A while back I pondered the source of the Hudson River, coursing 315 miles from the slopes of Mt. Marcy, (the highest peak in the Adirondacks of New York State,) to the southern tip of Manhattan. So I went there!




In 1827, a mining operation was begun here. Although certainly not a concern at the time, it arguably affected the downstream quality of the river. (Subsequent pollution sources, such as PCB’s far out-weighed the environmental impact in later years but nonetheless, this operation was large, and spewed mountains of slag and tailings which are still prominent today.) The initial venture closed in 1857 due to transportation costs and….mysterious impurities in the iron ore. Many years later, MacIntyre Mine as it became known, was obtained by NL Industries, and before closing permanentaly in 1982 produced over 40 million tons of titanium …the strange impurity in the iron ore. See here for more information. 1982 would mark the end of mining activity leaving behind the Tahawus Ghost Town .
Slightly over 300 miles to the south, the George Washington Bridge is the last span over the Hudson River, as seen in the header image.
An interesting side note from this area is depicted on the nearby signage shown below. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt was vacationing at the above cottage in 1901. He was advised while hiking on Mt. Marcy, that the current President, William McKinley, had taken a turn for the worst after an assassination attempt the week before in Buffalo, several hundred miles away. Determined to get to the President’s bedside as soon as possible, Roosevelt and a driver risked treacherous and frightening overnight conditions on a horse drawn buckboard to the nearest railroad connection in North Creek six or seven hours away. During this time, at 2:15 AM, President William McKinley succumbed, as Roosevelt was still negotiating the dark, back country terrain. Contrary to the wording on the sign and elsewhere, he would be sworn in as the 26th President of the United States later that day in Buffalo.
Note: At the time of my visit I shot these photographs on film. Thanks for viewing. Comments are always welcome. M :-
Nice read. Love the history.
I had been there once while exploring out from my Uncle’s Cabin in Hadley, Visited Schroon Lake and then just wandered on and found Henderson Lake not knowing it is the “Mother” of the Hudson!
It is a fascinating area as you know Steve. The population is probably less than one for tens of sq. miles, and night skies must be awesome. I bet areas of the U.P., north of you would be similar. (Hi. Bev!) M:-)
Thanks to Disperser and Crow Canyon Journal for their comments as well. M
I really like the first picture: great shot!