Bordering Sullivan County on the East is Ulster County. Western Ulster County is important to include in the study of the Sullivan County Catskills, especially from the "Borscht Belt" angle. Many hotels and bungalow colonies existed in Ulster County, similar to Sullivan County. To this day, the Fallsview and the Nevele survive in Ellenville. Ulster County has also been the home to other elaborate resort areas, like Lake Mohonk. The New York, Ontario, and Western Railway (see our O&W section) had a branch running through central Ulster County.
Ulster County, like Orange, was established in 1683. The county was originally inhabited by the Ulster Indians, but became a Dutch stronghold by 1614. The Dutch survived many Indian wars. In 1660, after a treaty was broken with the Indians, the settlers crushed the Indians. In the 1660s, French Huguenots inhabited current-day New Paltz. Their stone houses still stand. Ulster County was a key spot during the Revolution, and George Washington even stayed there for a short period of time. After the Revolution, land from Ulster County was used to create Delaware, Greene, and Sullivan Counties. To read more about the early days of Orange County in detail, please see this site.
