Catskill Mountains

New York, USA

When American artist Asher Durand created his idealized portrait of the Catskill Mountains, he captured in a relatively small space some of the grandeur of the area known as “America’s First Wilderness.”^{1 2} A portion of Durand’s painting, “Kindred Spirits,” is the subject of the stamp pictured below.

The Catskill Mountains region, which covers 6,000 square miles of southern New York state, is only about 100 miles from New York City and provides 90% of the Big Apple’s water.³ The Catskills remain largely undeveloped because much of the area was set aside for conservation beginning early in the 20th century, and the nearly three dozen mountain peaks there are thickly forested.⁴

The origin of the Catskills’ name is uncertain. “Kill” is Dutch for “creek”; some authorities believe explorer Henry Hudson named the area after a creek where he traded with natives.⁵

Next: Caves of Han-sur-Lesse

References

1. Asher B. Durand’s Kindred Spirits. National Gallery of Art. Accessed 3 Jan. 2013.
2. Introduction to Catskill Mountains. Frommer’s. Accessed 3 Jan. 2013.
3. About The Catskills. The Catskills: Best of Both Worlds. Accessed 3 Jan. 2013.
4. Catskill Mountain Region. The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development. Accessed 3 Jan. 2013.
5. Catskill Guide F.A.Q. Online Guide to the Catskill Mountains. Accessed 3 Jan. 2013.

Published 2018-06-18