 After a lengthy public debate over whether to place the station to the east or west of the Wallkill River, it was built in 1870 on the east bank, within the village of New Paltz.The rail line was formally opened during a large ceremony on December 20, 1870.A decade later the station had become a popular departure point for the Mohonk Mountain House by many vacationers, including two U.S. presidents.