Steele Creek (Mohawk River tributary)

Steele Creek begins in an unnamed swamp south of Cedarville and flows northeast before emptying into the Mohawk River in the Village of Ilion, New York. Steele Creek travels through the Ilion Gorge[2] and alongside NY-51 for most of its length. Steele Creek derives its name from Rudolph Stahl (Staele, Staley, Steele), who built the first grist mill in Ilion along the creek.[3]

Steele Creek
Location
CountryUnited States
StateNew York
RegionCentral New York Region
Physical characteristics
Sourceunnamed swamp
 • locationS of Cedarville, New York
 • coordinates42°54′58″N 75°07′18″W
MouthMohawk River
 • location
Ilion, New York
 • coordinates
43°01′20″N 75°02′38″W[1]
 • elevation
383 ft (117 m)
Basin size27.4 sq mi (71 km2)

Flooding

On January 12, 2018, ice that broke loose by unseasonably high temperatures and rainfall caused ice jams in Steele Creek by Ilion which caused the water to crest over on Otsego Street (NY-51).[4]

History
  • Rudolph Stahl built the first grist mill in Ilion on the Steele Creek, at about where the Ilion Episcopal Church sits today.
  • Sam Newton built a cider mill in "Smokey Run", now known as South Ilion. He built a mill pond on the creek and powered the cider mill and vinegar works, a full blacksmith shop and a first floor wood working shop. Here the first 800 washing machines built in Central New York under a Mitchell Patent. A flood in 1938 took out the mill dam and the back end of the mill.[5]
  • Along Steele Creek sprang up other various mills. The Dexter oil mill and saw mill about where Weber Avenue is now, the Ingersoll plaster mill and saw mill near Philip Street, and a fulling mill close to present Richfield Street.[6]

References
  1. "Steele Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2017-12-23.
  2. "Ilion Gorge". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2017-12-23.
  3. "steele creek". usgs.gov. usgs. 1972. Retrieved 18 April 2017. data
  4. "A section of Otsego Street in the village of Ilion is currently closed due to flooding from Steele Creek". wktv.com. 12 January 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  5. "The cider mill". Nygenweb.net. ny gen web. 2000. Retrieved 20 April 2017. data
  6. "Early ilion". Nygenweb.net. ny gen web. 2000. Retrieved 20 April 2017. data


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