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, although the first European to see it (in 1524), was the Italian Giovanni da Verrazano, whose expedition was financed by the citizens of Lyon, France, under the auspices of King François I. Early European settlement of the area clustered around the river.

Geography

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 from the Lower Hudson River. 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.

Related Topics:
Source - Lake Tear of the Clouds - Adirondack Mountains - Feldspar Brook - Opalescent River - Tahawus - Henderson Lake - Troy - Albany - Mohawk River - Federal Dam - Atlantic Ocean - Manhattan Island - New Jersey - New York Harbor - New York Bay - New Netherland

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The lower Hudson is actually a tidal estuary, with tidal influence extending as far as the Federal Dam at Troy. http://life.bio.sunysb.edu/marinebio/fc.1.estuaries.html Strong tides make parts of New York Harbor difficult and dangerous to navigate. During the winter, ice flows 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."

Related Topics:
Tidal estuary - Tide - New York Harbor

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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.

Related Topics:
Mohawk River - Cove - Weehawken Cove - Hoboken - Weehawken

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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.

Related Topics:
Sea level - Wisconsinan glaciation - Ice age - Marine incursion - Hudson Canyon - Continental shelf

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Notable landmarks on the Hudson include West Point, the Thayer Hotel at West Point, Bannerman's Castle, Metro-North Railroad's Hudson River Line (formerly part of the New York Central system), The Tappan Zee, The Palisades, Hudson River Islands State Park, Hudson Highlands State Park, 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, Beacon, Yonkers, and New York City (Manhattan, The Bronx).

Related Topics:
West Point - Thayer Hotel - Bannerman's Castle - Metro-North Railroad - New York Central - Tappan Zee - The Palisades - Hudson River Islands State Park - Hudson Highlands State Park - Fort Tryon Park - The Cloisters - Liberty State Park - Stevens Institute of Technology - New Jersey - Fort Lee - Weehawken - Hoboken - Jersey City - New York - Troy - Albany - Kingston - Poughkeepsie - Beacon - Yonkers - New York City - Manhattan - The Bronx

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The natural beauty of the Hudson Valley earned the Hudson River the nickname "America's Rhine", the natural beauty of the Hudson Valley 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.

Related Topics:
Hudson Valley - Rhine River - Bingen - Koblenz

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