IN PICTURESQUE NEW YORK.
Some Local Errors Corrected--A Trip Down the Hudson River--The Last of
the Mohicans--The Home of Rip Van Winkle--The Ladies of Vassar and their
Home--West Point and its History--Sing Sing Prison--The Falls of
Niagara--Indians in New York State.
Residents in the older States of the East are frequently twitted with
their ignorance concerning the newer States of the West, and of the
habits and customs of those who, having taken Horace Greeley's advice at
various times, turned their faces toward the setting sun, determined to
take advantage of the fertility of the soil, and grow up with the
country of which they knew but little.
It needs but a few days' sojourn in an Eastern city by a Western man to
realize how sublimely ignorant the New Englander is concerning at least
three-fourths of his native land. The writer was, on a recent occasion,
asked, in an Eastern city, how he managed to get along without any of
the comforts of civilization, and whether he did not find it necessary
to order all of his clothing and comforts by mail from the East. When he
replied that in the larger cities, at any rate, of the West, there were
retail emporiums fully up to date in all matters of fashion and
improvement, and caterers who could supply the latest delicacies in
season at reasonable prices, an incredulous smile was the result, and
regret was expressed that local prejudice and pride should so blind a
man to the actual truth.
Yet there was no exaggeration whatever in the reply, as the experienced
traveler knows well. Neither Chicago nor St. Louis are really in the
West, so far as points of the compass are concerned, both of these
cities being hundreds of miles east of the geographical center of the
United States. But they are both spoken of as "out West," and are
included in the territory in which the extreme Eastern man is apt to
think people live on the coarsest fare, and clothe themselves in the
roughest possible manner. Yet the impartial and disinterested New York
or Boston man who visits either of these cities speedily admits that he
frequently finds it difficult to believe that he is not in his own much
loved city, so close is the resemblance in many respects between the
business houses and the method of doing business. Denver is looked upon
by the average Easterner almost in the light of a frontier city, away
out in the Rockies, surrounded by awe-inspiring scenery, no doubt, but
also by grizzly bears and ferocious Indians. San Francisco is too far
away to be thought very intelligently, but a great many people regard
that home of wealth and elegance as another extreme Western
die-in-your-boots, rough-and-tumble city.
This ignorance, for it is ignorance rather than prejudice, results from
the mania for European travel, which was formerly a characteristic of
the Atlantic States, but which of recent years has, like civilization,
traveled West. The Eastern man who has made money is much more likely to
take his family on a European tour than on a trip through his native
country. He incurs more expense by crossing the Atlantic, and although
he adds to his store of knowledge by traveling, he does not learn matter
of equal importance to him as if he had crossed the American continent
and enlightened himself as to the men and manners in its different
sections and States.
Nor is this sectional ignorance confined, by any means, to the East.
People in the West are apt to form an entirely erroneous impression of
Eastern States. The word, "East," to them conveys an impression of dense
population, overcrowding, and manufacturing activity. That there are
thousands and thousands of acres of scenic grandeur, as well as farm
lands, in some of the most crowded States, is not realized, and that
this is the case will be news to many. Last year a party of Western
people were traveling to New York, and, on their way, ran through
Pennsylvania, around the picturesque Horse Shoe Curve in the
Alleghenies, and along the banks of the romantic and historic
Susquehanna. A member of the party was seen to be wrapped in thought for
a long time. He was finally asked what was worrying him.
"I was thinking," was his reply, "how singular it is that the Republican
party ran up a majority of something like a hundred thousand at the
election, and I was wondering where all the folks came from who did the
voting. I haven't seen a dozen houses in the last hour."
Our friend was only putting into expression the thought which was
indulged in pretty generally by the entire crowd. Those who were making
the transcontinental trip for the first time marveled at the expanse of
open country, and the exquisite scenery through which they passed; and
they were wondering how they ever came to think that the noise of the
hammer and the smoke of the factory chimney were part and parcel of the
East, where they knew the money, as well as the "wise men," came from.
The object of this book being to present some of the prominent features
of all sections of the United States, it is necessary to remove, as far
as possible, this false impression; and in order to do so, we propose to
give a brief description of the romantic and historic River Hudson. This
river runs through the great State of New York, concerning which the
greatest ignorance prevails. The State itself is dwarfed, in common
estimation, by the magnitude of its metropolis, and if the Greater New
York project is carried into execution, and the limits of New York City
extended so as to take in Brooklyn and other adjoining cities, this
feeling will be intensified, rather than otherwise.
