Hudson was established in the spring of 1883 by a colony from New York state and was named for the Hudson River. A railroad right-of-way was planned to serve the town from the east. Three years later, the Northern Pacific and Northwestern railways met on the east side of the James River and the town of Oakes was founded. Most of Hudson's buildings were then moved to Oakes. On July 7, 1837, the explorers Nicolett and Fremont, while enroute from Fort Pierre to the Devils Lake region, established a camp about one mile southwest of this point.