| Kinderhook Creek | |
| Name Other: | East Creek, Kinderhook Brook |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | United States |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | New York, Massachusetts |
| Subdivision Type3: | County |
| Subdivision Name3: | Columbia County, NY, Rensselaer County, NY, Berkshire County, MA |
| Subdivision Type4: | Towns |
| Subdivision Name4: | , Stottville, New York, Hancock, Massachusetts |
| Length: | 49miles |
| Source1 Location: | Hancock, Taconic Mountains, Massachusetts |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 42.5772°N -73.2978°W |
| Mouth: | Stockport Creek |
| Mouth Location: | Stockport, New York |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 42.3175°N -73.7453°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 10feet |
Kinderhook Creek is a 49adj=midNaNadj=mid[1] tributary to Stockport Creek, an inlet of the Hudson River in the United States. From its source in Hancock, Massachusetts, the creek runs southwest through the Taconic Mountains into Rensselaer County, New York, and then into Columbia County. It flows through the towns of Stephentown, New Lebanon, Nassau, Chatham, Kinderhook and Stuyvesant to its mouth at Stockport Creek in the town of Stockport.
Kinderhook Creek has a drainage area of over .[2]
Kinderhook Creek was known as Pasanthkack by the Mahican Native Americans.[3] Prior to 1667 it was known as "Major Abram's (Staats) Kill" and "Third Falls." In 1823 it was called Stuyvesant Falls (now referring to a village on the creek) and after 1845 "Kinderhook Creek".[4]
The name "Kinderhook" has its root in the landing of Henry Hudson in the area around present-day Stuyvesant, where he was greeted by Native Americans with many children. With the Dutch Kinder meaning "child" and Hoeck meaning "bend" or "hook" [in the river], the name literally means "bend in the river where the children are". A figurative translation is "children's point".[5]
The area around Kinderhook Creek was called Machackoesk by the Native American Mahican Tribe.[6]