But "above the Harlem," to use an expression so commonly used when a
political contest is on, there are thousands of square miles of what may
be called "country," including picturesque mountains, pine lands which
are not susceptible of cultivation, and are preserved for recreation and
pleasure purposes, and fertile valleys, divided up into homesteads and
farms.
It is through country such as this that the River Hudson flows. It rises
in the Adirondack Mountains, some 300 miles from the sea, and more than
4,000 feet above its level. It acts as a feeder and outlet for numerous
larger and smaller lakes. At first it is a pretty little brook, almost
dry in summer, but noisy and turbulent in the rainy seasons. From
Schroon Lake, near Saratoga, it receives such a large quantity of water
that it begins to put on airs. It ceases to be a country brook and
becomes a small river. A little farther down, the bed of the river falls
suddenly, producing falls of much beauty, which vary in intensity and
volume with the seasons.
At Glens Falls the upper Hudson passes through a long defile, over a
precipice some hundred feet long. It was here that Cooper received much
of his inspiration, and one of the most startling incidents in his "The
Last of the Mohicans" is supposed to have been enacted at the falls.
When Troy is reached, the river takes upon itself quite another aspect,
and runs with singular straightness almost direct to New York harbor.
Tourists delight to sail up the Hudson, and they find an immense
quantity of scenery of the most delightful character, with fresh
discoveries at every trip. Millionaires regard the banks of the Hudson
as the most suitable spots upon which to build country mansions and
rural retreats. Many of these mansions are surrounded by exquisitely
kept grounds and beautiful parterres, which are in themselves well worth
a long journey to see.
Beacon Island, a few miles below Albany, is pointed out to the traveler
as particularly interesting, because four counties corner upon the river
just across from it. The island has a history of more than ordinary
interest. It used to be presided over by a patroon, who levied toll on
all passing vessels. Right in the neighborhood are original Dutch
settlements, and the descendants of the original immigrants hold
themselves quite aloof from the English-speaking public. They retain the
language, as well as the manners and customs, of Holland, and the
tourist who strays among them finds himself, for the moment, distinctly
a stranger in a strange land. The country abounds with legends and
romances, and is literally honeycombed with historic memories.
The town of Hudson, a little farther down the river, is interesting
because it was near here that Henry Hudson landed in September, 1609. He
was immediately surrounded by Indians, who gave him an immense amount of
information, and added to his store of experiences quite a number of
novel ones. Here is the mouth of the Catskill River, with the wonderful
Catskill Mountains in the rear. It will be news, indeed, to many of our
readers that in these wild (only partially explored) mountains there are
forests where bears, wild cats and snakes abound in large numbers.
Many people of comparative affluence reside in the hills, where there
are hotels and pleasure resorts of the most costly character. During the
storms of winter these lovers of the picturesque find themselves snowed
in for several days at the time, and have a little experience in the way
of frontier and exploration life.
The sunrises in the Catskills are rendered uniquely beautiful by the
peculiar formation of the ground, and from the same reason the thunder
storms are often thrilling in character and awful in their magnificence.
Waterfalls of all sizes and kinds, brooks, with scenery along the banks
of every description, forests, meadows, and lofty peaks make monotony
impossible, and give to the Catskill region an air of majesty which is
not easy to describe on paper.
Every visitor asks to be shown the immortalized bridge at Sleepy Hollow,
and as he gazes upon it he thinks of Washington Irving's unrivaled
description of this country. He speedily agrees with Irving that every
change of weather, and indeed every hour of the day, produces some
change in the magical hues and shapes of these mountains, and they are
regarded by all the good wives far and near as perfect barometers. When
the weather is fair and settled they are clothed in blue and purple, and
print their bold outlines on the clear evening sky, but, sometimes, when
the rear of the landscape is clear and cloudless, they will gather a
hood of gray vapors which, in the last rays of the setting sun, will
grow up like a crown of glory.
Here it was that Rip Van Winkle is supposed to have lived and slept, and
astonished his old friends and neighbors, and their descendants. The
path along which Rip Van Winkle marched up the mountain, prior to his
prolonged sleep, is shown to the tourist, who hears at his hotel, in the
conveyance he hires for the day, and among the very mountains
themselves, countless local legends as to Rip Van Winkle, and as to the
percentage of fact and fiction in Washington Irving's masterly
production.
