In my family, one of the most tangible benefits of the 2020 pandemic has been our weekend hikes. One of us is only four years old (with a changeable temperament) so the trails have not been very long or arduous. Regardless, we’ve found some great paths and all within 15 minutes of our house.
The Hudson Valley has so many beautiful spots for hiking. Perhaps one of the standout areas is Ulster County, with Minnewaska, Mohonk, Sam’s Point and the Shawangunk Ridge providing millions of trails with breathtaking views. I grew up enjoying weekend outings to these places.
A couple generations before me, my ancestors were enjoying them, too! My pictures from today feature a hike that great aunt Kate took with her friend Lou Hart up in Ulster County. I’m so glad they took the old Kodak along.
It took me a little while to identify the bridge in this photo. It no longer exists but I found a picture postcard from 1908 that shows it to be Canal Street Bridge, on Canal Street in downtown Ellenville. (You can google it and – if you feel so inclined – buy the postcard from Amazon).
From Ellenville, Kate and Lou headed south to Cragsmoor, NY where (maybe) they hiked around Sam’s Point. Below you can see they made themselves comfortable with some yoga paints and hiking boots.
I’ve already talked about Lou Hart and her family here but I saved an interesting story about her son for you. A Middletown native, Thomas Riego Hart graduated from Columbia Law School in 1893. Ten years later he was instrumental in a plan to turn 30 acres of land in Northern Harlem (now Inwood) into a gigantic amusement park called Wonderland Park.
In 1904, he signed a 10-year lease for $40,000 for the first two years ($40,000 = $1.05 million today) to take the property over from Mr. Cobe and build the park. Clearly, it never got built but the story is fascinating. You can see further details on the history (with pictures) at this site: http://myinwood.net/wonderland/
I hope you can all get out for some walks in the woods this weekend. Around here we are expecting some 70-degree weather which is such a treat in November. Who knows, maybe a trip to Ulster County may even be in order?
Some things haven’t changed very much! Nice blog, Martie.
I guess those Dunning girls got around ! I recall hearing that great aunt Kate carried most of the stones that were used on our old house on Dunning Road.