\a D New York State College of Agriculture At Cornell Uninersity Ithaca, N.Y. Library Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www. archive.org/details/cu31924062854504 A STATE PARK PLAN NEW YORK WITH A PROPOSAL FOR THE NEW PARK BOND ISSUE COMMITTEE ON STATE PARK PLAN NEW YORK STATE ASSOCIATION DECEMBER, 1922 FOREWORD Several years ago, largely through the interest of the late George W. Perkins, then President of the Palisades Interstate Park, a committee was formed by the State Reconstruction Commission to make a comprehensive study of the park needs of New York State. Owing to Mr. Perkins’ death this study was not completed. The present committee, which includes almost all of the members of Mr. Perkins’ original committee, has prepared the report which follows, looking toward the development of a unified state park plan with the new park bond issue as the immediate objective. INDEX A State Park Plan for New York.......... 0... ce eee eee Present and Proposed State Park Developments: I—A New Bond Issue for the State Forest Preserve II—The Palisades Interstate Park................ IJI—Proposed Development of the Allegany State Park. A New Forest and Stream Playground for Western New York............ 00. eeee IV—Plan to Enlarge the State Reservation at Ni- agara and Hstablish the New York State Memorial Riverways and Reserves.......... V—Letchworth Park and its Proposed Development ViI—Proposed Finger Lakes Park System......... VII—The Proposed Parkway from New York City to Bear Mountain Park............00 cece eee VIII—The Roosevelt Memorial Park and Parkway.... ITX—Other Proposed Park Developments........... Extension of the Saratoga Springs Reserva- BE SARIN stress Dette ae gateotie elle gavad Wun # Sari eat The Proposed Taconic Forest—A Tri-State PAT? specs cusmerens de wminns piu oa aneee dee Appendix A—Chart Showing Onpeizaion and Custody of Pe PAGE or eeramascoavrannnmemmead noes x Appendix B—An act making provision for issuing bonds to the amount of not to exceed fifteen million dollars for the extension and improve- ment of existing state parks and the estab- lishment of new state parks and parkways in order to create a comprehensive and unified state park system for the promo- tion of the recreation, instruction and health of the people........ Nie teln ap ayededs 3 26 36 4] 49 60 68 74 74 Tf 79 81 A STATE PARK PLAN FOR NEW YORK 1916 Bond Issue Exhausted The State Park bond issue of ten million dollars, which was approved by the Legislature and by the people in 1916 (Chapter 569 of the Laws of 1916), is now exhausted by appropriations. Of this bond issue $7,500,000 was applicable to the acquisi- tion of lands for state park purposes within the Forest Pre- serve counties and $2,500,000 was applicable to the acquisition of lands for the extension of the Palisades Interstate Park. The last $2,500,000 for the State Forest Preserve extension was appropriated at the last session of the Legislature and this sum will be expended within another year. It will be seen that the Forest Preserve land has become available at the rate of approximately $1,000,000 a year and that purchases for the extension of the Palisades Interstate Park have been made at the rate of approximately $500,000 a year. This calcula- tion does not take into consideration the substantial gifts of land and money to the Palisades Interstate Park from private sources. As a matter of fact, the Palisades Interstate Park has received more from private sources than from the states of New York and New Jersey combined. In addition to the Forest - Preserve and Palisades Interstate Park the state has also provided by bond issue monies which are now exhausted, for the development of the Saratoga State Reservation. _ New Bond Issue Gives Opportunity for Unified Plan The most superficial consideration of this problem shows the imperative need of extending the Forest Preserve upon which the very life of the state depends and of adding to the present area and recreational facilities of the Palisades Inter- state Park which are already overtaxed. The state is now definitely committed to the use of bond issue monies for the development of the Forest Preserve, Palisades Interstate Park and Saratoga Reservation. A new bond issue is now required for this purpose. It is expected that these parks can be de- veloped effectively during the next seven or eight years at a somewhat reduced rate of progress as compared to the past five years. Since no new issue could be approved before the end of 1923, it is clear that we must plan for a period of at least seven or eight years in advance. It is estimated that over such a period approximately $5,000,000 will enable the state to carry 4 out its policy of Forest Preserve extension and that $3,500,000 will provide for the necessary extensions and permanent. im- provements of the Palisades Interstate Park over and above anticipated gifts from private sources. In making further provision for these projects an opportunity is presented to the state to take the first steps toward the devel- opment of a really comprehensive and unified state park plan which will take into consideration the anticipated growth of the state’s population and more particularly the growth of the larger cities. In the last five years there has been a great de- velopment of interest in parks throughout the state. This is due to the inadequacy of city parks, the increased interest in conservation and recreation generally, the enormous increase in motor cars, and in part, at least, to the remarkable success of the Palisades Interstate Park. As a result, a number of communi- ties neglected in the previous bond issues now justly demand that their needs be considered in connection with the next parks bond issue. This applies particularly to the western part of New York State, to the Finger Lakes region, to Westchester County and Long Island and the metropolitan district generally, and to the so-called east central part of the state. These de- velopments and extensions must be brought about in the course of the next few years if at all. While the State of New York has been one of the foremost states in the union in the number and character of its state park developments, the assumption of these activities did not come about as a result of any central plan or policy. Our forty parks and places of scenic and his- toric interest, ranging from the Forest Preserve to Spy Island, have been established partly upon the initiative of the state but largely on account of private initiative and gifts supple- mented by state aid. No conscious effort has been made to develop a unified state park program looking toward the future recreational needs of a rapidly growing community and toward the further development and unification of the existing state parks. We believe that the time has now come to take the first steps toward the development of a plan of this kind which will insure, while there is still time, the further extension of the Forest Preserve and recreational facilities for all the people of the state, beyond those which any one community or group of ao ethaning communities may be expected to provide for itself. Anticipated Growth of Cities No intelligent state park plan can be made without reference to the anticipated growth in population, particularly in the population of cities. For purposes of graphic illustration we have obtained through the courtesy of the New York Telephone Company the following figures which the company is using currently as a basis of its planning and extensions: 5 Actual Estimated 1910 1920 1930 1940 PODS asin sae wcace va 100,253 113,344 130,000 150,000 Binghamton ....... 48,443 66,800 90,000 120,000 ioc ie: le ee re 423,715 506,775 600,000 740,000 New York City..... 4,766,883 5,620,048 6,813,000 8,354,000 Niagara Falls ...... 30,445 50,760 78,000 115,000 Rochester .......... 218,149 295,750 375,000 470,000 Schenectady ....... 72,826 88,723 110,000 130,000 Syracuse .......... 137,249 171,717 210,000 250,000 TLOV 1p eegersesyas 76,813 72,013 85,000 95,000 NCR eee owas iw... 74,419 94,156 115,000 140,000 Yonkers civewisuwis 79,803 100,176 130,000 175,000 New York State (whole state) ..... 9,113,614 10,385,227 12,000,000 13,920,000 $15,000,000 Bond Issue Required with Provision for Permanent Improvements as Well as Acquisition of Land After a most careful consideration, we have concluded that a new, bond issue of fifteen million dollars would adequately provide not only for the further developments of the Forest Preserve and the Palisades Interstate Park, to which the State is already committed, but also for the needs of the other parts of the State for the coming seven or eight years. An essential feature of the new bond issue bill should be an authorization to the legislature to provide for permanent im- provements as well as the acquisition of land in all cases save that of the Forest Preserve. The modern park must provide good roads, lakes, facilities for large outings and where pos- sible camps and the other facilities which make a park acces- oe and attractive to people who come from considerable dis- ances. Summary of Provisions of Proposed New Bond Issue Bill The essential features of the proposed bond issue bill, which are discussed at greater length in another part of this report, may be summarized as follows: The Committee recommends that (1) A bill be submitted at the 1923 session of the legis- lature calling for the issuing of fifty-year serial bonds to an amount not to exceed $15,000,000. The purpose of the bill is to establish new state parks and to provide for the 6 extension and improvement of existing state parks in order to create a comprehensive and unified state park system for the promotion of the recreation, instruction and health of the people. The bonds shall be issued for the acquisi- tion of lands for state park purposes, for permanent im- provements and betterments within state parks and for parkway and boulevard connections between state parks and between state parks and neighboring centers of popu- lation. This proposed law shall be submitted to the peo- ple at the general election of 1923 and shall not take effect unless it is approved by a majority of all the votes cast for and against it. (2) The proceeds of such bonds, after appropriation by the Legislature, shall be applicable to the acquisition of park lands and to the making of permanent improvements thereon as follows, excepting that no part of the sum set aside for the State Forest Preserve shall be used for any other purpose than the acquisition of land: For the State Forest Preserve... ccc cece cece cee ee ne neans $5,000,000 Por the Patisades Dvterstate PO Kies sncacarcuwaerwanersed ne 8,500,000 For the Allegany State Park... ccc ccc ccc c cece cee neees 2,000,000 For the Niagara State Reservation... ....ccccencacccceeee 1,000,000 For the Letchworth Park... cece cece eee e rene eee 500,000 For the Watkins Glen and Enfield Falls Parks and for other parks and parkways in the Finger Lakes region........ 