Hudson and the River

Mayor William Hallenbeck is quoted by John Mason in the Register-Star this morning expressing his concern about public access to the river at the Furgary Boat Club site. "It's been two years that the residents of the city have not had access to this [city-owned land]," said the mayor. 

The mayor's concern about people accessing the river near North Bay prompts Gossips to share the following account of how the river was used in the 1930s by the people who lived below Third Street. It comes from a scrapbook of family history assembled and written by Walter First in 1991 for his children and grandchildren and published here with his family's permission.

LIFE ALONG THE HUDSON RIVER

The Hudson River and the shores were the recreation centers for the people living in the lower section of the City. It was in walking distance, and during the summer, scores would hike to a favorite swimming spot along the New York Central Railroad tracks, from the North Dock cove, up-river to the Greenport Brick-yard landing, South of Hudson, at the Mount Merino bend, was a sandy beach strip called "Cristies Point"; and these were the places where everyone learned the "dog-paddle" stroke. With the boys, modesty was not a prerequisite. You wanted to take a dip, off with the clothes; and a leap into the River. We called it "bare-ass" swimming, and when passenger trains came by, we ducked in the water. The expert bathers and show-off divers performed at the boat docks. At the Day-line Pier, the kids would dive for coins thrown from the Day-Boats by amused passengers.

North Dock diving platform (handmade by swimmers). From left to right: Bill Bikus, Mike Maresco, Herb Meicht, Hap Grabowski, Leon Turek

In the 1930's the River channel was deepened to accommodate the ocean going vessels, making trips to the Port of Albany. The middle ground that separated the Hudson and Athens branches, was a shallow marsh, with a small sand-bar at the North end. The marshland was a choice wild duck breeding and hunting site, considered one of the best in the Hudson Valley. The huge dredges excavated and pumped the bottom sand over this area, creating a new island from the Light-House to the north where the River formed the 2 channels. At the time there was no "Wildlife Protection Society," or wet-lands and conservation restrictions. Commerce to the Capital District had the priority. For years this man-made beach was the new "pleasure island," for many who had the boats for the trip across, and some fools would swim the distance. Today, after 50-years of growth, this area is a woodland of poplar and scrub trees, and wild brush, all seeded by winds and spring flooding. There were recreational hazards: Swift tifes, under-currents, and suctions from large vessels stirring up the water and creating huge waves.

Middle Ground Beach. Walter First is a the far left with his "famous dog" Prince.

At that time raw sewage discharged into the bay at the foot of North Front St. Industrial waste from the Knitting Mills emptied there, and one could see the color dye in use for the day, from the color of the waste water. A slaughter house on lower State Street, made occasional contributions to Nature's collection and disposal basin. Later on, this discharge line was extended beyond the Bay, under the Railroad bridge, and emptied into the River above the North Dock swimming area.