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by Gilberto Villahermosa (Author)
Founded in 1680 by Jacob Rutsen, Rosendale was a quiet hamlet until 1825, when natural cement was discovered, giving rise to one of the largest industries in Ulster County and New York State. At its peak, Rosendale's cement industry produced 10 million barrels of natural cement a year, employing 5,000 miners in more than a dozen mines. The creation of artificial cement, however, heralded the end of Rosendale cement. Rosendale rebounded, marketing itself as a "Vacationist Rendezvous." The Catskill and Shawangunk Mountains, the Wallkill River and Rondout Creek, and the region's many mountain houses attracted tens of thousands of visitors each year. Construction of the New York State Thruway in the 1950s led to the demise of Rosendale's booming tourist industry. Today, Joppenbergh Mountain and the trestle bridge stand guard over the town, while Rosendale's many historic buildings and the remnants of the Delaware & Hudson Canal harken residents and visitors back to an earlier age.
