For thousands of years, people gathered at the Upper Landing site, a pleasant, fertile tract of land where the Fall Kill Creek flows into the Hudson River. Native Americans used the property as prime hunting and fishing grounds. Eventually, Dutch established homesteads and early mills there, taking advantage of the Fall Kill Creek’s abundant waterfalls located in close proximity to the Hudson. Thanks to its prolific water power and a protected deep water inlet, Upper Landing supported early manufacturing and shipping ventures that coincided with the rise of the steamship. As a result, this small European foothold on the river became an established and thriving commercial hub known as Poughkeepsie. Over the last 200 years, Upper Landing has served important roles as a Revolutionary War Supply Depot, a manufacturing and shipping center, a transportation hub, and site of one of the first electric power plants in the region. Today, a portion of the original property serves a new role as Upper Landing Park—a place for all to enjoy its unique beauty and historical significance. The Park also serves as a gateway to the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park via the 21-story Walkway Waterfront Elevator.