Monday, April 19, 2010

The Intercollegiate Regatta at Poughkeepsie.



Boat Racks and Work on Walkway Over the Hudson, 2008, Lucey Bowen

                                                            April 18, 1938

      Spent  some hours, very long hours,  with James Reynolds  whom  I had hoped would have some interesting  stories about  sporting events  etc on the   Hudson.  But he is tough.  Seemed to want me to  copy down dates and   names of  ships that passed by Poughkeepsie. He read at length from old dairy of his   Grandfather who kept  a record of the big news  events of the day most of  which he got  from the New York  Commercial Advertiser. The only  amusing passage I could  see was one  about "A pair of porpoises passed up  the river today  going as far as Red Hook.  It was said that they were on an excursion etc. etc."  If you   want it I made arrangements to go back and copy it and a couple  of other things.
      Reynolds   is  a typical sportsman.  He  seems  without any  imagination but he did bring the  Intercollegiate Regatta to Poughkeepsie.[1]    He was a single skull oarsman who  won many cups. He gave the  old boathouse but  rowing has since died  out.     It was his  idea to bring the   Intercollegiates here. He went  to New York  and  the officers  of the association there said it would be too rough.  He brought them here and  entertained them at  the Nelson House.  Then took them out on a tug.  They were  convinced.



[1] The Intercollegiate Regatta was held at Poughkeepsie from 1895 until 1949, and made Poughkeepsie the rowing capital of the United States. The course was 4 miles long, timing determined by the tides, and drew thousands of spectators to Poughkeepsie. Rowing at Poughkeepsie has experienced a revival at both the high school and collegiate levels.

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