Footprints of the Red Men: Indian Geographical Names
which, winding around t'he northerly end of Manhattan, connected the Spuyten Duyvil with the Great Kill or Harlem River, gave its name to the land contiguous to it on either side." The locative of the name is clearly shown in the boundaries of the Indian deed to Van der Donck, in 1646, and in the subsequent Philipse Patent of 1693, the former describing the south line of the lands conveyed as extending from the Hudson " to Papinemen, called by our people Spuyten Duivel," and the latter as extending to and including " the neck, island or hummock, Pahparinnamen," on the north side of the passage, at which point, in the early years of Dutch occupancy, a crossing place or " wading place " was found which had been utilized by the Indians for ages, and of which Jasper Bankers and Peter Sluyter wrote, in 1679-80, " They can go o\'er this creek, at dead or low water, upon the rocks aud reefs, at a place called Spuyt ten Duyvel." From this place the name was extended to the " island or hummock " and to what was called " the Papirinameno Patent," at the same point on the south side of the stream, to which it was claimed to belong in 1701. Mr. Riker's assignment of the name to the Spuyten Duivel passage is probably correct. The " neck, island or hummock " was a low elevation in a salt marsh or meadow. It was utilized as a landing place by the Indians whose path ran from thence across the marsh " to the main," Later, the path was converted to a causeway or road-approach to what is still known as King's Bridge. A ferry was established here in 1669 and known as " The Spuyten Duyvil passage or road to and from the island to the main." In 1692 Governor Andros gave power to the city of New York to build a bridge " over the Spiken devil ferry," and the city, with the consent of the Governor, transferred the grant to Frederick Philipse.