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The Shawangunk Ridge , also known as the Shawangunk Mountains or The Gunks,〔 is a ridge of bedrock in Ulster County, Sullivan County and Orange County in the state of New York, extending from the northernmost point of New Jersey to the Catskill Mountains. Shawangunk Ridge is the continuation of the long, easternmost ridge of the Appalachian Mountains; the ridge is known as Kittatinny Mountain in New Jersey, and as Blue Mountain as it continues through Pennsylvania. This ridge constitutes the western border of the Great Appalachian Valley. The ridgetop, which widens considerably at its northern end, has many public and private protected areas and is not heavily populated. Its only settlement of consequence is unincorporated Cragsmoor. In the past, the ridge was chiefly noted for mining and logging and a boom-era of huckleberry picking. Fires were regularly set to burn away the undergrowth and stimulate new growth of huckleberry bushes. Today the ridge has become known for its outdoor recreation, most notably as one of the major rock climbing areas of North America. Also known for its biodiversity and scenic character, the ridge has been designated by The Nature Conservancy as a significant area for its conservation programs. ==Name== The English name, Shawangunk, derives from the Dutch ''Scha-wan-gunk,'' the closest European transcription from the colonial deed record of the Munsee Lenape, Schawankunk (German orthography). Lenape linguist Raymond Whritenour reports that ''schawan'' is an inanimate intransitive verb meaning "it is smoky air" or "there is smoky air". Its noun-like participle is ''schawank,'' meaning "that which is smoky air". Adding the locative suffix gives us ''schawangunk'' "in the smoky air".〔Spatz, Christopher Spring 2005, "Smoke Signals", ''Shawangunk Watch''〕 Whritenour has suggested that the name derives from the burning of a Munsee fort by the Dutch at the eastern base of the ridge in 1663 (a massacre ending the Second Esopus War). Use of the name spread quickly, and it was recorded in numerous land deeds and patents after the war. Historian Marc B. Fried writes: "It is conceivable that this was...the Indians' own proper name for their village (fort ) and that the name was appropriated for use in subsequent land dealings because of the proximity of the...tracts to the former Indian village....The second possibility is that the name simply came into existence in connection with the Bruyn (of Jan., 1682, the first appearance of the name in documentary record ), as a phrase invented by the Indians to describe some feature of the landscape."〔Fried, Marc B., 2005. ''Shawangunk Place-Names'', pp.5-6〕Fried also notes that the name's swift spread in the deed record suggests it was in use as a proper name before the Bruyn purchase. Shawangunk appears nowhere in reference to the fort in the extensive, translated Dutch record of the Second Esopus War. Shawangunk became associated with the ridge during the 18th century. European colonists began to truncate Shawangunk into "Shongum" ( ). Shongum was mistakenly identified as the Munsee pronunciation by the Reverend Charles Scott writing on Shawangunk's etymology for the Ulster County Historical Society in 1861.〔Spatz, Christopher Fall/Winter 2006, "The Vast Shon-gum Conspiracy," ''Shawangunk Watch''〕 The error has been reinforced in ethnographic sources and ridge literature, and by historians, librarians, and ridge educators for more than 140 years. Both "Shawangunk" and "Shongum" are popular usages among locals native to the region. The "Gunks" is also a widely used familiar term for the ridge and has been in use at least since the mid-19th century. In a letter dated August and postmarked August 8, 1838, Hudson River School painter Thomas Cole corresponding with painter A.B. Durand writes, "Do let me hear from you when you get among ''the Gunks''. I hope you will find every thing there your heart can wish."〔Document of the Daniel Smiley Research Center, Mohonk Preserve via New York State Museum〕 The Shawangunks, particularly around Lake Mohonk, were the subject for several Hudson River School painters. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Shawangunk Ridge」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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