USA > Pennsylvania > Pike County > History of the Forest Lake Club, 1882-1932 > Part 10
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The revised charges were as follows:
To Tink Pond-one way $ .75
Special rates for parties-two or more. .50 each Lackawaxen 3.00
Two or more 2.00 each
Hawley (Round trip not to exceed four
hours) four persons. 5.00
Each additional person. 1.25
Honesdale (Round trip not to exceed four hours) 6.00
Trunks transported from station
.25 each
In the earlier years, just after the coming of the automobile, the roads to the Club, after one reached Port Jervis or Milford were anything but perfect highways. Traveling from New York, a favorite route and one used for many years was through Tuxedo and Goshen to Port Jervis. From there, one followed the Delaware river on the famous Hawk's Nest Road to Barryville; thence to Lackawaxen, crossing the river into Pennsylvania at that point; from there, the route lay along the Lackawaxen river to Rowlands, part of the way on the tow path of the old Delaware and Hudson Canal, and thence to the Club. This journey totaled about one hundred and sixteen miles from Fort Lee Ferry and took be- tween seven and eight hours; the thirty-four miles from Port Jervis on being the time-consuming fac- tor. The well-named Hawk's Nest Road is built on
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TRANSPORTATION
the steep side of a mountain; it is an exceedingly narrow road, with the mountain wall on its one side and on the other a sheer drop of hundreds of feet to the river below, with only a few places where two cars can pass, and one drew a long breath of relief when this part of the journey was over.
Another favorite route from New York, though considerably longer, was across northern New Jersey to Milford then through Lord's Valley to Hawley and so on to the Club. This covered about one hun- dred and thirty-eight miles. Later on, the motorists began to use the so-called short cut from Milford to Rosenkranz Corners-thence to Rowlands and the Club. This is the route most used at the present time. In 1911 Joseph Van Vleck presented to the Club an outline of eight automobile routes to and from the Club. This was gratefully accepted.
What a change has been wrought! The days have passed when one stopped en route to enjoy a picnic lunch. At present, the trip from New York to the Club averages but three and a half to four hours, and one arrives in time for either lunch or dinner. Perhaps this is an advantage; but one can look back on the other, more leisurely days, with a great deal of pleasure, even though there was always a large element of uncertainty at the start of the journey. Perhaps that is where lay the charm, after all. One never knew whether the horse power would be pull- ing or propelling the car at the finish and the main question regarding the tires was whether enough
HISTORY OF THE FOREST LAKE CLUB
blowout patches were at hand in case all four shoes decided they had been tortured enough.
And now we boast, and truly, that we travel to- day in incredibly greater comfort and quicker time; and yet, fifty years hence, when possibly some as yet unborn historian will be continuing the chronicles of The Forest Lake Club, he will laugh to think that it could ever have taken three hours to get there from New York when one can fly from one's roof in Manhattan to the landing field of the Club in thirty minutes flat.
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XII LAKES AND STREAMS
THE LAKES
HEN the first purchase of property was made back in 1881, as referred to in one of the early chapters, there was included in the 1500 acres but two of our three lakes, namely: Big or Long Corilla, and Little or Round Corilla, the latter, our present Forest Lake. Wolf Lake, formerly called Wolf Pond, was, as stated, partially acquired in March, 1887, but was not wholly owned by the Club until 1891. All of these lakes are fed by springs which accounts for the purity of the water.
Big or Long Corilla, so called in the early days, but now simplified to Corilla, is a beautiful body of water about one mile long and one-half mile wide, lying to the east and south of the Club House site. Its long axis lies almost due north and south and the former additional appellation of "Long" quite describes it. In the early years it was apparently the more popu- lar fishing ground both because of its being more easily reached from the Club House, and also because of its abundant supply of the gamey smallmouth bass. It will be recalled that it was at the north end of this lake that Camp Williamson, the first building
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HISTORY OF THE FOREST LAKE CLUB
to be erected on the Club property, was situated.
