Hudson River<>Mohawk River

charcoal with stones, vegetation, ice, & Water

Peebles Island NY

stone area 3' x 6' x 4'

~ at the confluence of the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers ~

Ω Stand With Standing Rock Ω

~ Love, Peace and CoCreativity

Henry Hudson's crew may have reached as far as the sprouts in 1609 when Hudson sent a small boat with his first mateand four crew members from Half Moon up the Hudson River to see if the river was indeed the Northwest Passage.^[6] The islands and sprouts (spuyten in Dutch) along with land along the northern shore of the northern sprouts was part of a tract of land deeded to Philip Pieterse Schuyler and Gozen Gerritse Van Schaick in 1665. The Native Americans called the area Nach-te-Nack, and by the Dutch settlers Halve-Maen (translated as Halfmoon in English). In 1674 Schuyler gave up his rights to the land to Van Schaick, and in 1687 Van Schaick's son Anthony Van Schaick was confirmed sole owner through patent title by Governor Thomas Dongan.^[7]

Portions of the sprouts were very shallow, 2 feet (0.61 m) or less, and allowed for easy fording of the river. Waterford received its name from the ford connecting the village to Peebles Island, a name which became popular through use by soldiers in the US Revolutionary War.^[3] The fords connecting the islands were used by the local Native Americans, the Mohicans and by the Dutch and English at Fort Orange and Albany en route to Montreal and Canada, being used by soldiers in the French and Indian Wars. During the American Revolutionary War the islands were the site of military fortifications protecting the fords and river road leading to Albany from invasion forces coming from Canada. Numerous fortifications were constructed on Peebles and Van Schaick Island, with the Van Schaick House being the military headquarters.^[8]