Hudson River Islands

Several islands once lined the west bank of the Hudson River, including Lower Patroon Island in Albany, Patroons Island and Cuylers Island in Menands, and Breaker or Hillhouse Island stretching from Menands to Watervliet. Channels of the Little River that separated some of these islands were later filled during construction of Interstate 787 in the 1960s. The islands once held amusement parks, race tracks, and a steel plant, but these were long abandoned. Because the lowlands and islands along the Hudson River flooded frequently, development remained limited. After a disastrous flood in March 1913, the state created Sacandaga Reservoir, also known as the Great Sacandaga Lake, in Saratoga, Fulton, and Hamilton Counties to regulate the river's flow. Nearby, the Erie Canal entered Albany at Colonie Street and continued along what is now Erie Boulevard, with more than 30 canal slips forming the Lumber District in North Albany. In Menands and Colonie, the canal lay just east of Broadway, and a short section remains visible at Schuyler Flatts Cultural Park south of Watervliet. This section was filled in 1916 when the New York State Barge Canal replaced the Erie Canal, whose eastern terminus is now farther north on the Hudson River at Waterford.

Menands, New York · United States