to chapter 716 of the laws of 1913, by the terms of which it is in the custody of the New York State Historical Association. 1913. Cuba Lake Reservoir. Located in Allegany county; formerly part of the State canal system; turned over to the State Conservation Commission in 1913. *1914. John Boyd Thacher Park, in the towns of Guilderland and New Scotland, Albany county. Comprising 350 acres of the beautiful Helderbergs. Given to the State by Mrs. John Boyd Thacher (a member of this Society) and accepted by chapter 117 of the laws of 1914. In the custody of the American and Historic Preservation Society. (See index.) 1914. Lester Park or Cryptozoon Reef, comprising about three acres in Greenfield near Saratoga Springs. A remarkable geological formation. Given to the state by Mrs. Willard Lester in 1914. In the custody of the State Museum. (See index.) 1915. Clark reservation, in the town of De Witt, near Syracuse, comprising about 75 acres, including the Kai-wai-koe or Green Lake, and other interesting geological features. Given to the State by Mrs. Mary Clark Thompson of New York, (a member of this Society) in memory of her father, Gov. Myron H. Clark. In custody of the State Museum. *1916. Battle Island Park. About 200 acres of land on the Oswego river in the town of Granby, Oswego county, including the historic Battle Island; given to the State by Frederick A. Emerick; accepted by chapter 308 of the laws of 1916, by which it is placed in the custody of the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society. (See index.) 1916. Stark's Knob. About 4 acres near Schuylerville, Saratoga county, including volcanic remains which are unique in New York State, and having historical associations, given to the State by Emerson McMillin, (a Trustee of this Society.) In the custody of the State Museum. (See index.) 1917. Temple Hill. (See index.) 1917. Guy Park House. (See index.) Indian Reservations In connection with the foregoing list of state reservations created for historic or scenic purposes, we append hereto a list of the Indian reservations of the state which, while not created originally for historic purposes, do possess historic interest. Fuller particulars in regard to them may be found at pp. 51-52 of our Annual Report for 1916. In the custody of this Society. There are six officially recognized Indian reservations in the state as follows: Allegany Reservation: 29,829 acres situated in the southern portion of Cattaraugus county and extending from a point near the Pennsylvania line northeastward along the course of the Allegheny river; and a detached tract of 640 acres in Allegany county near the village of Cuba. Cattaraugus Reservation: 21,688 acres, situated in the southwest corner of Erie county, the northwest corner of Cattaraugus county, and the northeast corner of Chautauqua county and embracing an irregular tract along the course of the Cattaraugus creek from the mouth in Erie county to within about a mile of Gowanda. Tonawanda Reservation: 7,550 acres situated partly in Genesee county and partly in Erie county with a small projection extending into the southeast corner of Niagara' county, the general location being along the banks of Tonawanda creek. Tuscarora Reservation: 6,249 acres, situated in the uplands of Niagara county, wholly within the township of Lewiston. Onondaga Reservation: 6,100 acres in Onondaga county, about 7 miles south of the city of Syracuse. St. Regis Reservation: 14,640 acres in the northwest corner of Franklin county and the northeast corner of St. Lawrence county with the Canadian line as the northern boundary. The northern projection of the reservation forms the Canadian Reservation of St. Regis Parish, lying at the confluence of the St. Regis river with the St. Lawrence. STONY POINT BATTLEFIELD Location and Description Stony Point Battlefield is a State Reservation on the Peninsula of Stony Point on the west side of the Hudson river about 35 miles north of New York and 12 miles south of West Point. It is on the line of the West Shore railroad, the nearest regular station of which is Stony Point, in the village of that name about three fourths of a mile south of the park, but during the summer time certain trains stop at Stony Point Park itself on signal by flag or request of passengers. It may also be reached by automobiles. A visitor without heavy luggage may usually secure passage across the river from Verplanck's Point on the east side of the river by motor-boat or row-boat to be hired for the purpose. The park is in the custody of the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society. It was created pursuant to chapter 764 of the laws of 1897. It consists of about 35 acres, or, to be precise, 33.7 acres belonging to the State and 1.16 acres belonging to the Society. Access from the nearest highway is had by means of a right-of-way 1,900 feet long legally acquired by the Society for the State. On the extreme tip of the point, about 9 acres of land belong to the United States and upon it are an ancient lighthouse tower, a comparatively modern bell tower, and