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Historian's says Hudson's 'did not discover anything'

Four-hundred years ago, Henry Hudson set sail from Europe in an attempt to discover a new route to Asia by heading east. His mission was not successful, but he traveled along what has become the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey.

River Edge resident and local historian Kevin Wright explores the quadricentennial of Hudson's voyage in his new book, "1609: A Country That Was Never Lost: 400th Anniversary of Henry Hudson's Visit with North Americans of the Middle Atlantic Coast."

"I titled the book, the 'Country That Was Never Lost' because during Hudson's visit, he did not discover anything. Instead he was the one discovered," Wright said. "Four centuries ago, all of this was covered under ice. This was not a new world, but an ancient world intruded upon. People had lived here for generations before Hudson came."

Before Europeans came to America, various groups considered the area to be their home, including the Manhattans, the Minisinks of Bachom's Country, the Lenape of the Schuylkill estuary, the Mahicans, Susquehannocks, and Mohawks. It is the interactions with these people that Wright focuses on his new book. He does that not only as a historian, but also as someone who is descended from those same people. His great-grandfather was a direct descendent of a full-blooded member of the Minisink nation...
Read entire article at North Jersey