lower Manhattan west side and Albany, backed mostly by wealthy Poughkeepsie manufacturers and merchants. (It was completed to Albany on October 3, 1851, after a great amount of costly blasting, filling and tunneling the craggy eastern shore of the Hudson River.) The Harlem Valley's directors started to worry that Boston would have a competitive advantage over New York City for the expanding "western trade." An easier and less-costly inland route, also to be named "Harlem Valley", was thus created. Construction The company was incorporated on April 25, 1831 as the New York and Harlem Railroad, to link New York City with suburban Harlem. Among the company's founders was John Mason, a wealthy banker and president of Chemical Bank who was among the largest landowners in New York City. They decided to build their railroad on the eastern side of Manhattan Island, convinced that it would never be able to compete with steamboat traffic on the Hudson River. The first section, along Bowery from Prince Street north to 14th Street, opened on November 26, 1832. After that, the following sections opened: June 10, 1833 – north along Fourth Avenue to 32nd Street May 9, 1834 – north along Fourth Avenue to Yorkville, including the Murray Hill Tunnel October 26, 1837 – north along Fourth Avenue to Harlem, including the Yorkville Tunnel May 4, 1839 – south along Bowery, Broome Street and Centre Street to City Hall at Centre Street and Park Row September 3, 1842 – north to Williamsbridge December 1, 1844 – north to White Plains June 1, 1847 – north to Croton Falls December 31, 1848 – north to Dover Plains January 19, 1852 – north to Chatham Four Corners with a connection to the Albany and West Stockbridge Railroad, and trackage rights northwest to Albany. November 26, 1852 – south along Park Row to Astor House at Park Row and Broadway A freight branch was built to Port Morris, following the 1853 purchase of the Spuyten Duyvil and Port Morris Railroad and abandoned late in the 20th century. Parts are still visible. Between 1847 and 1856, a track was built in Grand Street between Centre Street and Bowery (along with one block on the Bowery) for northbound trains. Southbound trains continued to use the old route. In 1864 or 1865, a branch was added for trains between downtown and the East 34th Street Ferry Landing, running along 32nd