Oriskany Creek is a 33 miles (53.1 km) river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 in New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, USA. It rises in Madison County

Madison County, New York

Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 73,442. It is named after James Madison, fourth President of the United States of America...

 and flows northeastward, primarily through Oneida County

Oneida County, New York

Oneida County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 234,878. The county seat is Utica. The name is in honor of the Oneida, an Iroquoian tribe that formerly occupied the region....

. Oriskany Creek is a tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of the Mohawk River

Mohawk River

The Mohawk River is a river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The Mohawk flows into the Hudson in the Capital District, a few miles north of the city of Albany. The river is named for the Mohawk Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy...

 and therefore part of the Hudson River

Hudson River

The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...

 watershed.

Oriskany Creek is wide and shallow, affording passage to only canoes, and that for only part of its length. The creek is known for its brown trout

Brown trout

The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....

, which are caught from the shore or by wading.

History

The Oneida village of Oriska was located near the mouth of the creek, by the Mohawk River.

Part of the Battle of Oriskany

Battle of Oriskany

The Battle of Oriskany, fought on August 6, 1777, was one of the bloodiest battles in the North American theater of the American Revolutionary War and a significant engagement of the Saratoga campaign...

 was fought in a swampy, steep ravine, near the mouth of the river.

When settlers arrived, the creek became the power source of many mills along its course.

The creek was an important source of water for the former Chenango Canal

Chenango Canal

The Chenango Canal was a towpath canal that was built and operated in the mid-19th century in Upstate New York in the United States. It was 97 miles long and for much of its course followed the Chenango River, from Binghamton on the south end to Utica on the north end...

, which attempted to link the Southern Tier

Southern Tier

The Southern Tier is a geographical term that refers to the counties of New York State west of the Catskill Mountains along the northern border of Pennsylvania. It is a loosely defined term that generally includes the counties that border Pennsylvania west of Delaware County inclusive...

 of New York to the Erie Canal

Erie Canal

The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...

.

Communities along the creek

Clark Mills

Clark Mills, New York

Clark Mills is a hamlet in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 1,424 at the 2000 census.The community is located at the northeastern corner of the Town of Kirkland, west of the City of Utica.- History :...

, Clinton

Clinton, Oneida County, New York

Clinton is a village in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 1,952 at the 2000 census. It was named for George Clinton, a royal governor of the colony of New York....

, Colemans Mills, Deansboro, Farmers Mills, Kirkland

Kirkland, New York

Kirkland is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 10,138 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Samuel Kirkland, a missionary among the Oneidas.The Town of Kirkland is southwest of Utica, New York...

, Oriskany

Oriskany, New York

Oriskany is a village in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 2,744 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from the Iroquois word for "nettles."The Village of Oriskany is in the Town of Whitestown, southeast of the City of Rome...

, Oriskany Falls

Oriskany Falls, New York

Oriskany Falls is a village in Oneida County, New York in the United States. The population was 698 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from a waterfall on a nearby stream....

, Solsville, and Walesville.