If he is antiquarian enough to desire it, he can be shown the very spot
upon which Rip Van Winkle laid himself down to sleep. Local opinion
differs as to the exact spot, but there is so much faith displayed by
the people that no one can doubt that they are genuine in their beliefs
and sincere in their convictions. The tourist can also be shown the site
of the old country inn, upon the bench in front of which Rip Van Winkle
sat and astonished the natives by his extraordinary conversation, and
his refusal to believe that a generation had elapsed since he was in the
town last.
The chair upon which Dame Van Winkle is supposed to have sat, while she
was berating her idle and incorrigible lord and master, is also shown to
the visitor, and the more credulous ones gaze with interest upon a
flagon which they are assured is the very one out of which Rip Van
Winkle drank. The only thing needed to complete the illusion is the
appearance of the old dog, which the man who had so grievously overslept
himself was sure would have recognized him, had he put in his
appearance.
It is almost impossible to outlive one's welcome in the Catskill
Mountains, or to wear one's self out with sight seeing, so many are the
novelties which greet the gaze. The Catskills are abounding with
traditions quite as interesting and extraordinary as the Rip Van Winkle
story. They were known originally as the "Mountains of the Sky," a name
given them by the Indians, who for so many generations held them in
undisputed possession. Hyde Peak, the loftiest point in the Catskills,
was regarded by the Indians as the throne of the Great Spirit, and the
Dutch settlers who crowded out the Indians seem to have been almost as
generous in their superstitions and legends. These settlers dropped the
name, "Mountains of the Sky," and adopted the, to them, more euphonic
one of the Katzberg Mountains, from which the more modern name has been
adopted.
The village of Catskill deserves more than a passing notice. It is the
home of a large number of well-known people, including the widows of
many men whose names are famous in history. The old Livingston Manor was
located near the village, and a little farther down is Barrytown, where
the wealthy Astors have a palatial summer resort. A little farther down
the river are two towns with a distinctly ancient and Dutch aspect. They
were settled by the Dutch over two hundred years ago, and there are many
houses still standing which were built last century, so strongly did our
forefathers construct their homes, and make them veritable castles and
impregnable fortresses.
Another very old town on the Hudson is the celebrated seat of learning,
Poughkeepsie. Of this, it has been said that there is more tuition to
the square inch than in any other town in the world. The most celebrated
of the educational institutions at this point is the Vassar College, the
first ladies' seminary in the world, and the butt of so many jokes and
sarcasms. Poughkeepsie is not quite as old as the hills above it, but it
is exceedingly ancient. Here was held the celebrated State convention
for the ratification of the Federal Constitution, in which Alexander
Hamilton, Governor Clinton, and John Jay, and other men of immortal
names took part.
It is only comparatively recently that the first stone building erected
in this town was torn down, to make room for improvements, after it had
weathered storm and time in the most perfect manner for more than a
century and a quarter. At Newburgh, a few miles farther south, an old
gray mansion is pointed out to the visitor as Washington's headquarters
on several occasions during the Revolution. Fortunately, the State has
secured possession of the house and protects it from the hands of the
vandal.
This wonderful old house was built just a century and a half ago. A
hundred and twelve years ago Washington's army finally disbanded from
this point, and the visitor can see within the well-preserved walls of
this house the historical room, with its seven doors, within which
Washington and his generals held their numerous conferences, and in
which there are still to be found almost countless relics of the
Revolutionary War.
While sailing on the Hudson, a glimpse is obtained of West Point, the
great military school from which so many of America's celebrated
generals have graduated. West Point commands one of the finest river
passes in the country. The fort and chain stretched across the river
were captured by the British in 1777 (two years after it was decided
that West Point should be established a military post), but were
abandoned after Burgoyne's surrender. The Continental forces then
substituted stronger works. West Point thus has a history running right
back to the Revolutionary War, and the ruins of Forts Clinton and
Montgomery, which were erected in 1775, are in the immediate vicinity.
There are 176 rooms in the cadet barrack. There is no attempt at
ornamentation, and the quarters are almost rigid in their simplicity and
lack of home comfort. Not only are the embryo warriors taught the
rudiments of drill and warfare, but they are also given stern lessons in
camp life. Each young man acts as his own chambermaid, and has to keep
his little room absolutely neat and free from litter and dirt of any
kind.
