Hudson River
The
Hudson River, called
Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk in
Mahican, is a
river running mainly through
New York State but partly forming the boundary between the
states of New York and
New Jersey. It is named for
Henry Hudson, an
Englishman sailing for the
Netherlands, who explored it in 1609. Early
European settlement of the area clustered around the river. The area inspired the
Hudson River School of painting, a sort of early American pastoral idyll.
The official
source of the Hudson is
Lake Tear of the Clouds in the
Adirondack Mountains. However, the waterway from the lake is known as
Feldspar Brook and the
Opalescent River, feeding into the Hudson at
Tahawus. The actual Hudson River begins several miles north of Tahawus at
Henderson Lake. The Hudson is joined at
Troy (north of
Albany) by the
Mohawk River, its major tributary, just south of which the
Federal Dam separates the
Upper Hudson River Valley from the
Lower Hudson River Valley or simply the
Hudson River Valley. South of Troy, the Hudson widens and flows south into the
Atlantic Ocean between
Manhattan Island and
New Jersey, forming
New York Harbor, at
New York Bay, an arm of the Ocean. The Hudson was originally named the "North River" by the Dutch, because it was the river that marked the northern most reaches of the
New Netherland colony. It was the English who originated the Hudson name, although the river remains locally known as the North River to this day.
The lower Hudson is actually a
tidal estuary, with tidal influence extending as far as the Federal Dam at Troy. [
1] Strong
tides make parts of
New York Harbor difficult and dangerous to navigate. During the winter, ice floes drift south or north, depending upon the tides. The Mahican name of the river, Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk, means "the river that flows both ways." The Hudson is often mistaken for one of the largest rivers in the United States, but it is an estuary throughout most of its length below Troy and thus only a small fraction of water, about 15,000 cubic feet (425 m³/sec) per second, is present. The mean freshwater discharge at the river's mouth in New York is approximately 21,400 cubic feet (606 m³) per second.
The Hudson and its tributaries—notably the
Mohawk River—drain a large area. Parts of the Hudson river form
coves, such as
Weehawken Cove in
Hoboken and
Weehawken.
The Hudson is sometimes called a "drowned" river. The rising
sea levels after the retreat of the
Wisconsinan glaciation, the most recent
ice age, have resulted in a
marine incursion that drowned the coastal plain and brought salt water well above the mouth of the river. The deeply-eroded old riverbed beyond the current shoreline,
Hudson Canyon, is a rich fishing area. The former riverbed is clearly delineated beneath the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, extending to the edge of the
continental shelf.
Notable landmarks on the Hudson include
West Point,
Bard College, the
Thayer Hotel at
West Point,
Bannerman's Castle,
Metro-North Railroad's
Hudson Line (formerly part of the
New York Central system), The
Tappan Zee, the
New Jersey Palisades,
Hudson River Islands State Park,
Hudson Highlands State Park,
New York Military Academy,
Fort Tryon Park with
The Cloisters,
Liberty State Park, and
Stevens Institute of Technology. Cities and towns on the
New Jersey side include
Fort Lee,
Weehawken,
Hoboken, and
Jersey City. Cities and towns on the
New York side include
Troy,
Albany,
Kingston,
Poughkeepsie,
Glens Falls,
Beacon,
Yonkers, and
New York City (
Manhattan,
The Bronx).
The natural beauty of the
Hudson Valley earned the Hudson River the nickname
"America's Rhine", being compared to that of the famous 40-mile (65 km) stretch of Germany's
Rhine River valley between the cities of
Bingen and
Koblenz. It was designated as one of the
American Heritage Rivers in 1997.
The Narrows
The Narrows, a tidal strait between the
New York City boroughs of
Staten Island and
Brooklyn, connects the upper and lower sections of New York Bay. It has long been considered the maritime "gateway" to New York City and historically has been the most important entrance into the harbor.
The Narrows were most likely formed about 6,000 years ago at the end of the last
ice age. Previously, Staten Island and Long Island were connected, preventing the Hudson River from terminating via The Narrows. At that time, the Hudson River emptied into the Atlantic Ocean through the present course of the lower
Raritan River, by taking a more westerly course through parts of present day northern New Jersey, along the eastern side of the
Watchung Mountains to
Bound Brook, New Jersey and then on into the Atlantic Ocean via
Raritan Bay. A build up of water in the Upper Bay eventually allowed the Hudson River to break through previous land mass that was connecting Staten Island and Brooklyn to form The Narrows as it exists today. This allowed the Hudson River to find a shorter route to the Atlantic Ocean via its present course between New Jersey and New York City (Waldman, 2000).
