Early Dutch arrivals looked on the Hudson as the 'Rhine' of New Netherland. Its beauty and grandeur inspired artists and writers of later generations, and its borderlands offered rich farmland and wild game for the taking. It was the Hudson's location, though, that made it one of America's most important rivers. Flowing down from the Adirondack Mountains to New York Harbor, it offers navigable waters to ocean-going vessels for 100 miles inland. With the completion of the Erie Canal across the length of New York State in 1825, the Hudson became a vital connector between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. From sailing sloops to steamboats to modern cargo ships, countless vessels have sailed the Hudson and contributed to its character. The settlers of many nations who merged in its fertile valley bring it a unique heritage. This is the story of the river and its people.