the lighthouse keeper's residence. There are no roads or regularly laid out paths on the lighthouse reservation. Access to the United States reservation, when not from the river, is had through the state reservation which lies between it and the railroad cut of the West Shore railroad. The passage between Verplanck's Point and Stony Point is only about half a mile wide and is the narrowest part of the river south of the Dunderberg. For this reason, among others, it was one of the most convenient places for crossing the river in Colonial and Revolutionary times and here was the famous King's Ferry, which was one of the principal means of communication between the New England and other colonies during the War for American Independence. The rocky eminence of Stony Point was valuable from the military standpoint partly because it commanded this important ferry across the river and partly because it commanded the passage up and down the river. It was therefore occupied alternately by the Americans and British as the fortunes of war fluctuated, one of these exchanges being effected under circumstances which gave Stony Point a peculiar distinction in the annals of that period. That was the midnight capture of the British stronghold by the American forces under the immediate command of Gen. Anthony Wayne and the general personal supervision of Washington on July 15-16, 1779. The sites of the Revolutionary fortifications have been accurately surveyed and marked with small stone markers, cannon and flag-poles, so that with a military map of the period, the situation at the time of the capture by the American troops can be studied intelligently. Maintenance and Repairs The Society maintains, upon the right-of-way and the reservation, a mile and a quarter of roads; various foot-paths; one keeper's house and museum of stone and wood; one old wooden cottage; five open pavilions or summer-houses of random rubble and unpainted wood which, like the keeper's house, harmonize with the scenery; ten old cannon mounted on carriages on the sites of Revolutionary fortifications, in addition to one at the memorial arch and two trophies in the museum; a row of eight concrete bathhouses on the beach; a steamboat wharf of piling, concrete and broken stone; one modern public comfort station of stone with running water; several hydrants and fountains of drinking water in different parts of the park; and various other minor accessories. During the year 1916 only $1,381.83 was spent in maintaining the reservation. The disbursements were for the salary of the keeper; for labor in keeping paths and roads in order and patroling the beach and grounds during the summer season; the repair of the keeper's house, which was struck by lightning July 13, 1916, and removing trees which were blown down in the storm of December, 1915. Visitors The estimated number of visitors to the park during the year 1916 was 16,439. The largest number in any one month was 6,282 in July. A number of large picnic parties landed from steamboats and enjoyed the attractions of the reservation. The number of visitors would have been larger if the Society had granted the application of the manager of a summer camp for boys to have his encampment in the park. Heretofore he had had his camp on the Jones property adjoining the park, for which he paid a rental, and the boys, who were well-behaved, had the general privileges of the park. The owners of the adjacent private land not desiring to rent the camp-site in 1916, application was made to us for permission to camp in the park. The application was refused mainly for two reasons, first, because the State does not make sufficient appropriations for properly policing the park if continuously occupied by campers, and the permit for one camp would establish a precedent for others also; and second, because there are adequate camping opportunities in the larger Interstate Palisades Park near by. Wayne Day Celebration The most notable gathering during the year 1916 was on Saturday, July 15, in commemoration of the 137th anniversary of the capture of Stony Point from the British by the American troops under command of Anthony Wayne. This was the fourth annual celebration under the auspices of the Stony Point Village Improvement Association; and we desire to compliment that society on the great success which rewarded their painstaking labors. The exercises on the reservation were preceded by a procession which formed at the Four Corners in Stony Point Village at 1 p. m., and marched to the battle-ground in the following order: Grand Marshal, Hon. R. I. Odell First Division Aide, C. C. Mayall Junior Aide, Richard M. Marks Detachment of United States Army Detachment of U. S. Marine Corps Edward Pye Post, G. A. R. Second Division Aide, Fred O. Marks Junior Aide, Miss Geraldine Goetschius Cheyenne Tribe, I. O. R. M. Float: "White Ribbon " Troop 1 Boy Scouts of Garnerville School Children Daniel Tomkins Lodge, I. O. O. F. Historical Float Third Division Aide, Harry W. Rose Junior Aide, Roy Herbert Stony Point Dramatic Association Band Float |