Explorers:
Henry Hudson
Pgs. 165-166
Created by Mr. Roper
• By this time Europeans had found a
southern route around the Americas to
the Indies. Remember Magellan.
• However they had not found a northern
route.
• In 1602 the Dutch East India Company
wanted to find and use a Northwest
Passage to the Indies.
• They believed this would save them time
and money.
Northwest Passage
• The Northwest Passage was thought to
be a river above North American that
would take ships from the Atlantic to
the Pacific Ocean and on to Asia.
• Today we know that this does passage
does not exist but early explorers did
not.
• An English Captain, Henry Hudson
decided to lead the search for the
Northwest Passage.
• In 1609, Hudson left from the
Netherlands with a crew of 20.
• As he sailed North it became colder
and icier. He turned the ship south
and headed for warmer weather.
• He explored a harbor that he thought
was a passage.
• This area he explored later became
known as the Hudson River since he
was one of the first to explore this
area.
• While exploring the river, he traded
with local Indians and helped the
Dutch to set up trading post.
In 1610, England hired Hudson to find the
Northwest Passage.
He began exploring possible areas that he
hoped would lead him to the Pacific.
He claimed areas that would later be called
the Hudson Strait and Hudson Bay.
During the winter the water froze and he
was stuck in the bay.
In June 1611, the weather warmed and he
left the bay.
His crew wanted him to return home, but
Hudson planned on continuing his search.
The angry crew put Hudson, his son, and
seven other crew members in a small boat
in the bay with no oars.
Hudson and his men were never heard from
again.
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