Federal authorities arrested 2,197 people across New York last month during what they have derisively named “Operation Rotten Apple,” the highest monthly immigration arrest total since the Trump administration’s round-ups began in New York State. [Read more…] about With ‘Operation Rotten Apple’ Upstate Police Round-Ups Surge
Rockland County
A Trip to Albany on the Steamboat James Kent, August 1823
Yesterday afternoon we had the pleasure of visiting the new and beautiful steam boat James Kent, now lying at the foot of Liberty street [in the City of New York].
Through the politeness of Capt. Wiswall and Mr. Rhind, we enjoyed an opportunity of examining her from stem to stern, above and below, and of obtaining such facts, as will enable us to give a pretty accurate description of this superb vessel, which in many respects surpasses any boat, that has ever floated upon our waters. [Read more…] about A Trip to Albany on the Steamboat James Kent, August 1823
The Seven Taverns Which Saved the Ramapo Pass
Built originally around 1755 by Stephen Sloat, Harmony Hall functioned simultaneously as a family home and a roadside inn along the New York-to-Albany stage route. Because of its strategic location in the narrow Ramapo Pass, the tavern transformed into a vital military station during the American Revolution. [Read more…] about The Seven Taverns Which Saved the Ramapo Pass
New York’s Ramapo Iron Villages During the American Revoltuion
In the decades leading to the American Revolution, colonist began trying to exploit rich deposits of iron ore in the Ramapo Mountains, part of the Appalachian Mountains in northeastern New Jersey (Bergen and Passaic counties) and southeastern New York (Rockland and Orange counties). [Read more…] about New York’s Ramapo Iron Villages During the American Revoltuion
Fake Turkey Shot From Road; Poaching Canada Geese; Illegal Fishing
An angler caught in the act filleting his illegal catch, and a large group ticketed for poaching more than a dozen striped bass are just some of the cases NYS Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) encountered in recent weeks.
The most surprising occurred on Sunday morning, May 10th, ECOs Brown, Dorrett, Heckler, and Hilton were using a robotic wild turkey decoy to catch people illegally road hunting in Williamstown, Oswego County, NY– it didn’t take long. [Read more…] about Fake Turkey Shot From Road; Poaching Canada Geese; Illegal Fishing
Nat Fein: The Man Behind The Iconic Babe Ruth Photo
Most people don’t know Nat Fein’s name — but they know his work. Fein, who lived in Tappan, in Rockland County, NY, for many years, captured one of the most iconic images in American sports history.
Babe Ruth’s final appearance at Yankee Stadium occurred June 13, 1948, and the photograph, which earned Fein the 1949 Pulitzer Prize, became known as “Babe Ruth Bows Out.” [Read more…] about Nat Fein: The Man Behind The Iconic Babe Ruth Photo
Bear Mountain Dodgers: Spring Training in the War Years
After the cold, and snowy winter we experienced this year in the Empire State, it is difficult to imagine a major league ballclub preparing for the season by holding Spring Training in upstate New York.
Many contingencies emerged from the privations which occurred on the home front during World War II. [Read more…] about Bear Mountain Dodgers: Spring Training in the War Years
Unpacking John André’s Boot
The latest episode of the New York Minute in History podcast tells the harrowing story of the capture of British spymaster Major John André, who was caught attempting to bring vital information on the American garrison at West Point to the British army command during the American Revolution.
The documents hidden in André’s boot made it clear that American General Benedict Arnold was involved in the conspiracy and a traitor to the cause. [Read more…] about Unpacking John André’s Boot
Knickerbocker Ice Festival Celebrates Rockland County’s Ice Industry
On the January 2026 episode of Crossroads of Rockland History podcast, host Clare Sheridan welcomed Timothy Englert, co-founder of Rockland County‘s Knickerbocker Ice Festival with Rob Patalano (1964-2025), returning on January 24-25, 2026.
Rockland Lake became world famous a century before it became a Rockland Lake State Park as “the ice box of New York City,” thanks in part to the Knickerbocker Ice Company’s large-scale harvesting operations from the 1830s to the 1920s which shipped ice as far as Australia, Asia and South Africa. [Read more…] about Knickerbocker Ice Festival Celebrates Rockland County’s Ice Industry
The Ecological Impacts of 200 Years of Hudson River Dredging
The navigable portion of Hudson River provides a unique ecosystem with highly diverse habitats, despite being dramatically impacted by 200 years of dredging, retaining walls, and industrial development.
