Another in the Backroads, New Jersey series
The Delaware Water Gap is a place of serene natural beauty and, sadly, man-made decay. The river runs through it; so does Old Mine Road, one of the oldest routes in the country.
Dutch and English settlers built farms along the fertile banks of the Delaware, and forts to protect themselves during the French and Indian War. Villages at Walpack and Millbrook were gathering places for worship and commerce. But the area stayed sparsely populated and remote for three centuries.
Sixty years ago, however, the federal government began studying a flood remediation plan called the Tocks Island Dam. It was to be built just north of the picturesque twin mounts of Tammany, on the New Jersey side, and Minsi on Pennsylvania's, to hold back the waters that carved out the canyon over eons.
Backroads New Jersey: Route 565
The government bought out families whose ancestors settled the region and relative newcomers who came for the peace and quiet. In all, 72,000 acres were condemned or bought through eminent domain for the dam and the 37-mile recreational lake it would create.
The project never happened. Fierce opposition grew, money got tight, and the government withdrew its plans after 20 years of environmental impact studies, court fights, and political fallout.
But the scars remain. The displaced families are long gone, but the wreckage of their homes blight New Jersey's most scenic landscape, testament to an idea that went from bad to worse.
Mark Di Ionno may be reached at mdiionno@starledger.com. Follow The Star-Ledger on Twitter @StarLedger and find us on Facebook.