The word "kill" is Dutch for "channel". Hyde Park (located in Dutchess County) as well as New York as a whole was originally settled by the ethnic Dutch. As a result, you run into streams called "Arthur Kill" and "Fish Kill". Until I figured out the word "kill", I had some serious questions about some of the names in New York.
Ever wonder why the place on Staten Island where they were sifting through the rubble from the World Trade Center was unfortunately named "Fresh Kills"? It's got streams too. In researching this, BTW, I was interested to find a pre-9/11 article that talked about how the Fresh Kills landfill was closing on July 4 2001, after more than 50 years of service. This is from the New York City web site at http://www.nyc.gov/html/dos/html/fklf/fklf_01.html announcing the closing and describing what the place would become:
The Landfill will likely become a more tranquil and pastoral area, one with rolling green hills and marshlands. A place that teems with birds, animals and water life. A place that Staten Islanders, indeed all New Yorkers will one day visit in large numbers. In short, Fresh Kills will likely evolve into the one of the most attractive areas in this region and a jewel in the City’s crown of world-class parks.
This passage, describing one photo of the place, was also a little startling:
The reddish glow of a setting sun in the third photograph gives section 3/4 the appearance of a southwest mesa. The tidal stream meanders through the once-active banks of Fresh Kills and disappears into the distant marshes. Only when one looks very closely does one notice the stainless steel spires of the World Trade Center far in the distance.
9/11 changed all that of course.
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