Beginning as a Dutch settlement, Saugerties is scenically positioned between the Hudson River and the base of the Catskills. In 1609, the great explorer Henry Hudson's first mate, Robert Juet, recorded a meeting with Native Americans in the area. In its early days, the land was part of the Kingston Commons, one of the first municipalities in the colonies to be governed by an elected body. The town's history was shaped by industry. In the nineteenth century, bluestone quarries and paper and lead mills drove its economy, and a century later, Saugerties became a commuter town for IBM's plants. Michael Sullivan Smith chronicles the rich history of Saugerties.