Schodack Island was once one of a handful of islands on the Hudson River. Schodack comes from two Mohican Native American words, ishoda akee, which roughly means “fire plain land.” The island was once used for the Mohicans’ council fire, at which they would discuss various issues affecting their people. At the beginning of the 20th century, European settlers took it upon themselves to alter the Hudson River with dikes and dams, which lowered the level of the river. That also resulted in joining the islands, effectively forming a large peninsula. New York officially established the peninsula as Schodack Island State Park in 2002.