Whispers of “Tenkenas” brush against your ears. This is Randalls and Wards Island. Once called “Wild Lands” by the Lenape Native Americans this land has a rich and complex history.
Centuries ago a small creek named Little Hell Gate separated Randalls and Wards Island. Imagine the Dutch Director-General Wouter Van Twiller raising livestock here in 1637. The islands were later known as Great and Little Barent Island.
Later Jonathan Randel and the Ward brothers owned the islands. The Ward brothers even built a cotton mill and a wooden drawbridge. A storm destroyed the bridge leaving Wards Island uninhabited for a time.
The city acquired both islands in the mid-19th century. They became home to hospitals asylums and cemeteries. Think of the thousands upon thousands buried in the potter’s fields. Their stories are lost to time.
The 1930s brought massive changes. The Triborough Bridge now Robert F. Kennedy Bridge was built. Most of the old buildings were demolished. Parks were created. Downing Stadium later Icahn Stadium hosted Jesse Owens and Usain Bolt.
Today Randalls and Wards Island is a vibrant park. It hosts major events like the Governors Ball Music Festival and Electric Zoo. Yet beneath the modern amenities lie layers of history. The whispers of “Tenkenas” still echo. The souls buried in unmarked graves remain. Randalls and Wards Island a place where the past and present intertwine. A place where you can feel the weight of history on your shoulders. A place where nature and human endeavor continue to shape the land. This is Randalls and Wards Island a place of contrasts a place of memories.