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Henry Hudson By KyleHello. My name is Henry Hudson and I was born in London, England in the 1570s. I am about to tell you a story about my life and how I became a sailor. I was a sailor when I was young and I learned my skills by traveling with sailors who were probably British Mariners. I am famous because I explored three waterways. The waterways were soon named after me. They were called the Hudson River, the Hudson Bay and the Hudson Strait. I sailed further north than any other explorer because I believed that to the north was the shortest path to Asia. I went through the North Pole to get there. My ship got stuck in the ice and I had to go back. I made four voyages between the years 1607 and 1611. In 1607, I was chosen to be the captain of an expedition that was trying to find a shorter way to the North Pole. I left my homeland with my sailors and my ship was named the Hopewell. I was able to sail closer to the North Pole than any other explorer. I got stuck in the ice and had to turn around after that. I tried again, but I had to turn around again. In 1609, I was hired to try to find a route to Asia. I sailed from Amsterdam in my ship, The Half Moon, which was 60 feet long and just 16 feet wide. Since I loved the cold North Pole air, and I was so desperate to get rich, I decided to try a northern route to Asia. In 1609, I sailed up the Hudson River. The Hudson River is 306 miles long. Vessels enter and leave the Bay in 1610. Hudson Bay Company became one of the largest fur-trading companies in North America. As I headed into the west coast of Norway, I decided to sail into the warm waters, even though I didn’t see Asia. I sailed across the Atlantic Ocean, going south as far as Virginia, then, turned north. Hoping I might see the Pacific, I sailed close to the coastline. After entering the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay, I started north again toward what we now call New York State. In September, I entered New York Harbor and proceeded up the river that is named after me, the Hudson River. Once I reached the present sight of Albany, I claimed the region for Holland. My crew encountered Native Americans who traded their furs. I started to set sail for Europe, but the English government refused to let me explore for Holland again. In April of 1610, on the English ship, Discovery, I went north and west hoping to find a shorter northwest passage to Asia. I sailed past Greenland through the Hudson Strait and entered the Hudson Bay and then the James Bay. The ship lay ice bound from the frozen waters of the James Bay. Hunger, cold and sickness attacked the crew. I decided to explore further west, the crew, though, wanted to go back to England. Some of the sailors mutinied. They made me and a few other loyal men go into a boat and cast us adrift without food or water. The Discovery ship then went to England. I wish they didn’t do that because I might have survived and maybe even come back to see my family. Instead, the other sailors left us, and the sailors in the boat and I were never heard from again. I died in 1611. I have never been heard of until this day when I told you the story of my life. |
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