Little Corilla, less accessible, was, however, by no means neglected, though for a number of years there was no direct path through the woods to this lake. The fishing enthusiast in his journey to the lake de- scribed almost a half circle before he reached his goal, tramping first to Big Corilla where he secured his bait, rowing thence across the north end of the lake to the opposite shore and from there continuing his walk to Little Corilla. Men used their legs in those days. What a contrast to the present. Now, they jump into the car, awaiting them under the porte- cochère, dash madly for a little way down the Mast Hope Road and within five or ten minutes are swap- ping lies in the fishing boat. They may stop for a minute or two to pick up some bait at the Club dock or they may carry it with them. Sometimes in the hip pocket. Both of these lakes were natural feed- ing grounds for the smallmouth bass; particularly, as before mentioned, Big Corilla. Pickerel and perch were also very abundant and especially so in the smaller lake.
Wolf Lake, lying almost due west from the Club House, is now the most easily reached of the three, and when it was finally included in the Club prop- erty, a good path to it having been laid out in April, 1888, it became very popular not only for fishing, but for canoeing and bathing as well. It is about three-quarters of a mile in length and over a half mile across at its widest part. At the end of the lake
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BIG CORILLA LAKE
LAKES AND STREAMS
nearest the Club House, a shallow part with sandy bottom, which extends quite a way out, makes it safe even for the smallest children among the bathers, while at the same time there is depth enough about one hundred feet from shore for swimming and div- ing and the various other water sports. Lake bathing was not so popular forty years ago as it is now, and many of the baths taken in those early days were acci- dental and wholly involuntary. Until 1893, all pre- meditated lake bathing was indulged in at Corilla. In that year, however, Joe Van Vleck and Arthur Wil- liams tried out Wolf as a bathing place and their enthusiasm over the new "swimmin' hole" inaugu- rated the change that made Wolf Lake the permanent choice.
The names Big Corilla, Little Corilla and Wolf Pond antedated the forming of the Club by prob- ably a great many years. Nothing is known by record or legend of the naming of Wolf Lake, and the same statement applies to Corilla, although the name is undoubtedly of Indian origin.
There had apparently been some sort of a landing built at the north end of Big Corilla at the time that Camp Williamson was erected, and this evidently served very well for the first few years, or until the summer of 1886 when a more substantial dock took its place. Club boat houses and docks had, very early, probably from the time of the formation of the Club, been erected on Big Corilla and Little Corilla and furnished with Club boats; and by 1894
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all three lakes were thus equipped, and sometime be- tween 1886 and 1894 summer houses had been built on Big Corilla and Wolf, for it is recorded in Oc- tober, 1894, that a new dock had been built at the Wolf Lake summer house and that the docks on all lakes as well as the summer house on Big Corilla had been repaired. The original summer house on Wolf was erected by Mr. Van Vleck, Sr., prior to 1894 and was in existence until 1930 when the present house was built by the Club.
In the fall of 1898, a new Club boat house was built on Little Corilla, and in April, 1901, there was referred to the Executive Committee the matter of building a new boat house on Wolf Lake for the Club fishing boats. It is interesting to note that in February, 1885, a rule was proposed allowing free use of the fishing boats, but, "No party shall use the boats more than the forenoon or afternoon of the same day." This proposed rule was defeated and it remained evidently a matter of free boats and, first come, first served.
The first members' boat houses were erected on Big Corilla and were built by Alfred B. Ogden and John Davidson, the exact dates being unknown. Mr. Ogden's original boat house is still in existence, and is now owned and used by Fred Johnson. The next application on record for the erection of boat houses on this lake was made in September, 1886, by Messrs. Black, Gregor, Wait, Scott and Betty. In May, 1888, permission was granted Dr. Daniel Lewis
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LAKES AND STREAMS
to erect a cottage and boat house on a lot selected by him on the east bank of Big Corilla. This project never advanced farther than the building of a land- ing or dock which was known for some years after- wards as "Lewis' Landing." In June of this same year, James A. Frame and John Livingston were given the right to build a boat house on Corilla just north of the one previously erected by Mr. Ronaldson.
It was also at this time ordered that the shore of Big Corilla Lake be reserved for Association pur- poses, beginning 100 feet north of the boat house to be erected by Messrs. Frame and Livingston; and Charles R. Gregor was granted permission to remove his boat house from its then present site to a site next to the reservation as noted above. The next boat house built on Big Corilla was erected by Benjamin A. Williams in the fall of 1889. This was located near what was called the "Wash House," probably a part of old Camp Williamson, and in September of 1890, Messrs. Hadden and Shields were given per- mission to erect a double boat house next to Mr. Judson's on Big Corilla; but, as in May, 1891, an- other member, Mr. Ramsay, contemplated resigning from the Association he was allowed to transfer his boat house to Messrs. Hadden and Shields.