The West Point Chapel is of interest on account of the number of tablets
to be found in it, immortalizing many of the Revolutionary heroes. A
winding road leads up to the cemetery, where are resting the remains of
many other celebrated generals, including Winfield Scott. The State Camp
meets annually at Peekskill, another very ancient town, replete with
Revolutionary War reminiscences. It was settled in the year 1764 by a
Dutch navigator, from whom it takes its name. Another house used by
General Washington for headquarters is to be found near the town, as
well as St. Peter's Church, in which the Father of his Country
worshiped.
Tarrytown is another of the famous spots on the Hudson. Near here
Washington Irving lived, and on the old Sleepy Hollow road is to be
found the oldest religious structure in New York State. The church was
built by the Dutch settlers in the year 1699, and close to it is the
cemetery in which Washington Irving was interred. Sunnyside, Irving's
home, is a most interesting stone structure, whose numerous gables are
covered with ivy, the immense mass of which has grown from a few slips
presented to Irving by Sir Walter Scott.
A sadder sight to the tourist on the Hudson, but one which is of
necessity full of interest, is the Sing Sing Prison, just below Croton
Point. In this great State jail an army of convicts are kept busy
manufacturing various articles of domestic use. The prison itself takes
its name from the Indian word "Ossining," which means "stone upon
stone." The village of Sing Sing, strange to say, contains many charming
residences, and the proximity of the State's prison does not seem to
have any particular effect on the spirits and the ideas of those living
in it.
Still further down the Hudson is Riverside Park, New York, the scene of
General Grant's tomb, which overlooks the lower section of the river,
concerning which we have endeavored to impart some little information of
an interesting character. Of the tomb, we present a very accurate
illustration.
While in New York State, the tourist, whether he be American or
European, is careful to pay a visit to the Niagara Falls, which have
been viewed by a greater number of people than any other scene or wonder
on the American continent. This fact is due, in part, to the admirable
railroad facilities which bring Niagara within easy riding distance of
the great cities of the East. It is also due, very largely, to the
extraordinary nature of the falls themselves, and to the grandeur of the
scene which greets the eye of the spectator.
The River Niagara is a little more than thirty-three miles long. In its
short course it takes care of the overflow of Lakes Superior, Michigan,
Huron and Erie, and as it discharges the waters of these lakes into Lake
Ontario, it falls 334 feet, or more than ten feet to the mile.
The rapids start some sixteen miles from Lake Erie. As the river channel
suddenly narrows, the velocity of the current increases with great
abruptness. The rapids are but a third of a mile in length, during which
distance there is a fall of fifty-two feet. The boat caught in these
rapids stands but a poor chance, as at the end of the torrent the water
dashes down a cataract over 150 feet deep. The Canadian Fall passes over
a rocky ledge of immense area, and in the descent leaves a space with a
watery roof, the space being known as the "Cave of the Winds," with an
entrance from the Canadian side. The Canadian Fall has a sweep of 1,100
feet and is considerably deeper than the other.
It is little more than a waste of words to endeavor to convey an
impression of the grandeur and magnificence of Niagara. People have
visited it from all parts of the world. Monarchs and princes have
acknowledged that it exceeded their wildest expectation, and every one
who has gazed upon it agrees that it is almost impossible to exaggerate
its grandeur, or to say too much concerning its magnitude. Even after
the water has dashed wildly 150 feet downwards, the descent continues.
The river bed contracts in width gradually, for seven miles below the
falls, where the whirlpool rapids are to be seen. After the second fall,
the river seems to have exhausted its vehemence, and runs more
deliberately, cutting its channel deeper into the rocky bed, and
dropping its sensational habits.
Some writers have hazarded an opinion that, as time changes all things,
so the day may come when Niagara Falls shall cease to exist. Improbable
as this idea naturally sounds, it has some foundation in fact, for there
have been marvelous changes in the falls during the last few
generations. About two hundred and fifty years ago a sketch was taken of
Niagara, and a hundred years later another artist made a careful and
apparently accurate picture. These two differ from one another
materially, and they also differ greatly from the appearance of the
falls at the present time. Both of the old pictures show a third fall on
the Canadian side. It is known that about a hundred years ago several
immense fragments of rock were broken off the rocky ledge on the
American side, and, more recently, an earthquake affected the appearance
of the Canadian Fall. Certain it is, that the immense corrosive action
of the water, and the gradual eating away of the rock on both the ledge
and basin, has had the effect of changing the location of the falls, and
forcing up the river in the direction of Lake Erie. Time alone can
decide the momentous question as to whether the falls will eventually be
so changed in appearance as to be beyond recognition. The lover of the
beautiful and grand, and more especially the antiquarian, sincerely
trusts that no such calamity will ever take place.
