Hudson River Islands

Hudson River Islands. . , Hudson River Island and I-787 Overlay This section of Interstate Route 787and the Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail are located on several islands that used to exist along the west bank of the Hudson River. Some of the channels of the Little River separating these islands were filled in during construction of Interstate 787 in the 1960’s., The Hudson River islands included Lower Patroon Island in the City of Albany, Patroons Island and Cuylers Island in the Village of Menands, and Breaker or Hillhouse Island extending from Menands to the City of Watervliet. The islands were the location of amusement parks, race tracks, and a steel plant, all long abandoned (see other interpretive signs along the Bike-Hike Trail). The lowlands and islands along the Hudson River were subject to frequent flooding which limited their development. After a disastrous flood in March 1913, the state created Sacandaga Reservoir ( also known as the Great Sacandaga Lake) in Saratoga, Fulton, and Hamilton Counties to regulate the Hudson River’s flow., On the other side of Interstate 787, the Erie Canal extended from its entrance at Colonie Street in Albany along what is now Erie Boulevard. More than 30 canal slips formed the “Lumber District” in North Albany. In Menands and Colonie the Erie Canal was located just east of Broadway. A short section of the canal can be seen on Broadway at the Schuyler Flatts Cultural Park just south of Watervliet. This section of the canal was filled in 1916 when the New York State Barge Canal replaced the Erie Canal. The eastern terminus is now further north on the Hudson River at Waterford. Interpretative signs for other sites of the historic canal can be seen in Watervliet, Colonie, and Cohoes., (photo) Photo of People on the Hudson River Shore. Steamboat ”Trojan” in the Background. (Courtesy Colonie Town Historian)