The first boat house on Wolf Lake was built by F. S. Wait and Alfred B. Scott in the summer of 1888, and in January, 1889, the shore of Wolf Lake, westwards of Wait and Scott's boat house, was set
HISTORY OF THE FOREST LAKE CLUB
apart for the erection of boat houses for members. The boat houses were to be at least twenty-five feet apart and to be located by the Executive Committee; and no permits were to be issued for boat houses on other parts of Wolf Lake. Mr. Ogden was at this time allowed to build a boat house on the site next west of Wait's boat house.
In the fall of 1889 there was discussed the matter of the construction of a path from Ogden's boat house to the "Camping Grounds" and putting some seats there. These "Camping Grounds" were evi- dently situated at the site of the large overhanging rock on which the Van Vleck summer house was erected. There can still be seen part of the old stone landing dock, and the seats mentioned, if the plan was carried out, were probably placed under the overhang of the rock. There is still some evidence also of the old path beyond the boat houses leading to this picnic ground, which closely hugged the shore of the lake. When the path around Wolf Lake, which was financed by the then Joseph Van Vleck, Sr., but was built by his son, was laid out, it was carried up on to the ledge and around the rock.
In the fall of 1891, Dr. Hadden, John Livingston and others were given the right to build boat houses on Wolf Lake, the timber and rough stones for foun- dations to be taken from the lands of the Club. These latter houses were of the community type and two such units were built some time between 1892 and 1897. In September, 1901, permission was
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WOLF LAKE AND GROVE
LAKES AND STREAMS
granted to Mr. Mulligan to build a boat house on Wolf Lake west of Mr. Gregor's. This was the last of the boat houses to be built on the south shore of Wolf Lake; and, it may be of interest to add, these houses, having undergone repairs and recon- struction from time to time, are still standing.
Some years elapsed before any other boat houses were erected on Wolf, but the idea of community boat houses had taken root and in 1909, the first of these to be built on the east shore of the lake was constructed about five hundred feet north of the junction of its southern and eastern boundaries. This house contained ten slips with a partition between each two, and one could purchase one or more slips as one chose. Most subscribers to this plan bought two slips, giving them a complete house to them- selves, while in other cases single slips in the one house were owned by separate parties, who entertained the idea, sometimes perhaps rather lightly, that they would be congenial. Apparently, the plan usually worked out satisfactorily. The following year an- other house to the north of and duplicating the first was ordered erected and so it has gone on, until we now have four units on this side of the lake. The community boat house plan spread to Corilla Lake early in 1920, but was not executed until the summer of 1921 when several owners of individual boat houses on this lake consented to permit the Club to take down their houses to make way for the new
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HISTORY OF THE FOREST LAKE CLUB
building and agreed to purchase slips in the new house.
The Club boat house built on Forest Lake in 1898 and many times repaired was finally replaced by a new one in 1914. This stood the test of time until 1922 when a new community boat house was erected. In October of that year, William L. De Bost reported at an Executive Committee meeting that from the sale of boat slips in the new house and donations from certain of the members purchasing slips therein, he had sufficient funds to pay for two slips to be presented to the Club and that a plate with the names of the donors would be put on the Club boat house.
This about tells the story of the boat houses up to the present time. The community houses un- doubtedly give to the shore lines a more orderly appearance and yet, the old individual houses, eight of which are still standing at Corilla and three at Wolf Lake, are genuinely picturesque, and serve well to link the past with the present and to stir the memories of some of our older members.
THE DAM
Forest Lake, formerly called Little or Round Corilla, and now the largest of our three lakes, pre- sented a very different appearance fifty years ago when the Club was founded. The lake proper, at that time, comprised a small round pond which may
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LAKES AND STREAMS
be said to correspond to about one-half of the area of clear water now to be found at the head of the lake where the boat houses stand, and representing not more than one-fifth or one-sixth of the present size of the lake; while the remainder was marsh land, a portion of it a bog, on which for many years cranberries grew. This cranberry marsh was an es- pecial pet of some of our earliest members and our records tell us that way back in the fall of 1882 the cranberry crop was reported frozen and the superintendent was directed to obtain and put in position at the outlet of the lake a sufficient number of boards to form a dam and flood the cranberry plants to a depth of two feet. This primitive dam, although it was erected for an entirely different pur- pose than the later one, deserves to be recorded as the first attempt of the Club to raise the waters of Forest Lake.