250,000 For parkway connections between the Bronx River Park- way, and the Bridge from Peekskill to Bear Mountain im Westchester County. ... cc ccccccccceece eset eeceeeees 1,000,000 For the extension and development of the Roosevelt Memo- rial Park as a state park and for a parkway connection between this park and the City of New York.......... 1,000,000 For the development and extension of other state parks and the acquisition and development of additional parks, including the further development of the State Reserva- tion at Saratoga Springs. ...cccceccccvccereceveveccnce 750,000 POC <5 vice tua toed. Aves Cig ete Rae 24 RAED AMR T ERB A A ES $15,000,000 (3) It is provided that expenditures for land and other purposes shall, in the case of each project, be made by the commissioners in charge of the existing park which is to be extended or improved. In the case of the Forest Pre- serve and Saratoga Reservation the usual provision is of course also made for the consent of the commissioners of the land office. In the case of the Westchester, Finger’ Lakes and Roosevelt Memorial projects, the controlling commissions are to be constituted by the legislature. There is also a general provision that the legislature may make changes in the administrative authorities to have charge of the expenditures of funds. Constitutionality of Proposed Bond Issue Several important constitutional questions arise in connec- tion with this bond issue proposal. The most important of these questions are (1) Does the proposed bond issue provide for a single object within the meaning of Article 3, Section 7 of the Constitution? (2) Is the provision for permanent improve- ments to be regarded as a logical and necessary feature in the development of a unified state park plan? (3) May the proposal if approved by the legislature of 1923 be submitted to the people at the election in the fall of 1923? The Committee has sought the benefit of the advice of dis- tinguished constitutional authorities on these questions. These authorities include Mr. Louis Marshall, Mr. George W. Wicker- sham, former Attorney General of the United States, Judge Samuel H. Ordway, Mr. Merton E. Lewis, former Attorney General of New York State, and Senator Martin Saxe. These gentlemen are all of the opinion that the proposed bill is con- stitutional, that the provision for permanent improvements is proper, and that the proposal may be submitted to the people in 1923 if approved by the legislature. The committee wishes to express its thanks to these gentlemen and to Mr. W. F. Mc- Cormick, one of the state bill drafting commissioners, for their assistance in the preparation of the bill. Financial Aspects of the Plan The bond issue bill calls for fifty-year serial bonds. The bill is, of course, merely an authorization to the legislature. and no monies from the bond issues may be spent excepting pur- suant to legislative appropriations. It is anticipated that the legislature will make appropriations from time to time as condi- tions warrant in the course of the next seven years. No provision need be made until 1925 for the retirement of such bonds or for interest charges. The amount to be retired annually will not in any one year exceed $280,000. Interest charges will run from a minimum of two hundred eighty-five thousand dollars to a maxi- mum of six hundred thousand dollars at the end of five or six years, and will then be reduced gradually by approximately one hundred fourteen thousand dollars per year as the bonds are retired. In this connection it should be noted that previous bond issues are being rapidly retired and that the new bond issue will therefore impose only a very small additional burden. Another financial question is that of upkeep. Close exami- nation of the suggested park extension and developments will show that the increased cost of maintenance need not be a seri- ous consideration. The conservation commission is increas- ingly self-supporting. Other parks will also produce more reve- nue as they are developed, and will not in any event require large additional appropriations. 8 No Interference with Agriculture or I ndustry It should be noted that this park program does not involve the withdrawal of land from agricultural development nor in- terference with or encroachment upon other necessary activities and industries. Because of their character and location, the proposed park developments can be brought about with the minimum of disturbance if they are brought about now. As time goes on, these developments will involve more and more serious difficulties and the time is not far off when they can not be accomplished at all. The greater part of the land in ques- tion is woodland, some of which at least can be used for grow- ing timber. Even in the Adirondacks and Catskills, where state lands must be kept wild and untouched under the constitution, private holdings within the Forest Preserve counties are not crowded out, except to the limited extent necessary for the pro- tection of watersheds on which depend water supply, stream flow and water power as well as recreation and wild life. Details Left to Legislature Only the essential outlines of the proposed state park plan are indicated in the bond issue, all the details being left to the legislature. This committee has, however, prepared a report upon each of the main features of the plan in support of the bond issue bill, merely to indicate the scope and character of the developments regarded as desirable by those most familiar with the local problems. The bond issue proposal simply gives to the voters an opportunity to authorize a comprehensive park program. The amount which is involved is small as compared to the sums which have been and are being spent for other public works. Appropriations for state parks are in the truest sense a permanent investment not only in lands and improvements, but in public health and better citizenship. Acknowledgment of Assistance in Preparing the Descriptive Report In the preparation of the descriptive report which follows, we have been fortunate in having the hearty cooperation of a number of groups and individuals interested in state parks de- velopment. We wish to acknowledge the assistance of the com- missioners of almost all of the larger state parks. In particular, we wish to express our thanks to Mr. Alexander MacDonald, the present Conservation Commissioner, to Mr. George D. Pratt, a former Conservation Commissioner, to Mr. Edward Hagaman Hall, Secretary of the American Scenic and Historic Preser- vation Society and of the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks, to Mr. J. Du Pratt White, President of the 9 Palisades Interstate Park, and to the several contributors to the small fund which has made the printing of this report possible. COMMITTEE ON Strate Park PLAN MADISON Grant, New York, Chairman A. T. Fancuer, Salamanca, Vice-Chairman W. A. WeLcH, Haverstraw, Vice-Chairman JOHN G. AGAR, New Rochelle W. D. BaLpwin, Yorktown ALBERT Britt, New York Haroitp A. Caparn, New York EpWIn J. Chappe, New York ADDISON B. Couvin, Glens Falls MELVIL Dewey, Lake Placid Jay Downer, Bronxville Henry R. FRANCIS, Syracuse FReDK. S. GREENE, Sands Point CHAUNCEY J. HAMLIN, Buffalo Epwarp G. Hayes, Canandaigua Wo.cott J. HUMPHREY, Warsaw RayMOND V. INGERSOLL, New York Ross W. Keixoee, Ithaca E. H. LetcHwortuH, Buffalo JOHN P. Myers, Plattsburg Wm. CuHurcH Oszorn, Garrison F. W. OumstesD, Mineola H. pe B. Parsons, New York Guo. F. Prapopy, Saratoga Springs JOHN T. Pratt, Glen, Cove CHARLES E. TRHMAN, Ithaca WILLIAM J. WALLIN, Yonkers ANSLEY WILCOX, Buffalo FRANK B. WiLuiaAMs, New York Rosert Moses, New York, Secretary ADELBERT Moot, Buffalo, President, New York State Association. Dwicut Marvin, Troy, Chairman of the Board of Directors, New York State Association. 10 I. A NEW BOND ISSUE FOR THE FOREST PRESERVE With the appropriation by the Legislature of 1922 of the last two and a half millions of the $7,500,000 bond issue authorized in 1916 for the enlargement of the State Forest Preserve, the question of providing for a continuance of the policy of Forest Preserve extension now comes before the people. The policy of the Conservation Commission in acquiring forest lands which has been followed for a number of years is as follows: 1. To protect steep slopes of forested mountains by acquiring the land in order to prevent lumbering. 2. To acquire forests which might be lumbered where consequent to such operations, there will be an unusual fire risk. 3. To reduce administrative expenses and consolidate ownership. 4. To maintain and increase the health, recreational and game interests. 5. To reduce cost of litigation in protecting the state’s title to land in dispute. During the past few years land of various kinds and types has been acquired. Large sums of money have been expended in acquiring virgin forests on steep slopes, which are very ex- pensive on account of the large amount of pulpwood which could be taken therefrom; areas which are of particular use for recreation purposes have been acquired at different elevations; areas of burned land have been acquired at a nominal price to consolidate ownership, save the expense of boundary line surveys and solidify the state’s ownership. Some areas have been acquired with rights to cut timber of merchantable size and thus assured the state large areas of desirable land at a low price. Prior to the bond issue authorized in 1916, the state had appropriated about $4,000,000 for land purchase for the Forest Preserve. Funds became available under the bond issue in 1917. Between that time and January 1, 1922, about $5,600,000 had been expended or contracted to be expended under the bond issue for land purchases, including cost of surveys. legal ex- penses, etc. These figures are necessarily approximate, because some of the estimated expenditures are for lands which are to 11 HANASAUd LSAYOA AHL AO Luvd Sv ALVIS AHL YOd GAMINGDV ATLNXOTA ‘NadI0OD IMW1 GNNOUV AYOD AHL SSOMDV ADUVAN 40 dOL AHL WOU GUVMLSaM ININOOT 12 be taken by condemnation and the exact cost of which cannot be foretold. They indicate, however, that the state has been expending the bond issue money at the rate of about $1,100,000 a year, and that at the same rate the balance on hand will last a little less than two years, or about the length of time needed to secure legislation for a new bond issue, the necessary ref- erendum to the voters, and the subsequent appropriation by the legislature. If, to the area acquired and the appropriations made for land purchase for the Forest Preserve up to January 1, 1917, be added the area and cost of the land thus far purchased or con- tracted for under the bond issue, and if to that sum be added the estimated area and cost of land which may be acquired with the balance of the present bond issue money, we may forecast the following approximate result upon the exhaustion of the present bond issue as follows: Acreage Appropriation From 1883 to January 1, 1917....... 