Portal:Hudson Valley

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The Hudson Valley Portal

The Hudson Valley (also known as the Hudson River Valley) comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York. The region stretches from the Capital District including Albany and Troy south to Yonkers in Westchester County, bordering New York City. (Full article...)

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The Rosendale trestle is a 940-foot (290 m) continuous truss bridge and former railroad trestle in Rosendale Village, a hamlet in the town of Rosendale in Ulster County, New York. Originally constructed by the Wallkill Valley Railroad to continue its rail line from New Paltz to Kingston, the bridge rises 150 feet (46 m) above Rondout Creek, spanning both Route 213 and the former Delaware and Hudson Canal. Construction on the trestle began in late 1870, and continued until early 1872. When it opened to rail traffic on April 6, 1872, the Rosendale trestle was the highest span bridge in the United States.

The trestle was rebuilt in 1895 by the King Bridge Company to address public concerns regarding its stability, and it has been repeatedly reinforced throughout its existence. Concern over the sturdiness of the trestle has persisted since its opening, and was a major reason Conrail closed the Wallkill Valley rail line in 1977. After the rail line's closure, Conrail sold the bridge in 1986 for one dollar to a private businessman who tried unsuccessfully to operate the trestle as a bungee jumping platform in the 1990s. A similar attempt was made the following decade. The trestle was seized by the county in 2009 for tax nonpayment, and is being renovated as a pedestrian walkway for the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail.

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Did you know?

... that Moodna Creek (pictured), a tributary of the Hudson, was originally known as "Murderers' Creek" after a family was massacred on its banks?
... that Orange County Community College in Middletown, New York, held its first classes in the Webb Horton House's garage?
... that the Kirkland Hotel in Kingston, New York, is a rare surviving example of a wood-frame urban hotel?

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Kiliaen van Rensselaer (before 1596 – after 1642) was a Dutch diamond and pearl merchant from Amsterdam who was one of the founders and directors of the Dutch West India Company and was instrumental in the establishment of New Netherland. He became one of the first patroons and ended up being the only successful one, having founded the Manor of Rensselaerswyck in what is now mainly New York's Capital District. His estate lasted as a legal entity until the 1840s, having lived through Dutch and British colonial times, the American Revolution, and eventually coming to an end during the Anti-Rent War.

Van Rensselaer was born in the province of Gelderland to a soldier and a homemaker. To keep him from risking his life in the army like his father, he apprenticed under his uncle, a successful Amsterdam jeweler. He too became a successful jeweler and was one of the first subscribers to the Dutch West India Company upon its conception. He may very well be the source of the idea of patroonships and was probably the leading proponent of the Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions.

His patroonship became the most successful to exist, with van Rensselaer making full use of his business tactics and advantages, such as his connection to the Director of New Netherland, his confidantes at the West India Company, and his extended family members that were more than happy to emigrate to a better place to farm. He was married twice and had at least eleven children, two of whom succeeded him as patroons of Rensselaerswyck. Van Rensselaer died sometime after 1642.

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Assess : Review all unassessed articles for quality.
Cleanup : Expand and improve Hudson Valley.
Expand : Kingston, New York has a long and storied history that needs to be written. The same goes for Poughkeepsie, New York. And there are many articles about painters in the Hudson River School that need to be improved, such as Thomas Cole and Frederic Edwin Church.
Infobox : Watch for articles missing relevant infoboxes, including Pleasant Valley (town), New York.
NPOV : Help give Gregory R. Ball a more neutral tone.
Orphans : Find articles that can link to Sneha Anne Philip.
Stubs : State road articles, including New York State Route 113, New York State Route 301, and New York State Route 403. Mountain articles such as History of the Catskill Mountains and Thomas Cole Mountain could also use work.
Wikify : Add links to the Hudson Valley portal where appropriate.
Other : Add {{WikiProject Hudson Valley}} to the tops of talk pages for Hudson Valley articles.