This land is still being fought over today, as very large, insular religious communities are growing in both size and political influence with results that are...complicated.

> The Wallkill itself had no real path or bed, Snell explains, the meadows it flowed through were naturally dammed at one end by glacial boulders from the Ice Age, the whole place was clogged with “rank vegetation,” malarial pestilence, and tens of thousands of eels, and, what’s more, during flood season “the entire valley from Denton to Hamburg became a lake from eight to twenty feet deep.”

Sounds pleasant.

Fascinating! I live relatively near there and had no idea the history of the region. The Black Dirt Bourbon they mention is quite tasty, too, and I high recommend Black Dirt Red (surprisingly not a blend - but one of the best Baco Noir wines around - grown no place else but the hudson valley!)

Reminiscent of "The War for the Alon" in Ursula Le Guin's Changing Planes.