1,804,000 $4,000,000 January 1, 1917, to December 31, 1921, purchased and contracted for..... 325,000 5,600,000 January 1, 1922, to December 31, 1923, estimated at-foregoing rate....... 110,250 1,900,000 Approximate Total Adirondack and Catskill Preserves ............... 2,239,250 $11,500,000 Has this investment been worth while and is it desirable to enlarge it? Yes, decidedly yes. In the first place, the money value justifies it. In the fall of 1916, when the state owned approximately 1,800,000 acres, its holdings which had cost about $4,000,000 were valued at $40,000,000. The state can afford to spend many millions more for land purchase and still be ‘‘ ahead of the game.’’ But that is not the main argument. The main argument is that the forests must be preserved for the protec- tion of the great public interests dependent upon them; and | they can be effectively preserved under present conditions only by bringing them under the protection of the state constitut- tion by state ownership. Trees in the State Forest Preserve cannot be cut. Trees on private land can be cut, and, accord- ing to the Conservation Commission, are being cut from three to five times faster than they are being grown. Forest owners have figured out that under present conditions it does not pay them to replant. Consequently they cut down their trees for immediate needs, leaving the future to the chances of nature or the providence of the government. But nature is not given half a chance and the government must intervene in her be- half. The forests are denuded faster than unaided nature can replace them. If deer or any other game animals are slaugh- 13 @aaNGLXI A TIM DOAVH SIHL ‘aayINGOv auV SadO1IS NIVINNOW HOIH TVNOILIGGV ANVW SSFINK 14 SLANT ROCK CAMP ON THE JOHN’S BROOK TRAIL TO MT. MARCY tered faster than they reproduce themselves, they are extermi- nated. It is the same with trees; they are being killed faster than they are being reproduced; they are being exterminated. The softwood trees are taken off for lumber and pulpwood, and then the hardwood men go in and remove every remaining stick for woodenware of various kinds, acid, ete. The ground is virtually stripped clean; often dangerous slashes are left; fire ensues, and sometimes even the soil, the very source of tree life, is destroyed. Until conditions change so that forest owners are encouraged to replant, or until the state extends a guiding hand over private forests, the only way to save the forests or to give nature her chance, is for the state to extend the Forest Pre- serve. 15 Lf Og ue A TYPE OF THE HEAVILY TIMBERED, STFEP MOUNTAIN SLOPES SURVEYED BY THE CONSERVATION COMMISSION AS A FIRST STEP TOWARD PURCHASE There is ample opportunity for such extension without crowding out all private holdings. The area within the Blue Line of the Adirondack Park is 3,313,564 acres, including both state and private lands. The area within the Blue Line of the Catskill Park is 576,120 acres. Here is a total of 3,889,684 acres, of which the state, when it has completed its acquisitions under the present bond issue, will probably own only about 2,070,000 acres.* The purchase of all the remaining 1,800,000 acres of private land is not advocated. It would be too expensive in the first place; and besides, private ownerships here and there *The Forest Preserve includes about 170,000 acres outside the Blue Lines. 16 have a conservative value in forest protection. But a good portion of it will be purchasable and should be purchased by the state as occasion arises or as opportunity presents itself. The Forest Preserve is not a luxury; it is the necessity of a elvilized people. In New York State and at the present time, its first value is that of a protection of the vitally important watersheds of northern New York. Upon this protection de- pend great industrial interests which use hydro-electric power, the health and safety cf communities large and small along the Hudson and other streams issuing from the Adirondacks; and especially the welfare of the City of New York, which is look- ing to the Adirondacks for the next increment of her water- supply. Eventually, the Forest Preserve may become a source of timber for commercial use; but that time has not yet come WAS THAT THE CLICK OF A TRIGGER, OR ONLY A CAMERA? and will not come until it can be demonstrated that the state can do with her forests what private owners apparently cannot yet do in this state, namely, cut down, replant and provide a continuous forest growth profitably. Even in uses popularly called recreative the Forest Preserve is more of a necessity than a luxury in New York State. Here we have the greatest concentration of population of any state in the Union; the great- est strain of intensive application to work; and the greatest need for places and facilities for relaxation from nerve-tension and for health conservation. The state is investing capital in the constitutions of her people by providing this great place for tramping, camping, hunting, fishing and boating in the Adi- rondacks and the Catskills. 17 aa; BEAR MOUNTAIN PLAYGROUND II. THE PALISADES INTERSTATE PARK The Palisades Interstate Park was created in 1900 by the states of New York and New Jersey to stop the destruction of the Palisades of the Hudson and preserve them for a park. In 1906 the reservation was extended to take in Hook Mountain and in 1910 again extended north to Newburgh and westward to include the Ramapo Mountains. It is controlled by an unpaid commission appointed by the governors of two states and supported by appropriations from the states and gifts. To date, 1922, $15,376,038.49, including the value of land donated, has been put into the park in acquiring lands and general development work. Of this amount, New York state supplied $6,866,552.05; New Jersey, $1,006,678.63, and private contributors, $7,502,807.81. There are 1,060 acres in New Jersey extending for twelve miles along the Hudson River, 550 acres in the Blauvelt tract, west of Nyack, 780 acres in the Hook Mountain-Rockland Lake section, 33,950 acres in the Bear Mountain-Harriman section and 850 acres in the Storm King section. The development work has all been done by the Commis- sion’s own force and all the park activities are conducted ly this force. It is organized into eight departments, operating under a general manager, each department being in charge of a sala- ried superintendent and directed by one of the commissioners. BEAR MT. INN BEAR MT. LANDING 18 HIGHLAND LAKE The park has been developed with the sole object of making it accessible and usable for the people. Great care has been taken to preserve and enhance its natural beauties and all arti- ficial adornment has been avoided. Only such buildings have been erected as were considered necessary for the comfort of visitors and proper housing of the organization. Roads, paths, trails, lakes, docks, beaches, water and sani- tary systems, playgrounds, picnic groves, boats, pavilions, shel- ters, camps and ice houses have been built, and restaurants, lunch rooms and steamer and automobile transportation pro- vided. Much forestry work has been done and from the dead timber secured in this work has been sawed practically all the lumber used in the buildings. More than 5,000,000 young trees and many native shrubs have been planted, also nut trees and a great variety of berry-bearing shrubs have been planted to in- crease the food supply of the birds, and native wild flowers and flowering shrubs are being planted and fostered. Several of the lakes and streams have been stocked .,ith game and pan fish and other varieties planted for their food and for the control of mosquitoes. There are few places in the world that offer more oppor- tunity for biological study than this park. The Commission procured a herd of elk from the Yellowstone and placed them within the park under enclosure. The herd is doing well and ORS. DG C aS : SEVEN LAKES DRIVE SEVEN LAKES DRIVE 19 BEAR MOUNTAIN PLAYGROUND increasing year by year. The native deer are increasing rapidly and there are several hundred in the park. The Commission also procured a number of beaver from the Adirondacks, which are doing well and have made themselves very much at home in the park. The black bears have returned and their tracks are plainly marked upon the snow-laden ground during the winter months. The Bear Mountain Inn, described as ‘‘ A heap of boulders and huge chestnut logs assembled at the base of Bear Moun- tain by the hand of man, yet following the lines of such naturai proportions as to resemble the eternal hills themselves,’’ has been established by the Commission with the idea of supply- ing visitors to the park and camping parties with the best food at reasonable prices. In this building are refrigerating plant, bakery, bottling plant, ice cream plant, laundry and storerooms, from which the several small lunch stands throughout the park are also supplied. The Commission operates two large river steamers, the ‘* Clermont,’’ which carries three thousand passengers, and the ‘* Onteora,’’ which carries two thousand. During the season these steamers make daily trips between New York City, Jersey City and Bear Mountain. The fares charged are as low as pos- sible, with the idea of yielding only expenses of operation and maintenance. These steamers have been especially refitted for this service and in accommodation and comfort compare favor- ably with the best river boats. Music and space for dancing STORM KING SECTION, HENRY HUDSON DRIVE WINTER WOODS 20 PARK OMNIBUSES is provided and the number carried so limited that there is no crowding and all can move about with comfort. Forty large sight-seeing motor omnibuses carry visitors at lowest possible rates from the boat landings to the Inn and playground and on longer trips over the park drives through the mountains and valleys, along the beautiful streams and lake shores, which make this section so charming. These trips are so arranged that visitors may see as much of the park as pos- sible and return in time for the steamers. Special arrangements are made to care for the campers and their equipment, thou- sands of them being transported each week from the city direct to the camps. One of the major activities of the Commission is to provide camping facilities for social organizations, so that those with little or no opportunity to get a wholesome vacation may be brought under the most favorable auspices to the mountains and lakes of the park. On the most pictureque lakes of the park, standard mess and play pavilions, sleeping cabins, dependable water and sanitary facilities, all constructed so as to harmonize with their natural surroundings, are made available. These camp plants are rented on an annual tenure to acceptable or- ganizations at a rate dependent upon