The Dutch had a trading post in what is now Albany in the early 17th century, and then moved eastward up the Hoosic from the Hudson. By 1745, the British were also coming into the area, from another direction. They laid claim to land east of the Hudson by building Fort Massachusetts beside the Hoosic in what is now North Adams. Meanwhile, the French were moving south from Canada. Thus, the Hoosic watershed became a battlefield for three European powers and their Native American allies. (James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans is a carefully researched but fanciful account of this period. You may also enjoy Mark Twain’s essay, “The Literary Offenses of Fenimore Cooper.”)

The Dutch negotiated instead of going to war. Though they did not persist here as a colonial power, they left their imprint in the form of many family names like van Rensselaer and place names like kill, meaning stream or river. The British and French continued to fight. The British finally drove the French north after skirmishes on lakes Champlain and George, and also at Fort Massachusetts.

By the 1760s, the entire area was under British control– just in time for the American Revolution! The Battle of Bennington (August 1777) was fought in the New York section of the watershed, when colonists drove back British and mercenary troops in their attempt to take an arsenal. It was a small battle, but an important one. It deprived the British force of supplies that they needed, and they soon surrendered at Saratoga, marking an important turning point in the war.

More about the Battle of Bennington
More about the Battle of Bennington
Teacher Resources About the Battle of Bennington