Things to do / Travel Guide
Before the Europeans arrived, the Catskills and the Hudson Valley region was inhabited by the Mohicans. This Native American tribe was more peaceful than the Mohawks, who over the next century, along with the ascending Europeans, forced the Mohicans out of the region. Many settled in neighboring Massachusetts.
The Hudson Valley
The French, English, and Dutch began settling in northern New York's Hudson Valley early in the 1600s, with high hopes for success in the growing fur trade of the time. Henry Hudson, an English sailor for the Dutch East India Company, sailed up the Hudson River in 1609 in search of a new route to Asia, but came across North America instead. Contrary to what most people might assume, Hudson wasn't the first to find the Hudson River; it was actually discovered by an Italian, Giovanni da Verrazzano, who sailed for France (hence, the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge at New York Harbor).
The Dutch were the first to settle the Hudson Valley; they founded settlements along the river slightly north of the region, but crept southward into what soon became the nucleus of New Netherlands. Their presence can be felt throughout the region to this day, in its place names. A good thing to remember in pondering the funny sounding names, such as Fishkill, Wallkill, Plattekill, Catskills, and so on. The suffix -kill means stream in Dutch.
The French Huguenots were the second to settle the area, especially in the area of New Paltz. The British, however, quickly encroached, becoming masters of the land in 1664. They were attracted to the area, as were the Dutch before them and to a lesser extent the Huguenots, for the promises of a flourishing fur trade.
The Hudson Valley served as a strategic military point during the two major wars fought on North American soil during the 18th century. In the 1750s, during the French and Indian War, the British utilized the area of the northern valley to fight off the French invasions from Canada. Soon after, during the Revolutionary War, the British forces' strategy was to keep control of the Hudson River, which they hoped would split New England from the rest of the colonies. However, the Colonies turned the tide by stringing a great iron chain across the river at West Point. The British never tried, but it was clear that, with the chain in place, no ship could cross from the northern Hudson southward to New York.
In the 19th century, the Hudson Valley rose in prominence on several fronts. In the century's first decades, it became an agricultural powerhouse, distributing its fruits and vegetables as well as dairy and meat products to the surrounding regions in the northeast. Along the Hudson River, many of the region's cities became industrial powerhouses, churning out household items such as stoves and Venetian blinds (in Poughkeepsie), hats and textiles (in Beacon), and soap and bricks (in Newburgh).
Many famous mansions that date back to the 19th century line the Hudson River's shores, especially its more southeast shores. These glittering residences were built by the great industrial and financial magnates of the time, such as the Rockefellers (Kykuit) and Jay Gould (Lyndhurst); politicians like the great Franklin D. Roosevelt (Springwood), and artists such as Frederick Church (Olana). Today, the homes stand as a remnant of and monument to yesteryear's high society; all big tourist draws.
While Poughkeepsie's economy stayed afloat for a good time, on account of being IBM's headquarters, the region's cities generally reached a low point for much of the 1950s until the 1970s as unemployment was rampant, with most industries leaving for other locations. Only since the late-1980s or so have things picked up. As New York City folk increasingly realize the region's worth, these days its cities are a curious mix of old industrial areas, and new and upscale residential and entertainment districts.
The Hudson River itself has enjoyed a happy revitalization. In the 1960s, on account of heavy industrial activity, it had become highly polluted. The river was clearly off-limits for any kind of recreational or aesthetic activity, and all life was stunted on its shores. But slowly, starting in the 1970s, the situation began to turn around. Factories closed down or cleaned up their act, leading to ecological improvement so vast and wide-reaching that today the Hudson can be enjoyed again for what it is: one of the most beautiful and historic rivers in the country.
Special historical mention must be made of the Hudson River School, informally founded by American artists in the 1820s-1840s, as the first fully-American school of art. It wasn't an actual school, but rather a movement, which went in tandem with the transcendentalism of that period. All of the peoples who inhabited the area - the Native Americans, the Dutch, the French, the British, and the American industrialists and financiers - respected the river and the valley in awe of its beauty and majesty. The Hudson Valley was nicknamed “America's Rhine,” after the picturesque Rhine River valley in Germany. Upon this background, the great Hudson River School flourished throughout the 19th century, its adherents painting awesome, wistful landscapes of the White Mountains, the Adirondacks, and the Catskills. Some big names bearing the mantle of the Hudson River School are Thomas Cole, Albert Bierstadt, and Frederick Church.