the size and accommo- dation. A later development of the Commission has been the building of camps for the use of employees of large industrial organizations. The Commission thereby enables these organi- BEAVER ELK 21 SWIMMING MEET zations to take care of a greater number of their employees in summer vacation welfare camps. Some of these camps are also maintained throughout the year. Any acceptable organized group of families is provided for in a like manner with com- plete camps for each group. Cooked food, based on a dietary formulated by experts on child care, is sent in heat-retaining receptacles from Bear Moun- tain Inn to the camps, making unnecessary a food manufac- turing establishment at each camp. Food, of substantial quan- tity and of uniform quality, is thereby made available at a cost below that of cooking at camp. Marked trails for hiking expeditions to points of historic and natural interest are extensively used by all the outdoor organizations and these organizations have rendered splendid assistance in the clearing and marking of these trails. The campers also use them for one-day and over-night hikes. Camps for individuals and families are maintained at Alpine, in the New Jersey section of the park; at Hook Mountain, in the New York section of the park and at Queensboro, three miles inland from Bear Mountain. The attendance, during the season of 1922, shows an increase of about 25 per cent. over the attendance of last season. A total TYPICAL CAMPS TYPICAL CAMPS AT SUMMIT LAKE of 3,000,000 persons visited the New York section of the park this season. In excess of the 50,000 group campers, which com- prised 86 different groups, there were 3,000 individual campers under canvas. The park areas which the Commission have developed are being so intensively used that it is imperative that other avail- able areas be developed as rapidly as possible. The number of daily visitors at Bear Mountain this season so congested the docks, picnic groves, playfields, pavilions, roads, parking spaces and other facilities that other develop- ments of this kind must be made to meet the public demands for this type of recreation. The automobile traffic has grown so rapidly and the present drives are so congested that much progress must be made to- ward the completion of the road system of the park within a very few years to relieve this condition. The parking spaces along the present drives are inadequate to meet the present demand and motor picnickers are compelled to use these areas not yet provided with sanitary facilities o1 proper fire protection and so are greatly increasing the fire a Ae GIRL SCOUTS BOY SCOUTS WATER GYMKANA hazard and endangering the health of all visitors and campers. It is imperative that many more parking and picnic places be provided each year and equipped with proper facilities. The use of the trails by both trampers and campers has in- creased until more trails must be built, marked and provided with shelters and sanitary facilities. The camping of both individual and group type has de- veloped so rapidly that practically all the available lakes are used to their capacity and the insistent and increasing demands for more of these camps make it necessary to construct addi- tional lakes for this purpose. The forestry work already done shows such splendid results that the Commission feels warranted in continuing the program outlined for this work and recognizes the necessity of protect- ing and improving the great young deciduous forests which cover so much of the park as well as continuing the planting of conifers. The great increase in visitors to all sections of the park and particularly the overflow of these visitors into the undeveloped sections make it necessary to provide greatly increased sanitary facilities and careful protection of the many water supplies. The opening this year of a new section of the Henry Hudson Drive, the spectacular Storm King Road, and the tremendous motor travel which has developed over it, make it necessary to develop the section of the park north of West Point which has recently been presented to the Commission. The Hook Mountain section, which embraces that portion of the Palisades Ridge lying between Nyack and Haverstraw, is undeveloped, save for one small area near Nyack. This is one of the most beautiful sections of the entire park and the Com- mission has worked out extensive and careful plans for open- ing up this area. The Hook Mountain section of the Henry Hudson Drive will traverse this entire section and complete that magnificent drive- way. There are opportunities for the development of many playfields, picnic groves, bathing beaches and large camping 24 AT LAKE STATHATLE areas, and these developments will relieve the increasing con- gestion at Bear Mountain from the one-day excursionists. The plans for the above outlined developments have been worked out very carefully by the Commission, and within the period of seven years beginning in 1924, will require the follow- ing expenditures: For the construction of drives and trails... .... 0... cece eee $930,000.00 For the construction of seven new lakes...... 0. cece eee 465,000.00 For the construction of new docks in the undeveloped sections of the park along the river front and the improvement of this PONE SAHOO tareiepesenh ak Cen oem ies ERT eee HOTT enc em we ear ale 175,000.00 For the construction of shelters and bath houses in these present WAOCVEIONED VW UTCER Face ns Gao a anaes as Pee RAW e ORES EE 233,000.00 For the construction of the necessary sanitary facilities and water supplies of the new areas and the new lakes......... 110,000 .00 For the clearing, development and construction of new playfields, camp sites, picnic spaces and parking spaces along the old and the proposed drives and around the new lakes........ 160,000.00 For forestry work, fish and game conservation in present undc- WCLON EU UNEWUS ex mea wiart rentin weenie eo LAN SUA NIE Mian wineahe Wace 114,000.00 EOF WOU, DOTRING DEOCKES 3 cx esc. 2k oe cae e een new cn eaeweed 10,000.00 For the clearing and restoration of the historic fort sites within TIUCHO EPICS ravers stores: da 8 Sc ej persia ee tee tae ew Ise wal eea wens ya ite 10,000.00 For the acquisition of @ number of parcels of land within the PECSENTIT OULUILO Sra tere she Meee e Fe OL Ai Sea aise re Oe as 747,000.00 For the completion and paving of 39 miles of drives already con- SLISUCLE intean reracrorhanetoteneyeeiecerse terete cet enc caeetotic ations sate teineine naan Siceee 960,000.00 In addition to these sums much must be spent in the construe- tion of new camp buildings, restaurants and other structures used by the operating department, which will be erected by con- tributed and operating funds, as such structures have been financed in the past. It is impossible to convey in this limited space a definite idea of either the development or use of this park. The attendance in the park has increased from a few thousand in 1914 to one which it is impractical to count, save at a few points. This year such a partial count showed more than 4,000,000 before October 1st. The fact that there are more than ten million people who can reach the park within two hours’ motor or boat ride, will convey an even better idea of its value to the great mass of humanity in the metropolitan district. 25 Til. PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT OF THE ALLEGANY STATE PARK—A NEW FOREST AND STREAM PLAY- GROUND FOR WESTERN NEW YORK SUBMITTED BY THE COMMISSIONERS OF THE ALLEGANY STATE PARK Present Conditions in the Allegany State Park Until the creation of the Allegany State Park purchase area by legislative act of 1921, there was lacking in western New York an immediate future prospect of a large public forest recrea- tional area such as had been provided the people of eastern New York. That the state by its act was meeting a tremendously popular demand for a wilderness playground for the 1,700,000 people who reside within 100 miles of the new park, has been demonstrated by the crowds of people who have swarmed into the park the past two seasons. While the state has made a be- ginning in providing a large forest park for the people of west- ern New York, it is merely a beginning. For the legislative act set aside an area in which land may be purchased. Thus far, however, small appropriations have limited land acquisitions,” while meager funds for development work have permitted only inadequate facilities. Consequently we have thousands of peo- ple going into the park area who can not yet be accommodated by public provisions for their health and happiness. They are, therefore, forced in some cases to trespass upon private lands, and in other cases to use the park under great handicaps. This New Wilderness Playground Greatly Needed by Western New York The vast importance to the public welfare of having a large park of forests, hills and streams in western New York is brought out by the fact that the Allegany State Park was the only new conservation project recognized by the legislature in 1921 in a year of strict economy. The state may be excused, while on a program of economy, for not providing out of current revenues for more than a beginning in its new western play- ground, but it cannot fail to recognize the public need of pro- viding by a bond issue for the thousands of people from all parts of western New York who have gone to the park in search of wholesome recreation and opportunities for nature study. 