Columbia County, extending from the Hudson River to the New England border, was formed in the late 18th century from parts of two 17th century land patents. Early settlers came from Holland, followed by squatters from New England and German refugees. The area lay on the main route of travel between New England and the West and became well known in the 19th century as a resort area. The county holds a prominent place in the cultural history of the United States. Several famous artists, including Frederick Church, lived here, and Church's personal view of Persia was embodied in his house “Olana,” south of Hudson. Other important people connected with the area include Washington Irving. The Van Alen House, near Kinderhook, was the home of Helen Van Alen, supposedly the Katrine Van Tassel in Irving’s Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and the Ichabod Crane School was near the Van Alen Home. Edna St. Vincent Millay lived for several years at “Steepletop” near Austerlitz, and the countryside around her Columbia County home may have inspired the lines, “All I could see from where I stood was three long mountains and a wood.”