The Catskills
Any regional history should start with the archaeological prehistory, right? If not, we'll make an exception for the Catskills. The area of the Catskills was originally a delta, where sediments flowed into the Atlantic. The sediments became sedimentary rock, which is often crumply, and later they were uplifted, where they became a plateau. Glaciers and streams broke it up over time; so what the Catskills are is officially a dissected plateau. How do you know you've reached the Catskills? When there's two rocks for every dirt. Now you know why.
The local Iroquois tribes were the first to live in the general area of the Catskills, the mountain range west of New York's Hudson River. These Native Americans found the land difficult to farm, so they made other practical use of the area. They hunted profusely in the area, performed rites and rituals there, and passed through the mountains on land and water routes.
The British conquered the Catskills from the Dutch after the Second Anglo-Dutch War in the 1660s. Before that there hadn't been much settling in the mountains, and it took until the 18th century for the Catskills to become more passionately sought-after. Nevertheless, squabbles regarding land rights held back settlement for yet many more decades.
In the early 19th century, the Catskills became well-known for its resorts and an increased reputation for tourism, where outsiders would commune with the beautiful nature to be found there. The first of these resorts to be founded, and the flagship resort of the region, was the Catskill Mountain House. Built in 1823, it was successively enlarged over the years, until it encompassed hundreds of rooms and several wings by the 1880s. In the late 19th century, other resorts opened their doors, such as Hotel Kaaterskill and the Mohonk Mountain House. Despite this, the Catskills were never greatly inhabited. The opposite, in fact - the resorts were really only open in the summer; in the winter the only inhabitants of the mountain area were those in some small villages and towns, along with the remaining stewards of the resorts.
In the early 20th century, however, the Catskill scene began to change, as the New York elite began choosing other, farther-away destinations for their leisure and holidays. In their place many immigrant groups, such as European Jews, the Irish, Italians, and Ukrainians, started building a second wave of resorts in the Catskills. One of the most famous and elegant was Grossinger's Hotel, an exclusive resort attracting mostly Jews of European background, founded in 1919. Resorts like these became known as places for aspiring young Jewish comics to rise to recognition. The area of these Jewish resorts, and the culture that surrounded them, has been called the Borscht Belt. Comedians such as Jackie Mason, Mel Brooks, and Woody Allen, were all well-known on the Borscht Belt circuit before they rose to greater, national prominence. Even a (very) young Seinfeld was given his chance on the circuit.
While the first wave of 19th century Catskill vacationers were escaping the urban confines of New York City for the wide open spaces and views of the mountains, the second, more ethnic wave in the 20th century were escaping somewhat different things. The Catskills were sort of an escape from the hardworking life of an immigrant in the city. It was a chance to enjoy a little bit of nature, a little bit of sports, and a lot of good home-style cooking and familiar entertainment. The Catskills experience was an important step in the Americanization of these recent immigrants. They were learning how leisure time was spent, American style.
In the ever competitive world facing these immigrants, time in the Catskills was a step up the social ladder. Many young people met their future spouses around the pools of the Catskill hotels. (The Concord had over a thousand lounge chairs out). It can be said that the Catskills gave us a generation of doctors, lawyers, accountants, and politicians.
So it was that the train and automobile allowed the upper classes to travel farther west to spend their leisure time. With the change in clientele, the older resorts suffered, becoming more and more decrepit; finally lack of interest led to a permanent closing of doors. The last season of the once-majestic Catskill Mountain House was in 1941, and it was burned to the ground in the 1960s for being a building hazard. Today, the only one left standing and operating, of all the old 19th century resorts, is the Mohonk.
Then, in the 70s and 80s, the scene changed again, and the other, ethnic resorts found themselves beleaguered. Many Jewish- and Irish-Americans found new haunts in other parts of the country and the world; leaving their old and established resorts nothing but empty shells. Grossinger's closed its doors in 1986.
Nowadays the Catskills (like the Hudson Valley) are enjoying a renaissance, as people are rediscovering the mountains' beauty and mystery. A third wave of smaller resorts, hotels and bed and breakfasts, can be found in many of the towns and cities of the Catskills. Anyone who loves the outdoors and outdoor recreation, as well as fantastic state fairs, farmers markets, and art towns, will be pleasantly surprised by all the wonders the Catskills, and the region as a whole, have to offer. Food is no longer measured in quantity, but in freshness and creativity of preparation. And people are no longer looking for big name entertainers, they are more interested in the local arts and entertainment scene.
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