26 THE PARK IS ONE OF HILLS, FORESTS AND STREAMS A Scenic Region Serving as New York’s Gateway to a Large National Forest The character of the area set aside for acquisition for the future park is wonderfully well suited to the purposes of pub- lic use. It is about 65,000 acres in extent. It is made up of ridges and valleys. The slopes and tops of these ridges are covered with a luxuriant forest, the valleys contain fast-flowing streams where trout are in abundance. The land is well drained. There are countless springs of pure, cold water through the region. The climate is very mild and attractive, both in sum- mer and winter. The region is one of great scenic beauty. The highest points overlook the surrounding region for nearly 100 miles. Excellent highways lead to the area from all directions. The present roads in the park, however, are narrow and of small extent, having been old logging roads. One of the most valuable attributes of the park area is its fortunate location with reference to the new Allegheny National Forest. This Federal forest preserve is in the section of Pennsylvania just south of the park. It will be the largest government preserve in the East. The Allegheny National Forest Purchase tract has an area of 1,000,000 acres authorized by Federal agencies. The Allegany State Park will be New York State’s gateway to this magnificent national forest. Already arrangements have been made to have the road and trail system of the park tie into the road and trail system of the national forest. The value to the people of the entire State of New York in 27 TENT CAMPS ARE LOCATED AT FREQUENT INTERVALS having a gateway park to this extensive national forest cannot be overemphasized. It will permit of large opportunities for hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, automobiling and al! other forms of recreation for which the forest preserves of the west have become justly famous. The people of New York can at present go into the Allegany State Park only for a short dis- tance over a dusty, hazardous road and must turn about and retrace their steps to the main public highways after visiting the limited area the commission has thus far been permitted to develop. Extensive Uses Overtar the Present Facilities The present condition of the park is regrettable because multitudes of people have to congregate in masses in the re- stricted area which has been provided for them. They do not secure the opportunity for a relief from the congested surround- ings which they have come to the park to avoid. These coz.di- tions would have been more deplorable if the Commissioners of the park had not secured some help from the national govern- ment which recognized the value of the undertaking by donat- ing nearly $500,000 worth of surplus war material. This equip- ment has been used to a small extent for temporary camps and. all of it is available for use m permanent betterments as soon as funds for this purpose can be secured. This Park Area Has Large Economic Possibilities This park area is a valuable asset not only for recreational service to the public, but also because of its vast economie value 28 to the entire state. The property within the purchase area is now nearly wholly owned by private interests. These owners are in many cases cutting the timber for chemical wood pur- poses. This sort of cutting leaves the land completely denuded. The soil left in this condition rapidly erodes after rains and the melting of snow in the springtime. The ground dries out quickly during summer and autumn. The streams are affected and sometimes completely dry up. The region is subjected to a very great fire hazard. All of this needs changing through public ownership. When this is effected the region will be capable of producing an income through the use of its resources which will make the park self-supporting. Proposed Developments in the Allegany State Park In carrying out the provisions of the Allegany State Park law the commissioners have been confronted with an interest- ing problem. In substance, the state has asked the park com- missioners to acquire, in the name of the state, an area of 65,000 acres. While doing this facilities must be provided for the use and enjoyment of the public. : A Carefully Made Program Prepared for Park Development In order to have a well-considered program in executing the public charge that had been entrusted to them, the commission- ers secured the co-operation of the New York State College of Forestry in the preparation of a preliminary plan for the de- velopment of the resources of the park area. This plan has furnished the working basis for the activities of the Commis- sion. It embraces the essential requirements in making the park of the utmost use to the public. These needs may be gen- erally stated, in addition to land acquisition, as consisting of the following: roads and trails, fire protection, administrative sites, camping sites, water supply and sanitation, water areas for fish propagation and recreation uses, shelters and observa- tion towers. General Needs of the Park The experience of the Commission has shown that the funds required for the four outstanding needs in developing the park are as follows: 1. Acquisition of additional lands............. $1,200,000 2, Construction of roads and trails as a system throughout the park area................ 600,000 3. Development of water areas for fishing, canoe- ing, boating, swimming and camping...... 100,000 4. Provision of other permanent betterments, such as administrative buildings, camps, fire protection, water supply and sanitation 100,000 MG ikem barat weenie Geo ale Rk oe $2,000,000 Ye IE CAMPS ARE PROVIDED FOR PUBLIC USE SENECA INDIANS FROM NEIGHBORING RESERVATION IN WAR DANCE Detailed Statement of Needs We may emphasize these needs by an outline of their im- portance. 1. Acquisition of Additional Lands. It has been the ex- perience of all state park projects in New York that the acquisi- tion of land is the most pressing, important duty of the state. This is especially true of the Allegany State Park. Little land has thus far been acquired within the park boundaries. With- out extensive space made available to the public the park will fail to satisfy the purposes for which it has been created. The Allegany State Park is well suited to serve the large population of western New York as a wilderness playground. No other similar area is available. In order to fulfill its purposes, land acquisition by the state must be speedily pushed forward. The land is of greater value for public park purposes than for any other use. If land is acquired at present market prices the state will make an excellent investment. It has been carefully esti- mated that the sum of $1,200,000 made available to the com- mission for land acquisition over a period of seven years will purchase at present prices about 40,000 acres of land. It is conservative to estimate that the same program of land acquisi- tion ten years hence would cost the state at least twice this amount. The reasons for land acquisition in the Allegany State Park may be stated summarily as follows: a. The present area acquired is very small. b. Present land prices are low. ec. People are demanding extensive space for public use. d. The park purchase area is the only available territory for a forest and stream playground for western New York. 2. A Road and Trail System for the Park Area. After land is acquired by the state in the park purchase area the people must be permitted to circulate freely through it in order to en- joy its use. The Commission has already graded some narrow, rough dirt roads through the public property and, by permis- sion, over some of the privately owned lands. There are no im- proved roads at the present time in the park area. The public 30 BENEFITING POopuLATION = ALLEGANY STATE Park 0 s Rochester EACH DOT REPRESENTS ONE THOUSAND PEOPLE must, therefore, use hazardous, dusty roads in reaching the developed section of the park. A complete road system has been planned for the park. This system will open the entire resources of the park area to the pe It consists of one main road and several secondary roads. The main road will direct the bulk of the travel along a line which extends through as great a variety of conditions in the park as possible. Along this main road will naturally be de- veloped the intensive uses of the park. After careful study it has been decided that the best location for this principal thoroughfare is along the line shown on the plan for the park. This road approaches the park from the two logical points of entrance—Salamanca and Quaker Bridge. From the former point the road soon reaches the northern end of the chief ridge in the park, the top of which it follows. At frequent points along the route of this proposed road fascinating, extensive views of the surrounding country appear. At two points along this route observation stations are suggested. One of these will be a roadside observatory, the other will be a fire lookout, which is suggested for the highest known point in the park and which will be attainable from the main road by short travel on a side trail. At a section along the southern boundary of the park this proposed road arrives at a broad, level highland. 31 ‘ aspyIandg 2 Padojanap uaaqg aapy $a430 QOS InOgD PUD pasnbov Uaag aany Sa4ID YOY'R YI1ym fo ‘sa1Iv QOQ‘SG St Sasogind yang sof apis jas Da4sD Yyrandg i L “Wav Ig ANVDATTY’ qasana9 Eee Leastoiase OUNOW) egg Nv Id x cnr qyo] VW EVOVIN This proposed main thoroughfare in the park is named the ** Ridge Run Road.’’ It will be located for a distance of about ten miles along the crest of a ridge. Also for about ten miles the road will be in an open valley or ‘‘ run,’’ the local name for a valley. In both the ridge region and the open valley country the road will possess great scenic attractiveness. Along the ridge there is no point where the roadway drops to an elevation of less than 2,200 feet above sea level. The roadway will wind from one side of the crest to the other with constantly chang- ing vistas of the surrounding country. It will be the longest scenic, high elevation road in the eastern United States. The secondary roads will in most cases be developed by using the present rough logging roads in the park area. There will be a few sections which will require new roads to make available the regions that otherwise would be beyond reach. The distance which the proposed main road covers is approx- mately 25 miles. The extent of the proposed secondary roads is about 60 miles. The cost of construction of these roads which are at present required for the use of the park and the extension of the system that will be demanded the next few years has been estimated at $600,000. 3. Development of Water Areas. The recreational activi- ties which are made available through water areas of fair size within a park are always popular with park users. The total absence of lakes and ponds within the Allegany State Park pur- chase area necessitates the creating of a few artificial bodies of water. There is one location shown on the plan where the largest artificial lake could be created with the least cost. A survey for this project has been made for the Commission by the Department of State Engineer and Surveyor. The results of this survey show that the proposed lake, one and one-half miles long, can be created by dam construction and relocation of roadways at comparatively low costs. The development of water areas within the park for the propagation of fish and for recreational uses demands immediate attention and requires at least $100,000. 