At modern Passaic the river takes a horseshoe turn around the site of the native station of Acquacanonck (70), the headquarters of the chieftaincy of that name. A short distance north of its junction with Saddle river there is a shallow place used as a ford in Colonial times, which was probably a crossing used by the Indians on their way to the homes of the Acquac anonck along the Passaic valley, and thence through the Short hills to the west.

Those who sought the region inhabited by the warlike Minsi, who were settled in the Preakness valley and Pompton plain, probably took a path around the bend of the Passaic river, or cut across country from New Bridge on the Hackensack past Maywood, over Saddle river near Areola, and passing around the Passaic at Hawthorne found themselves on the line of the Pomp-

AND MONOGRAPHS

INDIAN PATHS

ton road, at the entrance of the pass through the Watchung mountains.

From Pompton an old roadway, possibly the successor of a trail, followed the course of the Ramapo river along the base of the southern Ramapo mountains, by which route the traveler would have reached Suffern most conveniently. There two known Indian trails diverged, one leading into the narrow valley of the Ramapo river through the heart of the mountains to the Highlands, and the other turning eastwardly along Mahwah creek directly to Haverstraw.

Through these mountain trails there doubtless flowed a great part of the traffic that brought the pelts and game of the wild forests to Manhattan, and carried back again over their steep and tortuous courses the coveted beads of wampum for which they had been exchanged.