All American Celebration: Henry Hudson and the Halfmoon

While Hudson had made two previous trips in search of the elusive passage, it was the third trip that led him to the discovery of the river that would come to be named in his honor. In celebration of quadricentennial anniversary of the historic journey that lead to the discovery Hudson River and subsequently the city of Albany, the great Henry Hudson made an appearance at City Hall to tell his tale. 

Spoken through the voice of Steve Weisse, Hudson's story is immortalized, as is the working replica of the Half Moon that makes the trip from the New York Harbor to Albany, where the replica was built in 1989. 

"Hudson was a true adventurer. His job was to go into uncharted territory and try to find various passages for the companies he worked for," Weisse said. "His first two trips were commissioned through an English company that fired him, however, when he failed by going off course. The Dutch hired him for his third trip." 

In the spring of 1609, Hudson and his crew left from Amsterdam on the Half Moon in search of the water route to Asia. Because the weather was still cold and uncertain, the crew encountered rough, cold seas and were considering mutiny. They wanted Hudson to turn around and head back. Hudson had dreams of finally finding this passage and convinced the crew to press forward. 

"Mutiny was a serious offence punishable by death. For a crew to pursue this, the conditions had to be terrible," Weisse said. 

Hudson eventually ended up at the coast of the New World, traveling up a passage that is known today as New York Harbor on the river that was named for him.  Hudson realized he had not found the water passage to Asia when he reached the Albany area and could not travel much further because the water was too shallow for the Half Moon to navigate. 

The only record of this event was catalogued by Robert Juet who sailed with Hudson as mate; this record noted the natural beauty and flourishing wildlife of the newfound land. 

"This was very important for the beaver pelt trade, which was very popular in England," Weiss said.   

Upon Hudson's return to England, he was arrested under the contention that it was considered treason to sail under a foreign flag. Hudson was released shortly thereafter as he was commissioned for another voyage to find a Northwest Passage to Asia in search of spices. He commissioned Juet to aid on his crew once again, a decision that would lead to a full mutiny at sea and Hudson's death. 

Unable to control his crew, Juet carried out a mutiny after a long, cold winter with little to eat. As the crew began to fall ill with scurvy and other diseases, Hudson insisted they move forward and the crew refused. They sent Hudson, his teenage son and a few other crew members adrift in a small boat as the ship Discovery sailed away. 

"No one ever knew what became of Hudson, but his discovery and legacy led to the further exploration of New York State and the settlement of the Dutch in the area," Weisse said.