4. Provision of Other Permanent Bettcrments. In the de- velopment of the park for the largest use of the public several permanent buildings for administrative purposes are greatly needed. These administrative centers should have buildings for the housing, storage and repair of the equipment and supplies of the park. These are absolutely essential to the welfare of the state’s property, including upwards of a half million dollars’ worth of surplus war stores. In addition to the administrative buildings there are now in demand a number of group camps similar to the present camps for the use of the public. The de- mands on the park by organized groups, such as the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts, Jamestown Health Camp, Y. M. C. A., ete., 33 ELKO MOUNTAIN AND THE ALLEGHANY RIVER, A VIEW FROM THE HIGHWAY NEAR QUAKER BRIDGE for camps, is far beyond the present resources of the Commission. It has been found that complete camp units, each providing accommodations for shelter, food and social life for 200 peo- ple at one time are in increasing demand. At the present rate of increase in the use of the park for group camping it is fair to predict a need by the public of at least 40 of these camps within the next seven years. Like every other forest area into which large numbers of 34 people go for hunting, fishing and camping, the Allegany State Park needs adequate protection from fire and the means of combating fire successfully. There is no provision for these needs at the present time. The area already acquired by the state within the park must be safeguarded in this respect. Temporary, inadequate means of supplying pure drinking water to the thousands who use the park have been installed. These means must be replaced by more permanent and ade- quate methods. The sanitation of the park is at present only of a temporary character. This problem of protecting the public against disease and the protection of streams from pollu- tion is one to which the Commission has given great concern. A well-considered plan for both water supply and sanitation for the park area has been devised which should be installed at the earliest possible moment, From all of the above it is plain that the Allegany State Park should have a much larger amount of state-owned land, a road and trail system and other permanent betterments if it is to serve the large population of the western end of the state (see table below) who are already making greater demands on the park than it has been possible to supply. Benefiting Counties in New York State Counties Population 1920 Hie conteus te coe saseuseseanseee ee 634,688 WH MIROR. ssn ie os. ace fe ah paras ouNeen wea Armes 352,034 Niggata: c.cissenrrv ater sires xanceens 118,705 HAMTANOUA oso yeaeeersayea teed hak ens 115,348 SlCUNOM, 4 cia awanes Gods sae nee ls 80,627 Chemnner 5 pave cteger ew edatenes 71,323 OUtaIlO: : cascenndagee cow sone Soe a eee 65,872 GONCHOR: «ins lsasewe nies she hase Knee 37,976 Allegany ........ blah ies eae tia wears Siok saad 36,842 - Tannen oe ro sd ea tousineesaty aoe eewe 36,830 W VOM son ass aGaw vasa ee yee ee 30,314 Orleans .cicwcns neces x areeR urea we 28,619 Nie eecsudpuans euss Setheseetees cuss 16,641 Sel vler uci ecachcanon sa tew sesame ey 13,098 WiMial s.caicekees cuMboa shears 1,691,569 Submitted by ALBERT T. FANCHER, Chairman. CHAUNCEY J. HAMLIN Frep G. KAISER GrorGE C. DIEHL HAMILTON WARD Commissioners of the Allegany State Park. Henry R. Francis, Hvecutive Secretary. 35 IV. PLAN TO ENLARGE THE STATE RESERVATION AT NIAGARA AND ESTABLISH THE NEW YORK STATE MEMORIAL RIVERWAYS AND RESERVES A wonderful opportunity is presented by the plan for ex- tending the New York State Reservation at Niagara from its present limits to Fort Niagara and Lake Ontario in one direct- tion, and to the city of Buffalo and Lake Erie in the other direc- tion. This would take in the whole of the river roads on the American side, as similar roads have been incorporated in the Canadian Reservation, and by the creation of occasional small parks or reserves and lookout points along the river, it would afford unlimited opportunities for the erection of special me- morials to our soldiers and sailors of the World War. This is a project which interests not only the people of west- ern New York but the whole state and indeed the nation, and our Canadian neighbors and foreign visitors as well. Niagara Falls is probably the most widely known place in the United States, and more generally visited by tourists than any other single attraction. The movement for the rescue of Niagara Falls from the hands of those who were spoiling its natural beauties began over 40 years ago. As a result of an international impulse, it was taken up and advocated by leading men from all over this country and from Canada. The movement took concrete form on the two sides of the river almost simultaneously, but the Canadians had an easier job and more favorable conditions, and they have already carried their Queen Victoria Park and the improved highways leading out of it to the limits of the river in each direction. On the New York side the first move was more difficult and far more expensive, and the New York State Reservation at Niagara has never been extended beyond its first limits. It includes Goat Island with Green Island and the other small isles surrounding it; also Prospect Park at the brink of the American Falls, and from that point extends in a narrow strip along the upper rapids to the intake of the Hydraulic Power Canal. This property originally cost the state of New York in 1885 about $1,433,000, a very large sum for those days. Ob- stacles apparently insurperable have always prevented the fur- ther extension of the reservation either down or up the river. But plans are now presented through which much may be ac- complished. % A memorial to our soldiers and sailors of this charactez would attain world wide fame; and if, following this, the two reservations along the Niagara river, American and Canadian, can be united by a great memorial bridge, the grand project would seem to be complete. The principal features of this plan, so far as developed by the Commissioners of the State Reservation at Niagara are shown in an act introduced in the legislature in 1921 and pre- viously. This act provided for the financing of the project by means of an annual charge or rental imposed on new water power NIAGARA FALLS developed at Niagara Falls since 1918. The same objects could be attained more rapidly by means of a bond issue, followed by direct appropriations. The plan in brief is to enlarge the State Reservation at Niagara and to create and add to it a system of memorial river- ways and reserves, extending along the Niagara river from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, and connecting Port Porter with Fort Niagara, consisting of parks and public places reserved because of their beauty and commanding position for the free use of the public, connected by north and south memorial river- ways and with suitable structures thereon, all of which shal! 37 Proposed Enlargment of State Reservation at Magara and Establishment OF New York State Memorial River Ways and Réserves LAKE ONTAR/O FT. NIAGARA UNGSTOW , a LEWISTON IAGARY FALLS _ N.Y. STATE RESERVATION, NORTH ONAWANDA BUFFALO [—~ @ 3 ae LAKE FRILE Proposed extensions of State Reservation Indicated in fed. 38 constitute a permanent and fitting memorial. The proposed ex- tension of the state reservation is to be known as the New York State Memorial Riverways and Reserves, the road northerly to Fort Niagara being ‘‘ North Memorial Riverway,’’ and the road southerly towards Buffalo, ‘‘ South Memorial Riverway.’’ The commissioners of the state reservation at Niagara would be authorized and directed to make plans and procure surveys and to take necessary steps to extend the state reservation as described, excepting lands in the cities of Tonawanda and North Tonawanda, it being the idea that the connecting roadway through those cities should be handled by the cities themselves under plans agreed upon. The commissioners would be authorized to take over in whole or in part the present river road extending from end to end of the Niagara river and generally close to the bank thereof, and they would have power to widen said roads and change the loca- tion thereof, or to provide an additional road or roads nearer to the river bank, where necessary or desirable, and for this purpose they would seek and obtain the co-operation of the cities and villages through which said roads pass. The present roads so included, except within these cities, would become part of the State Reservation at Niagara, and would be designated as state highways and constructed and maintained as other state highways are constructed and maintained, but the commissioners would have authority to protect and beautify these roads and to preserve them in all parts as beautiful parkways or riverways. The commissioners would also have the power to acquire tracts of land, of greater or less extent, of natural beauty and commanding position, lying between the main river roads and the bank of the Niagara River, or adjacent to river roads on either side, to be used as public parks and reserves, to be planted with trees and shrubs where this is necessary and restored to a state of natural beauty, with interior roads furnishing access to the bank: of the river and to viewpoints over the waters of the river. They would select for this purpose suitable tracts of reasonable size, where the land can be acquired without cost “on-redsonable terms. The interior roads through such re- serves-would be built, maintained and controlled entirely by the Gommissioners of the State Reservation at Niagara. =: Sd=far..as-yet planned, it is the intention of the commis- stoners tobe modest-in-acquiring land for these purposes, and not to be hurried, but to pick up suitable tracts of lands as they can advantageously be acquired and developed. Ideas at this moment do not go beyond one or two locations for reserves be- tween Buffalo and Niagara Falls, probably two reserves be tween Prospect Park in Niagara Falls and Lewiston, and about two more between Lewiston and Fort Niagara. Under the plan the commissioners would be authorized to acquire land for all such purposes, including changes in the 39 THE FALLS IN WINTER main roads, where necessary or desirable, either by gifts or grants or by conveyances, or by leases in perpetuity or for a term of years, or by licenses and also to acquire by condemna- tion any land not devoted to railroad or power uses, and not held or intended for such uses. All titles to such land, and all leases and licenses, would be taken in the name of the State of New York. In the original plan presented to the legislature, it was hoped to obtain not exceeding $500,000 from the state by direct ap- propriations over several years, and a sum of about $80,000 a year through a charge on water power. In the bill as last amended, there was provision for a very small initial appropria- tion, only to cover surveys and some preliminary expenses, and a pledge of additional sums up to $200,000 from the state, in addition to the annual charge on water power. It is anticipated that the project would require approximately $1,000,000 avail- able over a period of about seven to ten years, for extensions and permanent betterments. There is reason to hope that the measure in its essential form will commend itself to the people of the state in the near future, with proper provision for the gradual improvement of this fron- tier; and thus will be started a great plan of regional develop- ment along the Niagara River of which we shall all be proud, and an imperishable memorial to our soldiers and sailors will be created. 