where does hudson river start?
Lake Tear of the Clouds
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 The Hudson River valley was a strategically critical area throughout the American Revolutionary War . Through this area moved supplies , men and materials between the New England states and those further south , something that became even more vitally important when the British largely abandoned New England as an objective of military control later in the war . In June 1777 , General John Burgoyne began an attempt to gain control of this key area by moving south from the British province of Quebec . After his early success at Ticonderoga , his campaign become bogged down in logistical difficulties , not reaching Saratoga , New York until mid @-@ September . Burgoyne held expectations that his campaign would be supported by military forces based in New York City under the command of General William Howe , and that the forces would meet at Albany , about 40 miles ( 64 km ) south of Saratoga . 

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 Native trees on the river include the pin oak and staghorn sumac . These trees were found along Woodlands Lake , but can be found throughout the entire Hudson Valley . Other native plants include evening primrose , an invasive species in Europe , and wild lettuce . 

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 Over a hundred years later , missionaries had more success , setting up posts along the river . Spanish Franciscan missionaries gave the river its current name based on San Juan del Puerto ( St. John of the Harbor ) , the mission established at the river 's mouth following the demise of the French fort . The name first appeared on a Spanish map created between 1680 and 1700 . 

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 The river is at its narrowest and most unpredictable in this basin . Channel flows are not apparent and are usually unmarked . The most efficient way to travel on this part of the river is by airboat . Approximately 3 @,@ 500 lakes lie within the overall St. Johns watershed ; all are shallow , with maximum depths between 3 and 10 feet ( 1 and 3 m ) . The river flows into many of the lakes , which further confuses navigation . Eight larger lakes and five smaller ones lie in the upper basin ; one of the first is named Lake Hell ' n Blazes ( sometimes polished to read as Lake Helen or Hellen Blazes ) , referencing oaths yelled by boatmen and fishermen in the early 19th century , frustrated when trying to navigate through floating islands of macrophytes , or muck and weeds , as the islands changed location with the creeping flow . Lakes Washington , Winder , and Poinsett — named for Joel Roberts Poinsett , a diplomat who brought the poinsettia to the United States — are located further along this stretch of the river . The northernmost points of the upper basin contain the Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area , created in 1977 to assist with filtration of waters flowing into the larger St. Johns . 

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 riverrun , past Eve and Adam 's , from swerve of shore to bend of bay , brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs . 
