6 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



, LOCATION AND OTHER GENERAL FEATURES OF 

 THE QUADRANGLE 



The Poughkeepsie quadrangle lies in the Hudson river valley 

 about midway between New York city and Albany. It falls 

 between parallels 41° 30' and 41° 45' north latitude and meridians 

 73° 45' and 74° 00' east longtitude, and is therefore 17.5 miles 

 long by about 13.2 miles wide. It embraces an area of about 230 

 square miles. The Hudson river crosses the quadrangle from 

 north to south near the western boundary. The river is slightly 

 deflected to the west at New Hamburg and forms the quadrangle 

 boundary at the southwest corner. 



The larger portion of the area lies east of the Hudson in the 

 southwestern part of Dutchess county. At the very southeast 

 corner is a triangular bit of the township of Kent in Putnam 

 county. West of the river is a strip of Ulster county and a block 

 from the northeastern portion of Orange county.; 



Poughkeepsie, the county seat, is a city of about 25,000 inhabit- 

 ants. Wappinger Falls on Wappinger creek, Matteawan on Fish- 

 kill creek and Fishkill Landing on the Hudson, opposite New- 

 burgh, are important villages. Wappinger Falls and Matteawan 

 are manufacturing towns and each owes its size and importance 

 to the stream on which it is located. East of the Hudson the 

 region is chiefly a farming country and is well adapted to tillage, 

 grazing and fruit growing. West of the river the topography, 

 soil and drainage are peculiarly adapted to the growing of fruit, 

 for which the proximity of the river affords excellent climatic 

 conditions. 



Dutchess county was settled very early in the history of the 

 State. The country is attractive. It is easy to imagine that im- 

 migrants voyaging up the Hudson through the inhospitable region 

 of the Highlands would have been attracted by the stretches of 

 open Qountry which lay north of the rugged mountains. 



The quadrangle is easy of access. Boats plying between New 

 York and Albany stop at Newburgh and Poughkeepsie. The New 

 York Central and West Shore lines, connecting with Albany and 

 the West, follow the banks of the Hudson. The former joins with 

 the Newburgh, Dutchess and Connecticut division of the Central 

 New England at Dutchess Junction and Fishkill Landing, and at 

 Poughkeepsie with the main line division of that road. At Pough- 

 keepsie it also crosses the Highland division of the New York, 



