vischer Ferry is named for the family of Nicholas Vischer, who built a house beside the river in 1735. At that time the Mohawk Valley was claimed by the Iroquois League...
in Saratoga County
Saratoga County, New York
Saratoga County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 219,607. It is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county seat is Ballston Spa...
, a back bay is to the south. The Lisha Kill empties into this bay which tends to be clogged with water chestnut
Water chestnut
Water chestnut may refer to either of two plants :* The Chinese water chestnut , eaten for its crisp corm* The Water caltrop , eaten for its starchy seed...
s, an invasive plant species. The Mohawk tends to get clogged with ice jams during the winter and flooding on the island is common, with an especially severe flood occurring in the 1980s.
Transportation
The only land access to Niska Isle is by way of a bridge that carries Ferry Road over an abandoned railroad bed (now the Mohawk Hudson Hike/Bike TrailMohawk Hudson Hike/Bike Trail
The Mohawk Hudson Hike/Bike Trail is a trail in Albany and Schenectady counties in New York's Capital District. It is also the easternmost segment of the New York State Canalway Trail....
) and the back bay. The original bridge was a one-lane bridge built around 1915 due to the construction of the Barge Canal that flooded the mouth of the Lisha Kill cutting off Niska Isle from the "mainland". Because the Mohawk River is part of the Barge Canal the bridge was owned by the New York State Canal Corporation
New York State Canal Corporation
The New York State Canal Corporation is a subsidiary of the New York State Thruway Authority. It is responsible for the oversight, administration and maintenance of the New York State Canal System, which consists of the Erie Canal, Cayuga–Seneca Canal, Oswego Canal and Champlain Canal...
(and later New York State Thruway Authority and then the New York State Department of Transportation
New York State Department of Transportation
The New York State Department of Transportation is responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports, waterways and aviation facilities in the U.S...
). The deck was replaced in the 1980s and the bridge replaced in 2010 with a new 588 ft (179.2 m) long bridge.
Recreation
A small parking area is at the end of Ferry Road at the river's edge and allows for access for fishing and a boat launch. Fish off Niska Isle include bassBass (fish)
Bass is a name shared by many different species of popular gamefish. The term encompasses both freshwater and marine species. All belong to the large order Perciformes, or perch-like fishes, and in fact the word bass comes from Middle English bars, meaning "perch."-Types of basses:*The temperate...
, pike, muskie
Muskellunge
A muskellunge , also known as a muskelunge, muscallonge, milliganong, or maskinonge , is a large, relatively uncommon freshwater fish of North America. Muskellunge are the largest member of the pike family, Esocidae...
, panfish
Panfish
A panfish, also spelled pan-fish or pan fish, is an edible game fish that usually doesn't outgrow the size of a frying pan. The term is also commonly used by anglers to refer to any small catch that will fit in a pan, but is large enough to be legal. However its definition and usage varies with...
, and 20–30 pounder carp
Carp
Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...
.