Quiz: Hudson River Valley Facts and Fiction

The Hudson River runs for 315 miles through eastern New York state from its source in Lake Tear of the Clouds in the Adirondack Mountains all the way south to the New York Bay. The area between Albany in the north and northern Westchester county in the south is known as the Hudson Valley region. Although still quite far from the open waters of the New York Bay, this section of the river is still tidal, and was originally known by Native Americans who inhabited the area as the Mohegan, or Muhheakantuck, meaning "great waters constantly in motion," due to the tides causing it to flow alternately north and south.

In the sixteenth century, European explorers began to visit the area. Given various names, like the North River, the Hudson was finally named after English explorer Henry Hudson, who traveled up the river while working for the Dutch East India Company in 1609.



Henry Hudson Meeting with Native Americans Along the Hudson River, c.1609
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The Hudson Valley was an area of strategic significance during both the French and Indian War in the 1750s and the American Revolutionary War. In the 1750s the British made the northern end of the Hudson Valley their defense against invasion by the French who sailed across Lake Champlain from their colonies in Quebec.

In the Revolutionary War, British General John Burgoyne attempted to divide the American forces by moving south from Quebec to gain control of the Hudson River valley, and so to divide the New England states from the other states. Known as the Saratoga Campaign, this action in 1977 was a turning point in the war. Burgoyne's forces were cut off and without support from General William Howe, whose forces had moved to capture Philadelphia before marching to Albany, they were forced to surrender.

In the final stages of the Revolutionary War, the Continental Army, led by George Washington, was camped at Newburgh. It was at this time that Washington received a letter suggesting he become king, an idea that he forcefully rejected.


Newburgh, New York - George Washington's HQ, Tower of Victory Scene
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Today the military continues its special relationship with the Hudson Valley as the United States Army maintains the United States Military Academy at West Point, overlooking the Hudson River.


West Point
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Franklin D. Roosevelt was born in the Hudson Valley town of Hyde Park at the Springwood estate, and he spent a great deal of his life, even during his presidency, at this mansion. In fact, it functioned as a "Summer White House." He was buried in the Rose Garden of the Springwood estate. When she died in 1962, his wife Eleanor Roosevelt was buried next to him there.

Image of Springwood from Wikimedia Commons.

Following her husband's death in 1945, Eleanor Roosevelt moved to Val-Kill in Hyde Park, where she lived the rest of her life. Just as Eleanor was no ordinary woman, this was no ordinary Hudson Valley mansion! She had been encouraged by her husband to develop this property as a place to put into practice her idea of an industry that could employ rural workers and women. It consisted of two buildings, the small Stone Cottage and a large two-story building that housed Val-Kill Industries. This became Eleanor's home; the only residence that she personally owned.

Image of Val-Kill Main Building from Wikimedia Commons.

The Olana mansion high on a hill overlooking the Hudson River was the home of Frederic Edwin Church, one of the most famous artists of the Hudson River School of painting. Built from stone and brick, this villa is a mixture of Victorian and Persian styles, reflecting Church's eclectic tastes. The house is intricately stenciled both on the inside and outside, with stencils designed by Church based on his travels in the Middle East. The exotically decorated interior displays objects he acquired during his global travels, as well as numerous paintings.

Image of Olana from Wikimedia Commons.

As a member of the Hudson River School of painting, Frederic Church painted many landscapes. One can well imagine him sitting on the lawn of Olana drawing the beautiful Hudson River. His work always reflects not just the natural beauty of the scene, but also a spiritual dimension.


View of the Hudson, 1883
by Frederic Church
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Kykuit has been the home of four generations of the Rockefeller family. Built by the oil businessman and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Sr. and his son, John D. Rockefeller Jr., this imposing stone structure, fronted at the top with the Rockefeller emblem, is centrally located in a "park" of about 250 acres that is the Rockefeller family estate.
Upon his death In 1979, Nelson Rockefeller bequeathed his one-third interest in the estate to the National Trust for Historic Preservation with the result that Kykuit is now open to the public for tours.

Image of Kykuit from Wikimedia Commons.

The Hudson Valley, like most regions, has numerous legends and myths from the various cultures that have inhabited the area. Here we'll take a look at two famous legends from the writings on Washington Irving: The Legend of Sleep Hollow and Rip Van Winkle. These are clearly fictional tales, but Irving wrote his stories based on his life experiences, so there may be some truth there too! While staying with a friend in Tarrytown, Irving became familiar with the nearby Dutch town of Sleepy Hollow, which was known for its ghost stories.

The legend of the Headless Horseman tells of a Hessian soldier killed in the American Revolutionary War by having his head shot off by a cannonball; his ghost continues to ride at night, searching for his head.

In Irving's story Ichabod Crane, a local schoolteacher, is chased by the Headless Horseman on his way home from a harvest festival party. He rides across a bridge near the cemetery and thinks he's safe because the ghost can't follow. However, the Horseman throws his head at Ichabod Crane, knocking him off his horse. In the morning, Ichabod's hat is found beside a shattered pumpkin.

Headless Horse by TheRab at Zazzle

The Catskill Mountains, where Irving said his imagination was "bewitched," is the setting for Rip Van Winkle. This is the tale of a man who encounters some strangely dressed men, possibly the ghosts of Henry Hudson's crew. He has a drink with them and falls asleep under a tree. When he wakes up and returns to his village, everything has changed - his wife and friends have died and everyone is shocked when he proclaims himself a loyal subject of the King. It turns out that he slept for twenty years, during which time the American Revolution took place.

Image of Statue of Rip Van Winkle from Wikimedia Commons.

Copyright © Jennifer P. Tanabe, 2009.
This page was created on November 17, 2009 and is the property of jptanabe (Jennifer P. Tanabe) and Squidoo, LLC. Please do not copy my material!