On September 12, 1609, English explorer Henry Hudson, sailing for the Dutch aboard the ship Halve Maen, continued his exploration of the river that would later bear his name. He sailed inland from what is now New York Harbor, charting the waterway as a possible route to Asia. While he did not find a passage to the Pacific, his voyage provided valuable information about the region. Dutch merchants later used these discoveries to support claims in the area and establish New Netherland. The Hudson River Valley would become a key corridor for trade and settlement in colonial and early United States history.
