On a frosty January day in 1866, the Rockland County Journal published a playful report that caught the attention of readers in Nyack and Tarrytown. The paper announced the “construction” of a bridge across the Tappan Zee in just 48 hours. According to the story, the bridge could carry pedestrians, sleighs, cattle, and even a multi-ton steam boiler hauled from Thomas Magee’s machine shop.
Well defined tracks mark the route across the frozen Tappan Zee. Courtesy of the Nyack Library.
The bridge, of course, was no human feat. Nature had built it. During the coldest winters, the Hudson River froze solid across the three mile wide Tappan Zee, forming what locals called the ice bridge. Its arrival became a seasonal obsession. Newspapers debated when it would appear and whether it would hold. Some decades saw ice bridges almost every winter. Others passed with no crossing at all.
In particularly cold years, including 1873, 1888, and 1912, the ice bridge served as a temporary highway. That role ended in the 1930s, when icebreakers permanently altered winter navigation on the river.
A Frozen Playground & Multi-Lane Expressway
Once the ice bridge formed, it quickly became more than a crossing. It turned into a shared public space. Walkers, skaters, cyclists, horses, automobiles, and even motorcycles followed a marked route across the frozen river. On at least one occasion, two black bears made the journey as well.
Winter crossings turned the frozen Hudson into a shared public space. Courtesy of the Nyack Library.
Weekends brought the heaviest traffic. Walkers took about an hour to cross. Skilled skaters made the trip in as little as 13 minutes. Cars and trucks followed the marked lanes. In frozen years, the ice bridge became the only crossing north of the Manhattan ferries. When the ice broke, anyone stranded faced a 65 mile detour by road.
Walkers typically took about an hour to complete the crossing. Newspaper photograph.
“Streets and roads! Who cares for either, while we have the river? The ice has been remarkably even the whole of this winter.”
James Fenimore Cooper, Satanstoe
Likely photographed near Stony Point, a narrower crossing than Nyack to Tarrytown. Courtesy of the Nyack Library.
Formation of the Ice Bridge
The scale of the frozen river is evident. Photograph likely by Norman Burke, 1912.
Ice formed first along the river’s edge and, in some winters, extended all the way to the river bottom. Daily tides shifted the ice and sometimes opened a narrow seam between shore ice and river ice. To solve this problem, volunteers laid wooden planks at low tide. These temporary ramps allowed cars to descend safely onto the main ice sheet.
The Nyack route began at a beach north of Main Street. It included separate paths for walkers, horses, and automobiles, each clearly marked.
Despite marked routes, accidents occurred. Norman Burke photograph.
Notable Stories
Ice bridges appeared in 1873, 1893, 1907, 1912, 1917, and 1920. Each season produced its own mix of novelty, risk, and spectacle.
- Frank Bartow, a Nyack taxi driver, offered rides to Tarrytown and Westchester County for one dollar. Skilled skaters again completed the crossing in about 13 minutes.
- In January 1912, photographer Norman Burke, who operated a studio at 34 South Broadway, captured remarkable images from the ice. One photograph even shows an airplane flying overhead. On one Monday alone, thousands of people spread across the frozen river as far as the eye could see.
- A father and son skated from Nyack Beach to Croton Point, then to the Tarrytown Light, and back again. A Nyack High School student built an ice boat using a Flexible Flyer sled and a sail. He reached impressive speeds but struggled on the return trip against the wind.
- Not every story ended well. Dr. Waldron of Yonkers ignored the wooden ramp and drove onto the ice from the end of the Main Street wharf. His Buick touring car immediately sank. He escaped by pushing through the canvas top and pulling himself and his son to safety.
- In 1907, when the ice bridge lasted until mid March, New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur S. Tompkins crossed daily by horse and sleigh. He traveled from his Upper Nyack home to his office in White Plains.
Thrills on the Icy Racetrack
Horse racing added another layer of excitement. A special track ran north, parallel to the shore, about a half mile out on the river. It stretched from the ice bridge toward Hook Mountain. Horses wore spiked shoes and pulled small sleighs called cutters. Races took place regularly.
Horse racing was a popular winter spectacle. Photograph likely by Norman Burke, 1912.
Spiked shoes allowed horses to race safely on the frozen river. Norman Burke photograph.
Car racing followed. Drivers laid out a track just south of the main crossing. Tires carried chains, and younger drivers deliberately threw their cars into skids to send ice splinters flying.
Car racing took place south of the main ice bridge crossing. Courtesy of the Nyack Library.
One famous race pitted an express train against a car, an airplane, and an ice boat. The train made scheduled stops and served mostly as a pace setter. The car slid too much. The airplane struggled against the wind. The ice boat won decisively.
Ice boats often outpaced cars, trains, and early airplanes on frozen rivers. Harper’s Weekly.
The End of the Ice Bridge Era
The ice bridge did not vanish overnight. Its disappearance came through gradual change rather than sudden loss. Seasonal thaws, shifting river traffic, and the arrival of icebreakers reduced the conditions needed for full crossings. When the ice finally broke, large floes erased all visible traces.
Today, few would attempt such a crossing. Yet for decades, the ice bridge shaped winter life along the Hudson. It connected communities, encouraged ingenuity, and turned the frozen river into both roadway and playground. For Nyack, it remains one of the most remarkable chapters in the village’s winter history.
Mike Hays lived in the Nyacks for 38-years. He worked for McGraw-Hill Education in New York City for many years. Hays serves as President of the Historical Society of the Nyacks, Vice-President of the Edward Hopper House Museum & Study Center, and Upper Nyack Historian. . Married to Bernie Richey, he enjoys cycling and winters in Florida. You can follow him on Instagram as UpperNyackMike.
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