HikerRamapough History & the Sloatsburg Land Deed
South of the Shawangunks, the Ramapo region has its own history. A surviving document offers a concrete starting point without pretending to explain every mountain or trail.
By HikerQuests · Published · 2 min reading
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A record with named people
The National Museum of the American Indian catalogs a 1738 Sloatsburg land deed involving Wynant Van Gelder, Ramapough-Munsee Lenape leader Maanis (Manes), and four other Indigenous leaders. The archive identifies the collection as NMAI.AC.447. A named document allows readers to trace a claim back to a specific record. Sources: [1]
The document has a modern history too
The Smithsonian records that Sloat family descendants returned the deed in 2023 to the Ramapo Munsee Lenape Nation of New Jersey, whose chief then donated it to the museum. The document’s recent history is part of the story: Indigenous relationships to these records did not stop in the eighteenth century. Sources: [1]
Present-day cultural work
Ramapough Mountain Indians, Inc. describes its mission as supporting, preserving and sharing Ramapough Munsee Lenape cultural heritage in the Ramapough Mountains. Its website is a direct starting point for that organization’s work. This profile does not make a claim about federal recognition or attempt to resolve questions of political representation. Sources: [2]
What the deed does not establish
An archival catalog is not a modern access map. The deed does not, by itself, establish that a specific Long Path section follows an Indigenous footpath. Nor does a historical land description grant permission to enter private property today. Compare the record with present land-manager guidance, and keep those questions separate.
A useful after-hike question
If you recommend a hike near the Ramapo region, link this record alongside your route notes. Name the document and its date. Readers can then see why the historical connection is being discussed rather than encountering an unsupported claim that the trail is ancient.
Sources & reading notes
Checked October 3, 2026. Links lead to original publishers; availability can change. Citations support the adjacent passage, not every possible interpretation of a place.
- Smithsonian NMAI · Sloatsburg Land Deed, NMAI.AC.447 ↗
Archive catalog of the 1738 deed and its 2023 return and donation. The catalog contains a geographic labeling error; we do not repeat its list of towns/states.
- Ramapough Mountain Indians, Inc. · Official website ↗
The organization’s self-described mission supporting Ramapough Munsee Lenape cultural heritage. Not used as a claim of federal recognition.
Independent HikerQuests research summary. Not reviewed or endorsed by the named Native nations; it does not replace their own histories or consultation. Editorial policy.