The Hudson River is
navigable for a great distance. The original
Erie Canal, opened in 1825 to connect the Hudson with Lake Erie, emptied into the Hudson just south of the
Federal Dam in
Troy. The canal enabled shipping between cities on the
Great Lakes and
Europe via the
Atlantic Ocean. The
New York State Canal System, the successor to the Erie Canal, runs into the Hudson River north of Troy, and uses natural waterways whenever possible. The first
railroad in New York, the
Mohawk and Hudson Railroad, opened in 1831 between
Albany and
Schenectady on the
Mohawk River, enabling passengers to bypass the slowest part of the Erie Canal.
 |
Hudson from midtown Manhattan with Javits Convention Center in foreground. The beginning of the New Jersey Palisades is visible across the river. |
The
Delaware and Hudson Canal ended at the Hudson at
Kingston, running southwest to the
coal fields of northeastern
Pennsylvania.
In northern Troy, the
Champlain Canal split from the Erie Canal and continued north along the west side of the Hudson to
Thomson, where it crossed to the east side. At
Fort Edward the canal left the Hudson, heading northeast to
Lake Champlain. A
barge canal now splits from the Hudson at that point, taking roughly the same route (also parallel to the
Delaware and Hudson Railway's
Saratoga and Whitehall Railroad) to Lake Champlain at
Whitehall. From Lake Champlain, boats can continue north into
Canada to the
St. Lawrence Seaway.
The
Hudson Valley also proved attractive for
railroads, once technology progressed to the point where it was feasible to construct the required bridges over tributaries. The
Troy and Greenbush Railroad was chartered in 1845 and opened that same year, running a short distance on the east side between
Troy and
Greenbush (east of
Albany). The
Hudson River Railroad was chartered the next year as a continuation of the Troy and Greenbush south to
New York City, and was completed in 1851. In 1866 the
Hudson River Bridge opened over the river between Greenbush and Albany, enabling through traffic between the Hudson River Railroad and the
New York Central Railroad west to
Buffalo.
The
New York, West Shore and Buffalo Railway ran up the west shore of the Hudson as a competitor to the merged
New York Central and Hudson River Railroad. Construction was slow, and was finally completed in 1884; the New York Central purchased the line the next year.
The Hudson is crossed at numerous points by
bridges and
tunnels. The width of the Lower Hudson River required major feats of engineering to cross, the results today visible in the
Verrazano Narrows and
George Washington Bridges, as well as the
Lincoln and
Holland Tunnels and the
PATH and
Pennsylvania Railroad tubes. The
Troy-Waterford Bridge at
Waterford was the first bridge over the Hudson, opened in 1809. The
Rensselaer and Saratoga Railroad was chartered in 1832 and opened in 1835, including the
Green Island Bridge, the first bridge over the Hudson south of the
Federal Dam. [
2]
The Upper Hudson River's valley was also useful for railroads. Sections of the
Rensselaer and Saratoga Railroad,
Troy and Boston Railroad and
Albany Northern Railroad ran next to the Hudson between
Troy and
Mechanicville. North of Mechanicville the shore was bare until
Glens Falls, where the short
Glens Falls Railroad ran along the east shore. At Glens Falls the Hudson turns west to
Corinth before continuing north; at Corinth the
Adirondack Railway begins to run along the Hudson's west bank. The original Adirondack Railway opened by 1871, ending at
North Creek along the river. In
World War II an extension opened to
Tahawus, the site of valuable
iron and
titanium mines. The extension continued along the Hudson River into
Hamilton County, and then continued north where the Hudson makes a turn to the west, crossing the Hudson and running along the west shore of the
Boreas River. South of Tahawus the route returned to the east shore of the Hudson the rest of the way to its terminus.
|
NASA image of the lower Hudson |
The Hudson River serves as a
political boundary between the states of
New Jersey and
New York, and further north between
counties Manhattan and The Bronx in New York. The northernmost place with this convention is in southwestern
Essex County, New York.
From north to south, moving downriver
*
Opalescent Brook*
Battenkill Creek*
Mohawk River*
Catskill Creek*
Kaaterskill Creek*
Sawkill Creek*
Esopus Creek*
Rondout Creek*
Roeliff-Jansen Kill*
Wappingers Creek*
Fishkill Creek*
Moodna Creek*
Croton River*
Sparkill CreekFrom south to north:
New Jersey-New York
*
Downtown Hudson Tubes PATH (c.
1907)
*
Holland Tunnel carrying
I-78 (
1927)
*
Uptown Hudson Tubes PATH (c.
1911)
*
North River Tunnels of the
Pennsylvania Tunnel and Terminal Railroad to
New York Penn Station (now
Amtrak and
NJ Transit) (c.
