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One area tradition about the
origin of the name Deposit says it stems from it being the place where lumber
was deposited until river waters were high enough to allow shipping to
Philadelphia. Before the coming of white settlers, this part of the Delaware
River Valley was inhabited by the Delawares, the Mohawks, the Oneidas and
Tuscaroras. To the Indians this area was known as Koo Koose or the place of
owls. The first permanent settler was John Hulce who came from Orange County in
1789 and settled on the west side of the river at the northerly side of the
village. In 1811 the village, containing only 12 dwellings, was incorporated. In
1851 the charter was amended to include 400 acres in the town of Sanford in
Broome County. The next and present charter, made in 1871, was a very special
act of the State Legislature because of the unique location of Deposit in 2
counties. This dual location has created some problems over time. Logging was at
first the main industry as settlers cleared the land for residential purposes.
Then this part of New York State became agricultural. But the rebuilding of
highways and changing economy has reduced farming to a minimum. There have been
and still are various industries, printing establishments, fiberboard
processing, and harvesting and sale of bluestone from local quarries.
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