author

Edward Manning Ruttenber

1825–1907

A nineteenth-century newspaper editor turned local historian, he devoted much of his work to preserving the stories of the Hudson River Valley. His books on Native history and Orange County helped fix regional history in print at a time when many local records were still scattered.

1 Audiobook

Footprints of the Red Men

Footprints of the Red Men

by Edward Manning Ruttenber

About the author

Born in Bennington, Vermont, in 1825, he moved to Newburgh, New York, while still young and learned the printer's trade before becoming a newspaper publisher and editor. Sources on his life consistently connect him with Newburgh's newspaper world, including the Newburgh Telegraph and the paper that became the Newburgh Evening News.

He is best remembered as a historian of the Hudson River Valley. Writing as E. M. Ruttenber, he published works including History of the Indian Tribes of Hudson's River (1872), History of the County of Orange (1875), and History of Orange County, New York (1881), along with other books and historical catalogues tied to Newburgh and Washington's Headquarters.

Ruttenber died in 1907, but his books remain useful to readers interested in regional history, early New York communities, and nineteenth-century antiquarian research. His writing reflects the energetic local-history tradition of his era: part journalism, part archival digging, and deeply rooted in place.