Apparently, for some years after this there was discussed the feasibility of draining and improving the marsh lands above referred to, and the question of damming the lake and increasing its area was not considered. For several years Joe Van Vleck had visualized Forest Lake as we see it today, and had urged building a dam to raise the lake. His view met with considerable opposition, however, and it was not until the fall of 1906 that the project of raising "Little Corilla" came up for serious discus- sion. In October, 1907, a committee was appointed to consider the matter, and authorized to construct
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HISTORY OF THE FOREST LAKE CLUB
a dam to flood the swamp lands. This Committee consisted of Benjamin A. Williams, William Archer and Joseph Van Vleck. The Committee voted two to one in favor of an earth dam without a concrete core. The work was immediately begun, and on February 18th, 1908, the dam was reported com- pleted at a cost of $940.80. In the minutes of a Board meeting on August 22nd, 1908, the Secretary was instructed to write to Harold C. Williams and Richard Lahey, thanking them in behalf of the Club for the valuable service rendered by them in the con- struction of the dam at Little Corilla; so it is to be assumed that these two gentlemen gave freely of their time and efforts in the accomplishment of the work. This does not, however, complete the story; for in the early fall of the same year the dam gave way, all the water ran out and the entire reconstruc- tion of the dam was made necessary.
Again the work was taken up and went forward during the fall of 1908 and the spring, summer and fall of 1909. A trench was dug, twelve feet deep at its middle portion, and a concrete core, all the cracked stone prepared by using hand hammers, was erected throughout its length as is shown in the ac- companying illustration. To show how well this work was done, there occurs under date of May, 1910, a notation in the records as follows: "Dam Committee reported, 'Dam tight.'" Tight refers to the dam. When the work was completed, not even the Roosevelt Dam had anything on the Forest Lake
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BUILDING OF THE DAM
THE SPILLWAY OF THE COMPLETED DAM
LAKES AND STREAMS
job, and to Richard Lahey and Joseph Van Vleck is due the credit for this skillful engineering feat. The entire cost of the dam when completed in- stead of being at the figures quoted above, ac- tually amounted to $3,359.99, and was paid for out of monies donated by twenty-three of the Club members.
In the enlarging of Forest Lake, the erection of the dam itself, while technically most important, was not, in fact, the hardest part of the task. That distinction belongs to the groving and clearing of four hundred acres of swamp. Trees, stumps and brush presented serious obstacles. But within a year or two following the completion of the dam enough was accomplished to give a considerable body of navigable water.
STOCKING THE LAKES
As natural fishing grounds our lakes have always been outstanding. Attractive and beautiful as they are, the fishing, after all, was the lodestone that in the early years drew people to the Club and, in fact, up to the present time, despite various other recreations and amusements, the still excellent fish- ing largely dominates the activities of a very con- siderable number of our members.
The economic law of supply and demand as applied to fishing, may be considered a trite observa- tion, and yet it is one that must be kept continually
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HISTORY OF THE FOREST LAKE CLUB
in mind. Its importance fortunately was recognized from the very first year of our Club's existence and a committee for instituting and carrying on the work of the propagation of fish was one of the first to be formed. Such a committee, annually ap- pointed, first known as the Committee on Fish, later called the Committee on Fish and Game, and at present the Fish, Game and Forestry Committee, has functioned without interruption for fifty years and the lakes as they are today speak eloquently of the good work accomplished.
The first committee was appointed by the Presi- dent, Dr. Alexander Hadden, on August 7th, 1882, and was composed of William W. Ladd, Jr., Alfred B. Scott and Charles C. Whitlock. The duties of this committee were defined November 20th, 1882, as follows: "Resolved that the Committee on Fish shall have the care and oversight of fish in the waters of the Association including the propagation thereof." The change of name to that of "Commit- tee on Fish and Game" is first noted in the minutes of the Board meeting of August 30th, 1883, and at that meeting a fourth member was added. In October, 1901, a committee of five was appointed, this number remaining up to 1905, when it was again dropped to three. In 1920, the committee became the "Fish, Game and Forestry Committee," which is its present title and its membership was again in- creased to five.
