Nature, History, and Storybook Villages Fill New York’s Hudson River Valley
Ever since the pilgrims’ arrival in 1620 America has dreamed of expanding westward. A Promised Land existed beyond the Appalachians, across the fertile Ohio Valley and on the other side of the Great Plains. America’s Manifest Destiny was to turn a continent into a country. But America’s first frontier was the Hudson Valley. The Hudson River may run north to south, but in concert with the 19th-century Erie Canal, it became the highway to the West, providing a detour past the natural obstacles that hampered expansion. During its turbulent history, the Hudson River Valley has experienced war, inspired great…
