Around 14 minutes into Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York" (2002), we see Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio) leave the "Hellgate House of Reform" on "Blackwell's Island, New York city". The year is 1862.
Blackwell's Island is a real place in NYC, today known as Roosevelt Island. You can visit here via car, the F Train, or the delightful Roosevelt Island Tram from 60th Street & 2nd Ave in Manhattan.
While the Hellgate House probably never existed, we do know that the name "Hell Gate" is a corruption of the Dutch phrase Hellegat - which could mean either "bright strait" or "clear opening". It first appeared on a Dutch map as Helle Gadt, and was originally applied to the entirety of the East River. (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell_Gate)
In the middle of Roosevelt Island is the "Blackwell House"... the sole surviving building from when the island was still privately held property. This simple well-proportioned house was built for James Blackwell between 1796 and 1804. The Blackwell family owned and farmed the island from the late 17th century until 1828, when it was sold to the City of New York. As you visit this historic location, read more about its history here: http://rihs.us/?page_id=132
The Blackwell House is not frequently open to the public. But there are several other geocaches in Four Freedoms Park (towards the south of Roosevelt Island). Walking from Blackwell House to Four Freedoms Park takes approximatley 15 minutes. There are also other geocaches in the north of the island. If you want, there is a free shuttle around the island to help you along. Look for the red bus!
THIS GEOCACHE: ... is about 220 feet south of the Blackwell House. As you can see, kids these days have it a bit easier than in Amsterdam Vallon's time. You can find the cache a stone's throw from where the youth of today settle their scores. Stealth is required. Try not to attract attention, and return the cache exactly as you found it!
Congratulations to JordsAU and NYWanderer for being FTF this cache! I hope they enjoyed their free Geocache Temporary Tattoos and a $1.00 bill!
Enjoy your caching on Roosevelt Island and remember:
"The Way of the Transgressor is Hard" ...
... but a trip to Blackwell's Island (a.k.a. Roosevelt Island) is easy.
