| Home | Henry Hudson (1565-1611)
Very little is known about Henry Hudson's childhood. His first voyage was in 1607. The Muscovy Company hired him to find a northeastern passage to China. He explored the islands of the Arctic. He discovered the Jan Mayen Island close to Greenland. He set sail again in 1608. He did not make any discoveries during this voyage because he had to turn back due to heavy ice. The Dutch East India Company hired him in 1609 to once again look for a northern passage. He set sail in the Half Moon with his crew of Dutch and English sailors. This time, he did not turn back when he met heavy ice. He went westward. He reached Nova Scotia in July. He then explored most of the U. S. coast from Maine to North Carolina. He went in-land on a river that Giovanni da Varrazano had discovered. He went northward to an island the natives called Manna-hatta or Manhattan. When he returned he and his crew were arrested for disobeying the company orders. They were forbidden form working there again. Hudson talked investors in to supporting his search farther north for a western passage to Asia. In the ship, Discovery, Hudson set sail in 1610. He had trouble controlling his crew but was still able to reach America. Resolution Island was spotted in June. The island separates the Hudson Strait form the Davis Strait. This area had been discovered earlier however Hudson was the first to sail between the straits. Hudson reached the Hudson Bay and went south to find that he was landlocked. It was winter so they were forced to stay due to the weather. When the ice melted, the crew left Hudson, his son and six other men in a small raft. He was never heard from again. |