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Concluding our tribute to the 400th
anniversary of Henry Hudson sailing on what would become a major river for
early North American commerce and culture, we reflect on another mystery
associated with this elusive explorer.
Hudson's Homecoming
Sadly, Henry Hudson's first European homecoming after his
discovery across the Atlantic resulted in his seizure by authorities when he
docked in Dartmouth, England. Forbidden to sail for any
foreign powers, Hudson,
an Englishman, was detained but was able to spread word of his findings in the
west on to his Dutch employers. This news would help the Dutch to found New
Netherland in 1614, a colony covering today's states of New
York and New Jersey.
Hudson would sail again, this
time aboard the Discovery, but his determination for the quest to find the Northwest Passage would get the best of him. Hudson, along with an increasingly agitated crew, headed
farther north around the coast of Quebec.
His findings there yielded the discovery of not another river, but a sea — a
sea half as large as the Mediterranean, but
not nearly as inviting to sailors. This sea, which would later be named Hudson Bay, includes a shallow
inlet called James Bay at the southeastern corner; this is where an edgy, worn
out crew tired from the frigid months began to mutiny.
In June of 1611, angry able-bodied crew members forced Henry
Hudson, his nineteen year old son, and half a dozen infirm men on the crew into
a small boat that was never seen again.
Rollin' on the River
 Although Henry Hudson's discovery of today's Hudson River
did not provide the Europeans with their desired passage to the Pacific, the
Hudson River provided travelers, tradesmen, and settlers a waterway which led
to routes north toward Canada and west to the Great Lakes. In fact, according
to the New York Public Library, the Hudson
served as America's most
important waterway until the Mississippi
Valley was established
and settled two centuries later.
The Hudson River's 315 miles that span from the Adirondack
Mountains at Lake Tear of the Clouds to its Atlantic mouth at New York City has provided
more than just a means of transportation over the years. From being the muse
for numerous Hudson
River School artists to today's source for recreation and enjoyment (not to mention countless
other inspirations for generations spanning the past 400 years), the Hudson River has served as the principle passage for the
development of early American culture.
References:
Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online: http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?BioId=34410
New York
Public Library: http://www.nypl.org/research/hudson/history/his1.html
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