Rensselaer in Rensselaer County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Trade Partners Along the Hudson

Photographed By Howard C. Ohlhous, June 24, 2011

1. Trade Partners Along the Hudson Marker

Inscription.

First Inhabitants
Mahican Indians, known today as Mohicans by the Mohican Nation, were Algonquian-speaking people who inhabited this spot as early as the 1400s. Mahicans gathered here, at Schaghticoke, Cohoes, and at DeLaets and Schodack Islands long before Henry Hudson claimed this area for the Netherlands in 1609. The Dutch established Fort Nassau in 1614 directly across the river, (today the Port of Albany) to trade with the region's Native Americans.

Rensselaerswijck
In 1630, the Dutch West India Company granted Kilian van Rensselaer 700,000 acres on which he was to place 50 families and a village. He planned to develop the more thriving hub of the community on the river's eastern shore, but the company thwarted that development. On the western shore, Van Rensselaer's landholding surrounded Fort Orange.

On the eastern shore in the Greenbush (named for its abundant pines) Van Rensselaer's farming estate and the village of DeLaetsburgh, which included mills, trades shops, a distillery, a brewery, and farms were established. In a 1642 letter, Jeremias van Rensselaer referred to the Greenbush farm as Crayloo (Crow's Wood), named for the family's farm in the Netherlands.

Erected by Crailo State Historic

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Site.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Native Americans • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1609.

Location. 42° 38.076′ N, 73° 44.98′ W. Marker is in Rensselaer, New York, in Rensselaer County. Marker is on Riverside Avenue, on the right when traveling south. The marker is at the base of the sign directly across the street from Crailo State Historic Site. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 10 Riverside Avenue, Rensselaer NY 12144, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Gen. Henry Knox Trail (about 800 feet away, measured in a direct line); Fort Crailo (approx. 0.4 miles away); a different marker also named Fort Crailo (approx. 0.4 miles away); U.S.S. Slater (approx. half a mile away); Drydocking Staten Island 2014 (approx. half a mile away); Phase 3 Albany 2002 - Present (approx. half a mile away); Phase 2 Albany 1997 - 2001 (approx. half a mile away); Phase 1 New York City 1993-1997 (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Rensselaer.

Also see . . . Crailo State Historic Site. New Yorks State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation website entry (Submitted on July 4, 2011, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.)

<center>Trade Partners<br> Along the Hudson Marker</center> image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Howard C. Ohlhous, June 24, 2011

2. Trade Partners
Along the Hudson Marker

The marker as seen from Riverside Ave. on the edge of a park setting with the Hudson River in the background. The Port of Albany is across the Hudson River.

Additional keywords. Fort Crailo

Marker Detail - Len Tantillo Painting image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Howard C. Ohlhous, June 24, 2011

3. Marker Detail - Len Tantillo Painting

"Using written documents, the archaeological record, and landscape features, Len Tantillo created this painting to represent the 17th century farms that replaced Fort Nassau, a 1614 trading post on Castle Island Courtesy of Len Tantillo."

Trade Partners<br>Along the Hudson Marker & Fort Crailo image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Howard C. Ohlhous, June 24, 2011

4. Trade Partners
Along the Hudson Marker & Fort Crailo

This view shows the back side of the marker below the sign for Crailo State Historic Site, also known as Fort Crailo, with Fort Crailo in the background across the street.

Credits. This page was last revised on April 26, 2021. It was originally submitted on June 29, 2011, by Howard C. Ohlhous of Duanesburg, New York. This page has been viewed 686 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 29, 2011, by Howard C. Ohlhous of Duanesburg, New York. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.