The Hubbardton Battlefield State Historic Site in Hubbardton is set to host an astronomy night on October 6th, and their annual Mount Zion Hike on October 7th. [Read more…] about Astronomy Night, Hiking at Hubbardton Battlefield
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Walkway Over the Hudson Ulster Welcome Center Opens
Numerous state and local officials gathered with partners from the business and nonprofit communities of the Hudson Valley for the long-awaited opening of the $5.4 million Ulster Welcome Center at the western gateway to Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park on Friday, June 29th.
[Read more…] about Walkway Over the Hudson Ulster Welcome Center Opens
History Hike: Hudson River’s Iona Island
Doc Bayne is set to lead a ‘History Hike’ at Iona Island, in the Hudson River below Bear Mountain, on Saturday May 12th from 10 am to 2 pm.
A major US Navy arsenal from 1900 to 1946, complete with explosions and the famous “Mothball Fleet” following World War II, Iona Island has a story that goes back to prehistory.
Bayne will cover evidence of Native American use of the island; the colonial farms and settlements when Iona was known as Salisbury Island and, later, Weygant’s Island; and the 1800s, when it attracted tourists with an amusement park, hotel and picnic grounds. [Read more…] about History Hike: Hudson River’s Iona Island
Saratoga Battlefield 100 Mile Challenge
Saratoga National Historical Park has announced their Winter 100 Mile Challenge, the public is invited to snowshoe, ski, or hike the parks trails and try to accumulate 100 miles at the battlefield between now and April 30, 2018.
Through this challenge people can enjoy the rich natural and cultural heritage of this local site as they explore their national park.
Anyone can take part in this challenge, human and canine. To complete this challenge, each participating pet must hike 100 miles in the park with their human companion, following park pet policies. [Read more…] about Saratoga Battlefield 100 Mile Challenge
Fire Tower Guide New Edition Reflects Big Changes
ADK (Adirondack Mountain Club) has released the second edition of its hiking guide, Views from on High: Fire Tower Trails in the Adirondacks and Catskills. Revised and redesigned, it includes a new chapter describing fire towers outside of both parks. The intervening years have seen what coauthor Jim Schneider refers to as “fire tower fever,” a sweeping enthusiasm that has helped prompt restoration of numerous towers and their trails.
Written by John P. (Jack) Freeman and Jim Schneider, Views from on High enables hikers, history buffs, and others fond of Adirondack and Catskill trails to visit and learn about 30 historic fire towers. Detailed trail descriptions are accompanied by numerous photographs and maps as well as an essay about these structures written by historic preservationist Wesley H. Haynes. The new chapter, Beyond the Blue Line, by tower aficionado Jacob C. (Jake) Wilde, describes 13 additional fire towers, three of them demonstration towers. [Read more…] about Fire Tower Guide New Edition Reflects Big Changes
Rockland Co History Hike: Crash of Flight 6231
The Historical Society of Rockland County will host a Hike Through History focusing on Northwest Airlines Flight 6231, on Saturday, September 30, 2017, at 2 pm.
Northwest Airlines Flight 6231 crashed in Harriman State Park on December 1, 1974, just minutes after taking off from Kennedy Airport, on its way to Buffalo. [Read more…] about Rockland Co History Hike: Crash of Flight 6231
William Henry Jackson’s Early Adirondack Color Postcards
One of the greatest landscape photographers during the latter half of the Nineteenth Century was William Henry Jackson (April 4, 1843 – June 30, 1942). A native son of the Adirondacks Jackson was born in Keeseville, New York to George Jackson and Harriet Allen. Harriet was a talented water-colorist and William inherited her artistic flair. His first job as an artist in 1858 was a re-toucher for a photography studio in Troy New York.
In 1866 after serving in the Civil War, Jackson boarded a Union Pacific train to the end of the line in Omaha, Nebraska. There he entered the photography business. The Union Pacific gave him a commission in 1869 to document the scenery along their routes for promotional purposes. It was this work that was discovered by Ferdinand Hayden who invited Jackson on the 1870 U.S. government survey (predecessor of the U.S. Geologic Survey) of the Yellowstone River and Rocky Mountains. He was also on the 1871 Hayden Geologic Survey which led to the creation of Yellowstone as America’s first National Park. It was Jackson’s images that played an important role in convincing Congress to establish the Park in 1872. [Read more…] about William Henry Jackson’s Early Adirondack Color Postcards