40 V. LETCHWORTH PARK AND ITS PROPOSED DEVELOP MENT The Present Park Letchworth Park is a tract of 1,000 acres on the Genesee river, about fifty miles south of Rochester, which was given tc the state in 1907 by the late Dr. William Pryor Letchworth, the philanthropist, and is by law in the custody of the Amer- ican Scenic and Historic Preservation Society. It lies on both sides of the river for the distance of about three miles and in- cludes a picturesque eroded gorge and the three famous Portage Falls. The scenery ranks second only to that of Niagara Falls in its class in the state of New York. The remarkable rock ex- posures in the gorge have given the name of the Portage Group to this geological formation wherever found. When Dr. Letchworth, then living in Buffalo, began in, 1858 his acquisitions of property at Portage, an old saw-mill and the debris of its operations disfigured the vicinity of the Middle Fall, and the adjacent forests had been robbed of their best trees. He removed the saw-mill, cleaned up the debris and re- planted the trees, meanwhile gradually increasing his acquisi- tions until he had the beautiful rural estate which, near the close of his life, he gave to the state. On one of his first visits to this place a rainbow spanned the gorge and led him to call the place ‘‘ Glen Iris.’’ After the state decided to call the park Letchworth Park, the use of the name Glen Iris has been re- stricted to the residence which he occupied and which is now used for the accommodation of the public. The Glen Iris house is on a plateau overlooking the Middle Fall, in the midst of ex- tensive lawns adorned with majestic trees planted by Dr. Letch- worth about sixty years ago. A miniature lake and a jet foun- tain in its midst are fed from a reservoir on the hillside. In 1912-13 the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society, with funds left by Dr. Letchworth, built near the Glen Tris mansion a stone library and museum building. It contains Dr. Letchworth’s valuable collection of works relating to ckari- ties; and several thousand specimens illustrative of the primi- tive arts of the North American Indian. On another elevation in the rear of these buildings is a forest encircled plateau called the Council House Grounds, on which stand two log buildings—one being an ancient Council Iouse of the Seneca Nation, and the other being the cabin in which 41 gee xX eee i a « os s FROM [NSPIRATION POIN SCENES IN ALONG THE LETCHWORTH GENESEE PARK RIVER MIDDLE FALLS 42 the daughter of Mary Jemison, the ‘* white captive of the Gene- see ’’ once lived. The former was brought from Caneadea and the latter from Gardeau. Near them is buried Mary Jemison, whose career among the Indians is a classic of the pioneer his- tory of western New York. In 1758 she was captured by In- dians at her home in Adams County, Penn., was taken first to Fort DuQuesne (Pittsburgh) and later farther down the Ohio. She was adopted by the Indians, married among them, and bore children. Before she was twenty years old she journeyed with her Indian relatives to the Seneca Village of Little Beard’s Town, near Cuylerville on the Genesee river. At the Big Tree Council in Geneseo in 1797 she was granted nearly 18,000 acres in the Genesee Valley, known as the Gardeau tract. She died in 1833 and was first buried at Buffalo. When her grave was threat- ened by civic improvements in 1874 her remains were taken to their present resting place. Over her grave is a beautiful bronze statue, by H. K. Bush-Brown, representing the captive in Indian garb, with infant on her back, as she tramped with her captors from the valley of the Ohio to the valley of the Genesee. At the intersection of the road from Castile with the main road through the park stands the monument of the First New York Dragoons, originally erected on the right bank of the river, but moved recently to its present location at the request of the surviving veterans. Various parts of the park were used by Dr. Letchworth as farms and pastures, but these uses have been discontinued since Dr. Letchworth’s death; and part of the eligible ground has been used for an arboretum which was begun under the direc- tion of the late Dr. Charles M. Dow of Jamestown, when he was Director of the park. Besides the buildings previously mentioned, there are several others erected before the park was given to the state, notably those called Lauterbrunnen, now the superintendent’s home; Prospect Home, now the Labor Center; and Chestnut Lawn. There are many remarkable viewpoints in the park, accessible by roadways and paths. From the foot-path on the Hrie rail- road bridge, which spans the river just above the Upper Falls, one has a superb panorama both upstream and downstream. Almost directly below him, at a dizzy distance, is the crest of the Upper Falls which plunges 71 feet more to the next reach of the river. Leaving the bridge by long stairways, the visitor can see the Upper Falls from below, as one used to view the Canadian Fall at Niagara near the Rock of Ages. Strolling downstream half a mile he comes to the Middle Fall, with a drop of 107 feet. Continuing downstream to a jutting point near the entrance to the Glen Iris grounds, he has a superb view of the walls of the gorge. Half a mile farther down are Inspira- tion Point, commanding a fine view upstream; and Cole’s Cliff, 43 from which Thomas Cole painted the picture of the gorge and falls which was presented to Governor Seward. A mile farther down are the Lower Falls, with Table Rock, Cathedral Rock and other interesting features. Letchworth Park offers many attractions to students of nat- ural phenomena. As an example of a gorge eroded by stream action, and following a post-glacial channel different from its pre-glacial channel, it is as interesting and typical as the Ni- agara gorge. The rock exposures have been studied by Dr. James Hall, Dr. John M. Clarke, Prof. Henry L. Fairchild, Dr. Amadeus W. Grabau, and other scientists who have made valu- able contributions to geological knowledge. The great variety of birds and wild flowers in the park is equally attractive to ornithologists and botanists. The great diversity of the topo- graphy of the estate thus acquired has made it the habitat of a remarkable variety of flora and fauna. Beginning with the earliest anemones and bloodroots, and, as the season advances, running on through the houstonias, violets, columbines, trinity flower, mandrakes, azaleas, laurel, golden rods and countless others, the flowers of Glen Iris range through a spectrum of col- ors that rivals the rainbow which gave the glen its name. The Hon. George W. Clinton, formerly President of the Society of Natural Sciences of Buffalo, who spent much time at Portage, says that a greater variety of plant life can be found there than in any other locality of which he has knowledge. And Mr. Eldredge E. Fish, the author and naturalist, says: ‘‘ In many respects this charming retreat surpasses any other in its attrac- tions for the naturalist. The flora is more abundant and varied, while the song-birds are here in greater numbers than in any other locality in the state.’’ Proposed Developments Before Dr. Letchworth gave the park to the state he admitted the public to share its beauties, but there were necessary limita: tions to the public enjoyment while it was still private prop- erty. Since it has become the property of the people, however, it has been thronged with visitors in constantly increasing num- bers; and the experience of fifteen years since Dr. Letchworth gave it to the state, and of twelve years since his death, has shown the need for certain additional facilities in order ade- quately to meet public requirements. These facilities are of three main classes—buildings, roads and bridges. In the first place, there is an increasing demand for the ac- commodation of visitors who desire to spend more than half a day in the park. At present, the Glen Iris Mansion is used as an inn from May until October, but with its limited accommada- tions it can lodge only about 1,600 persons and serve about 8,000 meals a season; and it is now necessary to deny the large num- 44 MuYVd HIYOMHILAT LV NNI FaUL ANId GasoOdoudd 45 ( ber of applications beyond these numbers. It is therefore pro- posed to build an inn in a grove on the left bank of the river half a mile in an air-line northeast of Glen Iris at the place called Cole’s Cliff. This point is about one-third of the distance from the Middle Fall to the Lower Fall, on the rim of the deep Portage gorge, and at such a bend in the river that it commands beautiful prospects up-stream (southwestward) and down- stream (eastward), the view expanding in a superb panorama to the distant hills. This inn has now become a pressing necessity. Unlike Niagara Falls Reservation, Letchworth Park has no hotels close by its borders. In land area, the park is about eight times as large as the Niagara reservation, and the nearest hotels outside its border are at Castile, three miles to the north- ward, and Portageville, two miles to the southwestward by a circuitous and inconvenient route, and these are small and in- adequate. The plan for the inn includes as minor adjuncts a garage and a swimming pool. The latter is to be made by damming a neighboring brook after the manner of the artificial lakes in the Palisades Park, thus supplying a healthful form of recrea- Ae not otherwise to be had safely within a radius of several miles. The second improvement provides for two new entrances to the park and an additional road within the park. The main approach to the park is now by the road from Castile. There is no entrance from the region lying east and south of the river, and only an inconvenient and roundabout approach from the west. The great automobile-using public demands better facili- ties for getting into the park and for bridging the moat between Livingston and Wyoming counties. Even with present ob- stacles, the park is a favorite resort for tourists, and the pro- vision of the new approaches will not only bring the benefit of the park within the reach of a vastly increased number of mo- torists, but will also immensely facilitate cross-country travel. It is therefor proposed: (a) To construct an approach to the western end of the park by means of a road branching off from the Portageville-Castile highway* at the top of the Portageville hill, and running thence in a generally northeasterly direction into the park, passing under the northwesterly end of the Erie railroad bridge on the left bank of the river, and thence crossing the gulley of De-ge- wa-nus-Oreek by means of a new bridge having its foundation on solid rock. (b) To construct an approach from the southeastward by means of a road leaving the Portage-Nunda-Rochester state highway at Portage station of the Erie railroad, and running thence a few hundred feet westward near the Erie railroad track, * The Portageville-Castile highway is to be improved by the State. 