Henry Hudson explored the river that now bears his name in 1609. The arrival of the steamboat 200 years later, and the opening of the Erie Canal, made the Hudson one of America's busiest rivers. From 1826 until the middle of the 20th century, more than a dozen lighthouses guided ships past its islands and shallows. HUDSON RIVER LIGHTHOUSES AND HISTORY is an illustrated tour of these lights, past and present, and of the river they marked--from its Revolutionary War battlefields and early industries to modern-day cities, bridges, and parks. (Illustrated throughout with original black and white photographs by the author of Hudson River lighthouses, bridges, and historic landmarks.)