The Lenape(s) at High Mountain
December 08, 2020
On a recent visit to the Mohonk Preserve, I happened upon a reproduction Lenape Longhouse, pictured above.
I share the photos because an extended family of Lenape(s) is said to have lived in a similar longhouse in Franklin Clove in what is now High Mountain Park Preserve.
The Lenape(s) used the clove's steep walls to protect them from the winds. They ice-fished in what is now Franklin Lake. And they got water in what is now called Buttermilk Falls.
In addition, their predecessors/ancestors lived in at least one rock shelter next to the clove.
I learned this from the late Jim Longo, Franklin Lakes historian and all-around good guy. (Jim's video about the Clove and the Lenape is featured below.)
An old map featuring the falls and lake is at right. The clove would be at the bottom of the map. The line in the map is the border of Passaic and Bergen counties.
(The preserve is owned by Wayne Township, The Nature Conservancy and the New Jersey Natural Lands Trust.)
You can learn more about High Mountain here.