Ulster and Delaware Turnpike

United States Migration  Trails and Roads  New York  Ulster and Delaware Turnpike

Did an ancestor travel the Ulster and Delaware Turnpike of New York? Learn about this settler migration route, its transportation history, and find related genealogy sources.

History
The Ulster and Delaware Turnpike, also known as the Jericho Turnpike  or the Esopus Turnpike  ran about 135 miles (217 kilometers) from Millerton, NY (Salisbury, CT) through Kingston, NY to the Catskill Turnpike extension at Bainbridge, NY. This route was a southern version of the Catskill Road.

Stages. Stagecoaches generally began regular transport of mail and passengers on long trips in the American colonies in the 1760s. They made regular trips between stages  or stations where travelers were provided food and rest. Where available, stagecoaches became a preferred way for settlers to travel to a new home. The establishment of the stagecoach inn in Ancram, New York, in 1798 shows stagecoaches traveled the Catskill Road even before it was made a turnpike. The inn was popular with drovers taking their cattle to the Hudson River for market.

Toll roads. As traffic increased along a roadway American political leaders turned to toll roads (turnpikes) to raise money to improve, clear, and repair their local highways. Toll revenue from stagecoaches, drovers, and other travelers was used to maintain the roadbeds and bridges, and, if there was enough left over (rarely happened), to pay a turnpike stockholder dividend. If turnpike revenue decreased too much, the roadway maintenance was typically turned over to the state, and the path was made a free public road.