The Upper Delaware Scenic Byway, New York State Route 97, follows the Upper Delaware River through the western parts of Delaware, Sullivan, and Orange Counties, linking Hancock, known for rafting and bluestone, with the historic railroad city of Port Jervis about 70 miles downstream. Along this route are country eateries, farmers' markets, art galleries, museums, theaters, antique shops, and general stores set amid hills, valley vistas, and rock cut landscapes. Route 97 is recognized as one of the Northeast's best riding roads, and parts of it are designated as Bike Route 17. The Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River alongside the highway provides fishing, swimming, boating, canoeing, and whitewater sports at many access areas. Added to the New York State Scenic Byways System on August 6, 2002, the byway is supported by a nonprofit organization of volunteer representatives from participating municipalities that promotes protection and enhancement of its natural and cultural resources while encouraging tourism and recreation. Port Jervis, the byway's southern gateway, was incorporated as a village in 1853 and became a city in 1907 after being partitioned from the Town of Deerpark. Long a transportation nexus, it served Native Americans and later timber log raftsmen along the Delaware River, became an important location on the Delaware and Hudson Canal from 1828 to 1898, and was named for the canal's chief engineer, John B. Jervis. The Erie Railroad arrived in 1847, and successor companies maintained a major presence there into the 1960's. From 1875 to 1930, Port Jervis was a major industrial and economic center and home to figures including author Stephen Crane and painter John Newton Howitt. Nearby Fort Decker, built before 1760, was damaged in an attack by Joseph Brant and his Indian and British allies on July 20, 1779, rebuilt by Martinus Decker in 1793, and has been owned and maintained as a museum by the Minisink Valley Historical Society since 1970.