More than 85% of the river’s islands have been eliminated and most of the river’s side channels have been filled in. About half of the river shoreline between Troy and the Mario Cuomo Bridge (formally Tappan Zee) has been engineered. [Read more…] about The Ecological Impacts of 200 Years of Hudson River Dredging
Bear Mountain State Park’s Cornell Mine Trail Reopens
The popular Cornell Mine Trail at Bear Mountain State Park has reopened. Now reconstructed following severe storm damage in 2023, the trail features a hand-built stone staircase and provides access to Doodletown from the Iona Island area and connects to the Appalachian Trail. [Read more…] about Bear Mountain State Park’s Cornell Mine Trail Reopens
Historical Society of Rockland County’s Museum Marking 50 Years
2025 marks 50 years since the cornerstone was laid for the Historical Society of Rockland County’s History Center Museum, following years of work led by John Zehner, president of the HSRC from 1954 to 1978.
Zehner is widely recognized as the driving force behind the Historical Society’s success in the mid-twentieth century. On this episode of the Crossroads of Rockland History podcast Russell Woolley shared memories of working with Zehner in the early 1970s in the Society’s historic Anglo-Dutch Barn. [Read more…] about Historical Society of Rockland County’s Museum Marking 50 Years
240 Acres Preserved in Rockland County
The Open Space Institute (OSI) and Rockland County are celebrating the conservation of the “Eagle Valley Assemblage,” nearly 240 acres that is hoped will safeguard an important clean water source, strengthen a corridor of undeveloped land between Sterling Forest and Harriman State Parks, and enhance regional recreational opportunities. [Read more…] about 240 Acres Preserved in Rockland County
‘A Storm of Flies’: Mayflies on the Hudson River
Mayflies are aquatic insects in the order Ephemeroptera (meaning short-lived). They are also known as shadflies, fishflies, or up-winged flies. Folks who live along rivers are more familiar with the “hatch” of mayflies which can number in the thousands or millions, when conditions are just right.
In the past rivers like the Hudson, Mohawk and Susquehanna could see hatches of mayflies so large they became international news. What follows are two stories reporting mayfly hatches of enormous proportions in September 4, 1880. [Read more…] about ‘A Storm of Flies’: Mayflies on the Hudson River
A Palisades Interstate Park History Podcast
The Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC) was formed in 1900 by Governors Theodore Roosevelt of New York and Foster Voorhees of New Jersey in response to the quarrying operations along the Palisades Cliffs of New Jersey.
Before the creation of the vast Palisades Interstate Park spanning New York and New Jersey, people lived and worked there in small villages and hamlets. [Read more…] about A Palisades Interstate Park History Podcast
Crossroads of Rockland History Podcast News
One of the many podcasts we announce at the New York Almanack, and have since 2017, is Crossroads of Rockland History, hosted by Clare Sheridan and presented by the Historical Society of Rockland County.
In May of this year, the Historical Society learned that the local radio station where the podcast was produced and aired, WRCR 1700 AM in Haverstraw, was sold, and that local programming, like Crossroads, would no longer be broadcast. [Read more…] about Crossroads of Rockland History Podcast News
New Appalachian Trail Bridge in Harriman State Park
Long-distance hikers and day-trippers alike will enjoy a new bridge along the Appalachian Trail at Harriman State Park, thanks to a partnership between the Open Space Institute (OSI), cadets from the United States Military Academy at West Point, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (State Parks), and the Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC). [Read more…] about New Appalachian Trail Bridge in Harriman State Park
Breaking Baseball’s Color Barrier at Bear Mountain State Park
In 1997, Major League Baseball (MLB) took the unprecedented step of retiring Jackie Robinson’s number 42 across the entire league – except for one day a year. On every April 15, the number is everywhere as all MLB teams take the field and all players and managers wear 42 to commemorate the day that the “color barrier” was broken and remember the extraordinary man who broke it.
Since the end of the 1800s, Black players had been barred from Major League Baseball and its antecedents through an unspoken but stringently enforced agreement. Several unsuccessful attempts had been made to integrate the league, but by the 1940s momentum started to swing. [Read more…] about Breaking Baseball’s Color Barrier at Bear Mountain State Park
Peanut Leap Cascade: The Lawrence–Tonetti Waterfall in Palisades, NY
On the April 2025 episode of Crossroads of Rockland History the topic of conversation was the Lawrence–Tonetti Waterfall in Palisades, NY.
Also known as Peanut Leap Cascade, this natural waterfall was beautifully enhanced by sculptors Mary Lawrence and Francois Tonetti in the early 20th century by creating stream-fed pools, sculptural fountainheads, and a Roman-style pergola on the shore of the Hudson River. [Read more…] about Peanut Leap Cascade: The Lawrence–Tonetti Waterfall in Palisades, NY
Six Historic Preservation Projects Get Much-Needed Private Funding
Six capital projects will receive funding from The Preservation League of NYS’s Preservation Opportunity Fund, which provides funding for urgent historic preservation projects. The creation of the Preservation Opportunity Fund in 2024 allows the League to have an immediate impact on historic sites in need of maintenance and repair. [Read more…] about Six Historic Preservation Projects Get Much-Needed Private Funding