The history of the Indians in New York State is a very interesting one.
Prior to the discovery of America by Columbus, the section of country
including a majority of New York State and the northern portion of
Pennsylvania, was occupied by the Iroquois, Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas,
Cayugas and Senecas. These formed the historical Five Nations, of whom
writers of the last century tell us so much that is of lasting
importance. These tribes were self-governed, their rulers being selected
on the hereditary plan. There was a federal union between them for
purposes of offense and defense, and they called themselves,
collectively, the "People of the Long House." This imaginary house had
an eastern door at the mouth of the Mohawk River, and a western door at
the Falls of Niagara.
Bashfulness was not a characteristic of these old-time red men, who had
a special name of many letters for themselves, which, being interpreted,
meant "Men surpassing all others." They trace their origin from the
serpent-haired God, Atotarhon, and other traditions attribute their
powers of confederation and alliance to the legendary Hiawatha. They
built frame cabins and defended their homes with much skill. Their dress
was chiefly made out of deer and elk hide, and relics still in existence
show that they had good ideas of agriculture, tanning, pottery, and even
carving. They were about 12,000 strong, and they appear to have been the
most powerful Indian combination prior to the arrival of the white man.
They were powerful in war as well as comparatively sensible in peace.
Their religion was, at least, consistent, and included a firm belief in
immortality. They maintained what may be termed civilized family
relations, and treated their women with proper respect. Their conduct
towards the white men was much more friendly than might have been
expected, and almost from the first they displayed a conciliatory
attitude, and entered into alliances with the newcomers. They fought
side by side with the New Englanders against the French, and the hostile
Indians who allied with them, and in the year 1710, five of their
sachems or legislators crossed the Atlantic, and were received with
honors by the Queen of England. In diplomacy they did not prove
themselves in the long run as skillful as the newcomers, who by degrees
secured from them the land over which they had previously exercised
sovereign rights.
The survivors of these Indians have not sunk to as low a level as many
other tribes have done. It is not generally known in the West that there
are on the New York reservations, at the present time, more than 5,000
Indians, including about 2,700 survivors of the once great Seneca tribe.
The State of New York is about the same size as the Kingdom of England.
It is the nineteenth State in the Union in point of size, possessing
area of more than 49,000 square miles, of which 1,500 square miles is
covered by water, forming portions of the lakes. Its lake coast line
extends 200 miles on Lake Ontario and 75 miles on Lake Erie. Lake
Champlain flows along the eastern frontier for more than 100 miles,
receiving the waters of Lake George, which has been described as the
Como of America. The lake has a singular history. It was originally
called by the French Canadians who discovered it, the "Lake of the Holy
Sacrament," and it was the scene of battles and conflicts for over a
hundred years.
The capital of the Empire State, with its population of such magnitude
that it exceeds that of more than twenty important foreign nations, is
Albany, which was founded by the Dutch in 1623, and which has since
earned for itself the title of the "Edinburgh of America." Compared with
New York City it is dwarfed in point of population and commercial
importance.
Of the actual metropolis of the great Empire State it is impossible to
speak at any length in the limited space at one's command. Of New York
itself, Mr. Chauncey Depew said recently, in his forcible manner,
"To-day, in the sisterhood of States, she is an empire in all that
constitutes a great commonwealth. An industrious, intelligent, and
prosperous population of 5,000,000 of people live within her borders. In
the value of her farms and farm products, and in her manufacturing
industries, she is the first State in the Union. She sustains over 1,000
newspapers and periodicals, has $80,000,000 invested in church property,
and spends $12,000,000 a year on popular education. Upward of 300
academies and colleges fit her youth for special professions, and
furnish opportunities for liberal learning and the highest culture, and
stately edifices all over the State, dedicated to humane and benevolent
objects, exhibit the permanence and extent of her organized charities.
There are $600,000,000 in her savings banks, $300,000,000 in her
insurance companies, and $700,000,000 in the capital and loans of her
State and National banks. Six thousand miles of railroads, costing
$600,000,000, have penetrated and developed every accessible corner of
the State, and maintain, against all rivalry and competition, her
commercial prestige."