East River

The East River is a saltwater tidal estuary or strait in New York City. Even though it is called a river, it is not really a river. It connects Upper New York Bay to the south with Long Island Sound to the north. The East River separates the parts of the city called Brooklyn and Queens from Manhattan Island and from the Bronx on the mainland.

Because it links to Long Island Sound, the East River was sometimes called the Sound River. The water in the East River changes direction often, creating strong currents. This happens because the waterway is narrow and has different depths along its length. People have been able to sail boats along the entire 16 miles (26 km) of the East River, and it used to be a very important place for ships and boats in the city.

Formation and description

See also: Hell Gate

The East River is not really a river but a narrow waterway in New York City. It formed about 11,000 years ago when glaciers moved through the area. The part of the river closer to Long Island Sound is wide with deep bays, while the part closer to New York Bay is narrower and straighter.

One tricky part of the river is called "Hell Gate." This area has strong tides and was once full of rocks and small islands, making it hard to sail through. Over time, the rocks were removed to make it safer for boats.

The river can be used by ships all the way from The Battery to Throg's Neck. It is quite deep in places, especially near Roosevelt Island.

Islands

Roosevelt Island is a long, narrow island in the river between Manhattan and Queens. It was once called Blackwell Island and later Welfare Island before being named after President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Today, it has homes, parks, and some old buildings.

Another island in the river is U Thant Island, a small artificial island created during the building of a subway tunnel. It is now a place where birds can rest and is closed to visitors.

Further up the river are several other islands, including Mill Rock, Randalls and Wards Islands, Rikers Island, and North and South Brother Islands.

Tributaries

Several smaller rivers and streams flow into the East River. On the northern side, these include the Bronx River, Pugsley Creek, and Westchester Creek. On the southern side, the Flushing River flows into the river near LaGuardia Airport. Other streams that once flowed into the river have been filled in over time.

History

Before Europeans arrived, the land north of the East River was home to the Siwanoys, part of the Lenape people. Those living on Manhattan Island used canoes to fish in the river.

Dutch settlers began to build what became New Amsterdam in 1623. The river was very important for transportation, trading, and fishing. It also helped power mills that ground grain into flour. By 1642, a ferry ran between Manhattan Island and Brooklyn. The first pier was built in 1647. After the British took control in 1664, renaming the area "New York," more development happened along the waterfront, and shipbuilding grew as New York started exporting flour.

The lower part of the East River was very busy and important for many years. Because the water was too shallow for large boats to tie up, people built walls and filled in land to create more space for docks and warehouses. This made the river narrower. By 1700, the shoreline in Manhattan had been extended out to around Whitehall Street.

During the American Revolution, the East River played a key role. General George Washington used boats to move his troops across the river to Manhattan Island under cover of night, rain, and fog. This allowed the Americans to keep fighting after a loss at the Battle of Long Island.

After the war, development along the East River continued. New laws allowed more land to be created out into the river, and streets were built along the new shoreline. This made the river’s current faster. One part of the river, Buttermilk Channel, became deeper over time because of the narrowed waterway.

Plans to fill in parts of the river were suggested in the 1800s, but most did not happen. In 1849, an engineer named Benjamin Maillefert cleared some rocks that made it hard to sail through a part of the river called Hell Gate. More work was done later to make it safer for ships.

In the late 1860s, after the Civil War, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers started a big project to clear Hell Gate. In 1885, they used a huge amount of explosives to blast away a rock called Flood Rock. This helped make the river safer for ships.

By 1870, New York State created a Department of Docks to improve the port. They built a seawall around Manhattan Island to protect it from storms and to create more land for the port.

The first bridge to cross the East River was the Brooklyn Bridge, finished in 1883. More bridges followed, including the Williamsburg Bridge and the Queensboro Bridge.

In 1904, a terrible disaster happened when a ship called the PS General Slocum caught fire and sank, causing many deaths.

In the 1930s, a road called the East River Drive was built along the Manhattan shore. It was later renamed the FDR Drive.

In 2011, a new ferry service began running on the East River, offering an alternative way to travel between different parts of the city.

Ecosystem collapse, pollution and health

The East River in New York City has long been a place where the city put its garbage and waste. As the city grew, more waste flowed into the river, harming its natural life. This waste caused big changes in the river’s ecosystem. The extra nutrients from waste led to too much growth of tiny plants in the water, which used up the oxygen that fish and other animals need to live.

Because of this pollution, the river’s water became darker, and plants under the water started to die. This hurt many animals that depended on these plants. The river also lost many of its oyster beds and a special fish called menhaden, which helped keep the water clean. Without these helpful animals and fish, the river’s balance was broken, and many sea creatures could not survive.

Even today, the East River can be dangerous for people to swim in, though it has become cleaner in recent years. Efforts to reduce pollution have helped some sea life return, but new challenges remain.

Crossings

See also: List of ferries across the East River

In popular culture

The East River has been featured in many songs, TV shows, and movies. The Brecker Brothers wrote a song named after the river for their album Heavy Metal Be-Bop in 1978. A famous Japanese song called "Kawa no Nagare no Yō ni" by singer Hibari Misora was also inspired by the East River.

In the TV show Seinfeld, a character named Cosmo Kramer decides to swim in the East River. The 2004 movie Spider-Man 2 shows the main villain, Doctor Octopus, hiding in an old building by the East River, where he fights Spider-Man for the last time. In the book The Last Olympian from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the East River comes to life as a helpful spirit during a big battle.

Views of the river

The East River has many beautiful views. Old drawings show places like a shot tower at 53rd Street in Manhattan and the island that is now called Roosevelt Island. Modern photos capture scenes like children playing football in East River Park, the river passing the Upper East Side, and bridges like the Manhattan Bridge and Brooklyn Bridge.

Photos also show the river near Brooklyn Heights and Lower Manhattan, as well as Powell’s Cove in Whitestone, Queens. Artists have painted scenes of the East River, such as an 1886 painting by Elisha Taylor Baker.