Tales and Trails

Introduction

Those who have taken the time to travel, hike, sightsee, or bike throughout the length and breadth of this compact little state called New Jersey cannot help but be impressed.

From its wooded, rocky hill country in the north, with its scattered small farms, through its residential, industrial, and hustling urban centers along its central piedmont, to its remote Pine Barrens, cranberry and blueberry bogs, and large flat farmlands in the south, to any one of its picturesque fishing villages along its extensive shoreline, there is a diversity that has its own charm.

You can view the spectacular natural physical features of the Delaware Water Gap region in the northwest.  You can muse at the peculiar, perpendicular, rock formations of the Palisades in the northeast.  You can visit what tourists of old once considered New Jersey’s own Niagara, the 80-foot Great Falls of the Passaic.  You can tour the vast, unspoiled wilderness known as the “Pine Barrens”, which the government has set aside as a national reserve.

You can visit such different national wildlife preserves as the 8,000-acre Great Swamp in Morris County or the 36,000-acre Brigantine (now Forsythe) wetlands bird sanctuary along the shore.  You can fish in its hundreds of streams, rivers and lakes or along its vast ocean front.  Whatever you do, you will soon realize what a wonderfully diverse state we have.

Its people, too, are as diverse as its topography.  It was first settled by its “Original People,” the Lenapes, who lived for centuries in harmony with its natural features.  Then came such Europeans as the Dutch, Swedes, and Finns.  Later came the English, Irish and Scotch along with Germans, Swiss and French Huguenots, most of whom were farmers.  Africans first came as slaves brought here by early Dutch and English sea captains.  Each with their own religions and cultures, they lived side by side.

By the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, Italians, Poles, Hungarians, Russians, Lithuanians and many more were added to New Jersey’s “melting pot.”  In more recent years, other groups such as Portuguese, Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Haitians, Asiatic Indians, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Armenians, Iranians and many more have entered the mainstream of New Jersey’s population.  This state is truly a representation of what America purports to be - a “melting pot” of the world’s people.

From its fairgrounds to its playgrounds, it also offers a wide variety of recreational opportunities to its people.  In spite of its density of population, it still provides areas for hunting and fishing.  Its many large, diverse shopping malls have got to be added to that recreational list as well, since they are no longer merely places to shop, but a diversion for millions of people both young and old.

From its Meadowlands Sports Arena to amusement parks such as “Great Adventure,” to its many state, county and local parks, play-fields, golf courses, playhouses and museums, there are a variety of activities in which its citizens may engage for leisure.

And much more is in various stages of development.  A gigantic, world-class, hands-on Science Center, for example, is currently being planned by the state for the Liberty State Park area of Jersey City.  An equally top-rate Aquarium, illustrating the aquatic life of both on-shore and offshore areas of the state, is being prepared for a waterfront park in Camden.  And along it’s Passaic riverfront, in the state’s largest city, Newark, plans are under way for the development of a Cultural Arts Center with accompanying restaurants, etc. that compares to any in the country.  So the best is yet to come!

Its history, too, runs the gamut of America’s heritage.  From colonization to wars, to industries and inventors, to poets and transportation, to native Americans and frontier living, New Jersey has it all.

National, state, county and local historic sites dot the state, covering the wide variety of eras in our state and nation’s history.  The first national historic park in the country was established here at Morristown and Jockey Hollow, illustrating the important role New Jersey played in the American Revolution.  More than 100 battles were fought here and George Washington spent more time in this state than any place except his native Virginia.  Numerous state historic sites such as Washington Crossing and the Monmouth Battlefield State Parks also depict that important era.  Villages such as Clinton, Waterloo, Millbrook, Wheaton, Batsto, and Allaire illustrate life in by-gone times.

In folklore, too, New Jersey is rich and diverse.  From the Jersey Devil to the Jersey Pirates (Capt. Kidd and Blackbeard); from Tom Quick - the Indian Slayer, to Oxford’s “Jersey Samson,” John Linn; from Molly Pitcher and Temp Wick, to the “Fighting Parson” and John Honeyman; the trails of New Jersey abound in legends as diverse as its rich heritage, natural features, and people.  Yes, New Jersey has it all, and in such a small package, too!

Henry F. Skirbst - Author