1908)
*
Lincoln Tunnel (
1937)
*
George Washington Bridge carrying
I-95 (
1931)
New York
*
Tappan Zee Bridge carrying the
Thruway,
Interstate 87, and
Interstate 287 (195])
*
Bear Mountain Bridge carrying
US 6 US 202 (1924) (originally planned as the
Hudson Highland Suspension Bridge for a railroad)
*
Newburgh-Beacon Bridge carrying
I-84 from
Newburgh to
Beacon (1963)
*
Mid-Hudson Bridge near
Poughkeepsie (1930)
*
Poughkeepsie Bridge (railroad) near
Poughkeepsie (1888; was deemed unsafe after a fire in 1974)
*
Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge (1957)
*
Rip Van Winkle Bridge in
Catskill (1935)
*
Alfred H. Smith Memorial Bridge (railroad) in
Castleton-on-Hudson (1924)
*
Castleton Bridge on the
Berkshire Thruway in
Castleton-on-Hudson*Former
Albany and Greenbush Bridge between
Albany and
Rensselaer*
Dunn Memorial Bridge between
Albany and
Rensselaer (1969)
*Former
Hudson River Bridge (railroad) between
Albany and
Rensselaer (1866)
*
Livingston Avenue Bridge (railroad) between
Albany and
Rensselaer*
Patroon Island Bridge on
Interstate 90 between
Albany and
Rensselaer (1968)
*
Menands Bridge in
Troy*
Congress Street Bridge in
Troy (formerly the
Troy and West Troy Bridge), carrying
New York State Route 2, connecting
Watervliet and
Troy*
Green Island Bridge in
Troy, replaced a collapsed railroad bridge (1982)
*
Collar City Bridge in
Troy carrying
New York State Route 7*
112th Street Bridge in
Troy*
Troy-Waterford Bridge connecting northern
Troy to
Waterford*Former
Albany Northern Railroad bridge north of
Waterford*
Mechanicville Bridge in
Mechanicville carrying
New York State Highway 67*Railroad bridge in
Mechanicville*Stillwater Bridge in
Stillwater*
Schuylerville Bridge in
Schuylerville carrying
New York State Highway 29*
Dix Bridge in
Schuylerville*Former
Greenwich and Johnsonville Railway bridge in
Schuylerville*
Northumberland Bridge in
Thomson carrying
U.S. Route 4, formerly the
Fort Miller Bridge carrying the
Champlain Canal towpath*Railroad bridge in
Fort Edward*
New York State Highway 197 bridge in
Fort Edward*Bridge in
Hudson Falls*
Cooper's Cave Bridge in
Glens Falls carrying
U.S. Highway 9 and
New York State Highway 32*
Interstate 87 bridge near
West Glens Falls*Bridge in
Corinth*
New York State Highway 9N bridge near
Lake Luzerne*
Hadley Bridge in
Hadley and
Lake Luzerne*Former railroad bridge in
Warrensburg and
Thurman*
Thurman Station Bridge in
Warrensburg and
Thurman*
The Glen Bridge at
The Glen*
Riparius Bridge at
Riparius*
North Creek Bridge at
North Creek*Former bridge at
North River*
Adirondack Railway bridge
*Footbridge south of
Newcomb*
Newcomb Bridge at
Newcomb*Bridge at
Newcomb*Bridge at
Tahawus*Bridge north of
Tahawus*Bridge north of
TahawusOn
September 14,
1901, then-
Vice President Theodore Roosevelt was at Lake Tear of the Clouds after returning from a hike to the
Mount Marcy summit when he received a message informing him that
President William McKinley who had been shot two weeks earlier but expected to survive had taken a turn for the worse.
Roosevelt hiked down 10 miles on the southwest side of the mountain to the closest stage station at
Long Lake, New York. He then took a 40-mile midnight stage coach ride through the twisting Adirondack Roads to the
Adirondack Railway station at
North Creek, New York where he discovered that McKinley had died. Roosevelt took the train to
Buffalo, New York where he was officially sworn in as President.
The 40-mile route is now designated the
Roosevelt-Marcy Trail.
General Electric Corporation has been involved in a long lasting battle over the cleanup of
Polychlorinated biphenyl contamination of the Hudson. According to the US
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): "The General Electric Company discharged between 209,000 and 1.3 million pounds of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) into the river from two capacitor manufacturing plants located in Hudson Falls and Fort Edward." [
3]
In
1983, the EPA declared a 200-mile stretch of the river, from Hudson Falls to New York City, to be a
Superfund site. GE will soon commence dredging operations at its own expense to clean up the PCBs. [
4]
Other pollution issues affecting the river include: accidental sewage discharges, urban runoff, heavy metals, furans, dioxin, pesticides, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). [
5]
Interstate 87 and
U.S. Route 9 are the only highways to cross the Hudson River twice.
*
Hudson River Chain*
Hudson Valley*
List of New Jersey rivers*
List of New York rivers*
Upper Hudson River Valley*
Hudson Canyon - Underwater canyon extending hundreds of miles into the Atlantic Ocean that allows the Hudson River to flow into ocean.
*
Hudson Riverkeeper*
Hudson River Sloop Clearwater*
Hudson River Valley Greenway*
Hudson River Watertrail Association*
NY/NJ Baykeeper*
Bannerman Castle Trust*
Hudson River.com*
The River Project*
Beczak Environmental Education Center*
Chelsea Piers*
Downtown Boathouse*
Hoboken Cove Boathouse*
Hudson River Museum*
Hudson River Maritime Museum*
Stay On the Waterfront*
Meadowlands Regional Chamber of Commerce*
Chronology - Hudson River