The first record of stocking the lakes is found
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under date of January 30th, 1885, as follows: "Dr. Hadden had been presented with about fifty carp taken out of Central Park Lake, and Mr. Betty, at Dr. Hadden's request had put half of these in the spring at the edge of the Little Corilla and the re- mainder had been liberated through a hole cut in the ice at some distance from the shore." No record is found of carp having ever been taken from the lakes, but tradition tells us that they were occa- sionally seen near shore for years afterwards.
In March, 1888, The Fish and Game Committee was authorized to arrange for restocking the Big and Little Corilla Lakes with bass. This plan was prob- ably carried out, although no later record has been found regarding it. According to Goodrich's "His- tory of Wayne County," the northern black bass was introduced into several large ponds in this section of the country, by A. W. Mckown, sometime prior to 1880.
Apparently the fishing was not up to the standard on Wolf Lake in 1890, as there was an embargo put on bass and pickerel fishing during the summer of that year and fishing through the ice during the Club's closed season prohibited. In February, 1893, at a Directors' meeting, it was resolved ". . . that Mr. Gregor and Dr. Hadden be directed to see what can be done to stock Big Corilla (Corilla) with trout and also to improve the fishing." Whether appro- priation of Club monies was made or private sub- scriptions solicited for the above purposes up to 1894
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does not appear in the Club minutes, but in January of that year, there is a notation to the effect that Mr. Frame was authorized to expend $100.00 to stock the lakes with fish. It is assumed that from the last mentioned date there was frequent restocking of the lakes, though but once, namely November, 1907, until the fall of 1912, is it officially recorded. From 1912 on, however, there appears an almost yearly record of restocking and appropriations there- for, so that we have actual records of various ex- penditures, totaling from 1894 to 1923, about $2,300.00. This figure, however, because of prob- able gaps in the records undoubtedly falls far short of the actual amount spent. To carry the story up to the present time, there was recently received by the writer a communication from D. M. Van Vliet in which he stated that about $3,000.00 had been expended during the past ten years for restocking our lakes and streams with smallmouth fry, four to nine inch trout, minnows and crawfish. This would indicate a conservative estimate of considerably over $5,000.00 as the total cost of restocking. The re- stocking of the lakes took the form of planting black bass fry, mostly in Wolf and Corilla although all three lakes shared frequently in these supplies.
The following items culled from the minutes of Directors' meetings, over a few years may be of in- terest. They are, of course, only a few of many similar records up to the present time.
November, 1913. "Fish and Game Committee
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LAKES AND STREAMS
reported 6,000 smallmouth bass planted in Wolf Lake and 1,000 in Corilla, 7,000 smallmouth bass also ordered for spring delivery."
November 17th, 1914. "Appropriation not ex- ceeding $200.00 for purchase of 7,000 Black Bass Fry from Waramoug Black Bass Hatcheries for Wolf Lake for delivery during June or July of 1915."
February 21st, 1919. "$250.00 granted for small- mouth bass fingerlings for all lakes."
In 1916, there arose the question of the advisability of planting fresh water shrimps, and the Fish and Game Committee was authorized to purchase and plant the shrimps at an expense not to exceed $25.00. This was done but the results were entirely unsatis- factory, none of the shrimps surviving. It was also decided in the fall of 1916, on recommendation of the Fish and Game Committee, who had in mind the preservation of the bass, that the privilege of fishing for pickerel through the ice in Corilla and Wolf Lakes during the months of December, 1916 and January, 1917, be given to anyone on the President's authorization. In February of 1917 the Committee reported that during the months above referred to, pickerel had been taken from the three lakes as fol- lows: Wolf Lake 463, Corilla 252, Forest Lake 353. Smallmouth bass were found in many of the pickerel caught. Since 1921 there have been planted, of smallmouth black bass "fry," about 25,000 in all; and in 1928 the Federal Government shipped us, without cost, 500 three and four inch fingerlings
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