History

The Town, whose name is of Indian origin and is said to mean "land of rapid waters," is located in the northwest corner of Ulster County, 25 miles northwest of the City of Kingston.

Bounded on the North by Town of Middletown, Delaware County; East by Town of Hunter, Greene County and Town of Woodstock, Ulster County; South by Towns of Olive and Denning, Ulster County; and West by Town of Hardenburgh, Ulster County. Located along the Route 28 corridor within the Catskill State Park, the mountainous town lands are over two-thirds state owned and include Slide Mountain, the highest peak in the Catskill range, at 4,220 feet.

Shandaken was originally settled around the Revolutionary War period and was formally established on April 9, 1804, when Governor George Clinton signed chapter 80 of the laws of 1804. Shandaken was separated from the Town of Woodstock .

The name of the first settler is not known, although it is believed to be Conrad Meisner. Also, a man named Furlow is mentioned in early records. A part was annexed from Neversink, Sullivan County, in 1809. A part of Olive was taken off in 1823, a part of Denning in 1849, and a part of Hardenburgh in 1859.

The Village of Pine Hill, incorporated in 1895, and the corporation was dissolved in 1986 and is now a hamlet of the Town. Other hamlets located within the town are Mt. Tremper, Mt. Pleasant, Phoenicia, Chichester, Allaben, Shandaken, Bushnellsville, Big Indian, Oliverea, and Highmount.