New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Hudson River

French Attacks On Old Saratoga During King George’s War (1744-1748)

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Map of British and French fortifications during King George's War (Hartgen, 2004)During King George’s War (1744-1748), the primary military encounters in the Saratoga area were focused on the Schuyler estate and associated settlements and Fort Saratoga/Fort Clinton.

The most significant event was the November 1745 First Battle of Saratoga in which a force of French and Indian allies from Fort St. Frederic (at Crown Point) attacked the village, burning 30 houses, several mills, and the fort as well as killing, scalping, and capturing soldiers and residents. (You can read about that here.) [Read more…] about French Attacks On Old Saratoga During King George’s War (1744-1748)

1889 Tows on the Hudson River: Great Fleets of Freight Boats

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Hudson River. A tow just north of West Point (Hudson River Maritime Museum)This article, “Tows on the Hudson. The Great Fleets of Freight Boats That Come Down the River,” first appeared in the August 18, 1889 edition of The New York Times. It was transcribed by Hudson River Maritime Museum volunteer Carl Mayer and annotated by John Warren.

Very few persons who journey up and down the Hudson River either upon the palatial steamers or upon the railway trains that run along both banks of this great waterway know how great an amount of wealth is daily floated to this [New York] city on the canal boats and barges that compose the immense tows that daily leave West Troy [now Watervliet], Lansingburg, Albany, Kingston, and other points along the river bound for this city. [Read more…] about 1889 Tows on the Hudson River: Great Fleets of Freight Boats

6 Years Later Warrensburg Addition to Lake George Wild Forest Still Awaits Approval

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View of the Hudson River from the Huckleberry Mountain Forest in WarrensburgThe 837-acre Huckleberry Mountain Forest tract in Warrensburg, Warren County, which New York State acquired from the Open Space Institute in 2017, will, in all likelihood, become part of the Lake George Wild Forest and be subject to the strictures of an updated Lake George Wild Forest Unit Management Plan. [Read more…] about 6 Years Later Warrensburg Addition to Lake George Wild Forest Still Awaits Approval

1745: The First Battle of Saratoga

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Johannes Scuyler and his wife Elizabeth Staats Wendell Schuyler (New-York Historical Society)The First Battle of Saratoga took place during King George’s War (1744-1748) in November 1745. A force of French and Native allies set out from Fort St. Frederic at Crown Point to attack English colonies in either New England or Albany.

When deep snow made travel into New England impractical, they turned toward Old Saratoga, now known as Schuylerville in Saratoga County, NY (near where the 1777 Battles of Saratoga would later take place during the American Revolution). [Read more…] about 1745: The First Battle of Saratoga

Rangers Rescue 15 Rafters; Recover Body; Make Rescues at Fish Creek, OK Slip Falls, Whiteface, Colden, Phelps, N-P Trail

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Whiteface Mounatin rescue over Labor Day Weekend in 2023New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents throughout New York State. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured or distressed people.

What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers. [Read more…] about Rangers Rescue 15 Rafters; Recover Body; Make Rescues at Fish Creek, OK Slip Falls, Whiteface, Colden, Phelps, N-P Trail

New Netherlanders’ Views of Indigenous People

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First Dutch Church at Albany as it appears in several of the works of James EightsBy 1642, the number of inhabitants of Rensselaerwyck (spelled Rensselaerswijck in Dutch), at the time basically what is now Albany and Rensselaer Counties, had grown and Patroon Kiliaen Van Rensselaer willingly complied with a requirement of the Dutch West India Company to secure a clergyman for a Dutch Church to conduct services for the settlers. [Read more…] about New Netherlanders’ Views of Indigenous People

The French and Indian War: A New York Perspective

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Miniature of Fort Prince George under attack by French troops (diorama in the Fort Pitt Museum, Pittsburgh)In the early 1750s, the French were establishing trading posts and building forts along western the frontiers of the British colonies. In the fall of 1753, in part to protect his own land claims, Virginia Lieutenant Governor Robert Dinwiddie had sent 22-year-old George Washington (then a militia leader and surveyor) to deliver a letter to Fort Le Boeuf at what is today Waterford in northwest Pennsylvania, demanding they stop.

When Washington returned without success, Dinwiddie sent a small force to build Fort Prince George at the confluence of the Allegheny  and Monongahela Rivers (today Pittsburgh). Soon a larger French force arrived, torn down the small British fort, and began and built Fort Duquesne, named for then Governor-General of New France, Marquis Duquesne. [Read more…] about The French and Indian War: A New York Perspective

Hudson River Whaling Industry History

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"Sperm whale in a flurry" by Louis Ambroise Garneray, c 1840Whales were always part of Hudson River life (they were spotted at Albany in 1647), and whaling was a major industry in New York, especially on the Hudson River, for over 60 years. It helped to shape the region’s economy and culture, and it left a lasting legacy. Today, there are several historical markers and museums in the Hudson Valley that commemorate the region’s whaling past and the Great Seal of the City of Hudson still includes a whale. [Read more…] about Hudson River Whaling Industry History

August 1807: Robert Fulton’s Steamboat Makes History

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The 1909 replica of the North River Steamboat (Clermont) at anchorRobert Fulton did not invent the steamboat. There were perhaps 20 others who worked toward the same goal before the North River Steamboat, later known as Clermont, left the dock in the city of New York for Albany on August 17, 1807. [Read more…] about August 1807: Robert Fulton’s Steamboat Makes History

Blue Crabs in the Hudson River: Beautiful Savory Swimmers

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tagged blue crab (DEC photo)Along the Hudson River Estuary, you can find blue crabs from Troy to the New York Harbor. These crustaceans have five pairs of legs, the first pair are modified as claws for eating and defense, while the last pair of legs are modified for use as swimming paddles. [Read more…] about Blue Crabs in the Hudson River: Beautiful Savory Swimmers