Portal:Hudson Valley

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The Hudson Valley Portal

The Hudson Valley (also known as the Hudson River Valley) comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York. The region stretches from the Capital District including Albany and Troy south to Yonkers in Westchester County, bordering New York City. (Full article...)

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Joppenbergh Mountain is a nearly 500-foot (150 m) mountain in Rosendale Village in Ulster County, New York. It was named after Rosendale's founder, Jacob Rutsen, and mined throughout the late 19th century for dolostone that was used for the manufacture of natural cement. There was a large cave-in on December 19, 1899, that destroyed mining equipment and collapsed shafts within the mountain. Though it was feared that several workers had been killed, the collapse happened during lunch, and all the miners were outside, eating. Since the collapse, the mountain has experienced shaking and periodic rockfalls.

During the late 1930s, Joppenbergh became the site of several ski jumping competitions, which continued until the early 1940s. The mountain's slope was coated with borax in July 1937 for a summer tournament. Skiing stopped until the 1960s, when a new slope was built, and competitions were held until 1971. The town leased a tract of land near the mountain in 2004 to build a municipal parking lot. Joppenbergh, the municipal parking lot, and an adjoining park were put up for sale in 2009. In March 2011, the Open Space Institute offered to purchase the entire 117-acre (47 ha) property and sell it to the town. Rosendale's town board initially agreed to the deal, but a review of the town's expenses determined that the money budgeted for the purchase had already been spent.

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Did you know?

... that the only Egyptian Revival mausoleum to feature both a pyramid and a mastaba (pictured) is found in Newburgh, New York's Old Town Cemetery?
... that the United Church of Christ in Blooming Grove, New York was a Presbyterian congregation until its pastor was tried for heresy?
... that 12,000-year-old Paleo-Indian artifacts, including a rare fluted point, have been found in a quarry near Goshen, New York?

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Kiliaen van Rensselaer (before 1596 – after 1642) was a Dutch diamond and pearl merchant from Amsterdam who was one of the founders and directors of the Dutch West India Company and was instrumental in the establishment of New Netherland. He became one of the first patroons and ended up being the only successful one, having founded the Manor of Rensselaerswyck in what is now mainly New York's Capital District. His estate lasted as a legal entity until the 1840s, having lived through Dutch and British colonial times, the American Revolution, and eventually coming to an end during the Anti-Rent War.

Van Rensselaer was born in the province of Gelderland to a soldier and a homemaker. To keep him from risking his life in the army like his father, he apprenticed under his uncle, a successful Amsterdam jeweler. He too became a successful jeweler and was one of the first subscribers to the Dutch West India Company upon its conception. He may very well be the source of the idea of patroonships and was probably the leading proponent of the Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions.

His patroonship became the most successful to exist, with van Rensselaer making full use of his business tactics and advantages, such as his connection to the Director of New Netherland, his confidantes at the West India Company, and his extended family members that were more than happy to emigrate to a better place to farm. He was married twice and had at least eleven children, two of whom succeeded him as patroons of Rensselaerswyck. Van Rensselaer died sometime after 1642.

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Assess : Review all unassessed articles for quality.
Cleanup : Expand and improve Hudson Valley.
Expand : Kingston, New York has a long and storied history that needs to be written. The same goes for Poughkeepsie, New York. And there are many articles about painters in the Hudson River School that need to be improved, such as Thomas Cole and Frederic Edwin Church.
Infobox : Watch for articles missing relevant infoboxes, including Pleasant Valley (town), New York.
NPOV : Help give Gregory R. Ball a more neutral tone.
Orphans : Find articles that can link to Sneha Anne Philip.
Stubs : State road articles, including New York State Route 113, New York State Route 301, and New York State Route 403. Mountain articles such as History of the Catskill Mountains and Thomas Cole Mountain could also use work.
Wikify : Add links to the Hudson Valley portal where appropriate.
Other : Add {{WikiProject Hudson Valley}} to the tops of talk pages for Hudson Valley articles.