46 ee Muvd HLIYOMHOLAT LV AIdlud Gasodoud Wtv4 35 Odd adda dacode 47 thence passing northeastward under the southeastern end of the Erie railroad viaduct and continuing northeastward gradually down the steep right bank to the level of the Pennsylvania rail- road, thence turning northwestward and crossing the Genesee River just above the Middle Fall by means of the proposed bridge mentioned hereafter. This route connecting the Portage- Nunda-Rochester highway with the Letchworth Park-Castile highway will be of immense public convenience, quite irrespec- tive of the park. (c) To construct a highway on the left bank from Inspira- tion Point along the existing foot-path to the Lower Fall. The present road from Glen Iris eastward to the Lower Fall is mostly remote from the river and terminates at.the Lower Fall at a very: considerable elevation above Table Rock. The new road will open up a mile of superb scenery along the gorge and take the visitor by an easy grade down to the picnic ground almost on the level of able Rock. The third important improvement is the proposed bridge across the Genesee River just above the Middle Fall approxi- mately on the site of the private bridge which once spanned the river at that point. The river here is shallow; the bed suitable and easily built over; the terminal on the left bank is near the present picnic. grounds; and the terminal on the bluff of the right bank is favorable for an easy gradient of approach from the connecting road. It is proposed that in form the bridge have a long central arch framing the view of the Upper Falls and flanked at each end by a smaller arch, and that in material it be either entirely of native stone or of reinforced concrete, faced with stone, so as to blend with the natural surroundings. At present there is no public passage across the Genesee river be- tween Portageville and St. Helena, a distance of about seven miles by nearest road in Livingston county and ten miles by nearest road in Wyoming county. The new bridge will therefore be of very great convenience and of general public value to a considerable section of western New York, in addition to form- ing a portal to Letchworth Park. 48 idea aS RAINBOW FALLS—WATKINS GLEN STATE RESERVATION VI. THE PROPOSED FINGER LAKES PARK SYSTEM The state of New York owns two parks in the Finger Lakes Region—Watkins Glen Reservation and the Enfield Falls Res- ervation. Watkins Glen was purchased by the state in 1906 at the instance of the American Scenic and Historical Society. Enfield Falls Reservation was given to the state in 1920 by Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Treman of Ithaca. The Finger Lakes Association, a federation of the chambers 49 » of commerce and community organizations of 24 cities and villages in central New York, believes the state should first give attention to the completion of the existing state parks. The Watkins Glen Reservation is in very good condition but much work remains to be done on the Enfield Falls Reservation. The state has thus far appropriated no money for permanent improvements. In three years it has given the commission $4,000 for maintenance. This has proved inadequate for the work which the commission has in mind. The Enfield Falls Reservation Commission has drafted tentative plans calling for an expenditure of $100,000 for the developmerit of the park. This will provide for the opening up of both the lower and upper ends of the reservation, construction of roads, rest houses and- other facilities which are needed for the complete utilization of the park. Proposed New State Parks The Finger Lakes Association considers Taughannock Falls with its beautiful gorges, both above and below the main fells, as the most important scenic spot in the Finger Lakes which has not yet been given attention. If after the state acquires this property and provides for making it entirely accessible to the residents of the state and tourists, it is still able to continue the work of opening up beauty spots, the Association calls attention to Bare Hill on Canadaigua Lake, Bluff Point on Lake Keuka, Chequaga Falls and Montour Glen near the village of Montour Falls,.Buttermilk Falls and Glen near Ithaca, Fillmore Glen snd the birthplace of Millard Fillmore near Moravia. For secondary consideration the Finger Lakes Association presents Connecticut ‘Hill between Ithaca and Watkins, Great Gully between Union Springs and Aurora, Red Jacket’s birthplace on Cayuga Lake near Canoga and the glens along the western shore of Owasco Lake. The Finger Lakes Association has not yet drafted plans sufficiently definite to present figures as to acreage, cost of ac- quiring lands and cost of development. The Association will use its best offices to secure for the state a donation of property needed for these parks. In the case of Buttermilk Falls, the Association is assured by the owners, Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Treman of Ithaca, that this property will be placed at the dis- posal of the state whenever the state is ready to agree to a plan of development suitable to the owners. The Fillmore birthplace is now owned by the Cayuga County Historical Society which is holding the property until such time as the state is ready to take it over. The Association believes that it will be able to supply the funds for the purchase of each of the properties suggested in this report. Watkins Glen State Reservation Watkins Glen has long been classed with Niagara Falls, the Mammoth Cave, the Natural Bridge of Virginia, and the Na- 50 CAVERN CASCADE—WATKINS GLEN BRIDAL VEIL FALLS—-MONTOUR GLEN tional Parks of the west as one of the scenic wonders of America. It is the objective of thousands of automobile tourists every year. Itis the best known show place in the entire Finger Lakes Region. From the main street of the village of Watkins, the gorge ex- tends back into the hillside for a distance of two miles. The state controls 103 acres, embracing the gorge and its wooded banks. Through the reservation, a stream drops nearly 700 feet in a series of waterfalls, cascades and rapids. Watkins Glen is particularly pleasing because of its variety. o} LUCIFER FALLS, 200 FEET—ENFIELD FALLS STATE RESERVATION There is no single cataract which awes the visitor but a succes- sion of falls, cascades, pools and rapids. The walls of the glen tower 150 to 180 feet above the water of the stream. Enfield Falls State Reservation After being in the possession of Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Treman of Ithaca for a number of years, during which time the owners spent several thousand dollars in making the property accessible to the public, Enfield Falls Reservation was given to the State of New York in 1920. The property comprises 400 acres and stretches from the Ithaca-Elmira highway westward 52 BLUFF POINT, LAKE KEUKA, NEAR PENN YAN for approximately two and one-half miles into the hillside. The gorge has been cut by Butternut Lake which drains a large area in the western part of Tompkins County. One of the most satisfactory things about the Enfield Falls Reservation is that the stream maintains a good flow throughout the year. In this respect the gorge differs from a number of others in the region. The ultimate development of the Reservation by the State Com- mission provides for picnic grounds at both the upper and lower entrances with rest pavilions and other facilities which will make it possible for the public to enjoy the beauties of the glen. At small expense it is possible to provide swimming pools at both ends of the Reservation. The main falls in Enfield is known as Lucifer Falls. It is 210 feet high and of considerable width. There are a number of small falls throughout the gorge. The rock formation is of particular interest to students of nature as are the trees and other flora. The glen has been preserved in its natural state and it is the policy of the Commission to maintain it in this con- dition. Taughannock Falls Taughannock Falls, known throughout the Hast as the great- est single waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains, deserves the first attention of the state in the opinion of the Finger Lakes Association. In a sheer drop of 215 feet, Taughannock Creek falls over a ledge of rock from a deep gorge into a deeper gorge i, tpl ey z = BARE HILL, CANANDAIGUA LAKE, NEAR CANANDAIGUA 33 me, ee: 28 Ri, TAUGHANNOCK FALLS, 215 FEET, 50 FEET HIGHER THAN NIAGARA below. Second only to the fall itself in general interest is the gorge, the cliffs of which rise to a height of nearly 400 feet at the fall. Unfortunately, Taughannock Falls is two miles removed from the main state highway connecting Ithaca with Geneva and the roads leading to it are not in good condition for much of the year. This condition makes it difficult for many resi- dents of the state and tourists to visit this wonder of nature. Those who do take the trouble are well repaid, however, and since the Finger Lakes Association has given the fall such wide publicity it is being visited annually by thousands of motorists. +4 Taughannock Falls has the distinction of being the only great fall and gorge in the region easily accessible by water. The main fall is within a mile of Cayuga Lake where a large delta provides adequate picnic and camping space. Being con- nected with the barge canal system of the state, a park at Taug- hannock Falls would be accessible by water to a great portion of the state. ; Bare Hill The Finger Lakes Association believes that the state should take over Bare Hill, ‘‘ the Garden of Eden of the Iroquois,’’ as a state park. This hill, which is just as bare as its name implies, rises to an altitude of 1,540 feet above the eastern shore of Canandaigua Lake, a few miles south of the village of Canan- daigua. The Iroquois called the hill Nun-do-wa-o-no and be- lieved that from this hill sprang the Senecas or Sonontowans, the Great Hill people. The Senecas were the most powerful of the Six Nations. They were the guardians of the western door of the Iroquois Long House. Until very recent years the Seneca Indians made annual pilgrimages to Bare Hill and performed sacred rites on the spot where, according to their traditions. their race was born. Bluff Point Bluff Point would furnish the location for another of the Finger Lakes parks. This lofty promontory which divides Lake Keuka into its branches rises 720 feet above the surface of the lake. It is particularly desirable for two reasons: the wonder- ful view which the tourist obtains from its summit and its ac- cessibility by automobile road. Very little expense would be involved in laying out the top of this promontory as a tourist vee Chequaga Falls and Montour Glen Chequaga Falls and Montour Glen, the former in the village of Montour Falls and the latter just south of the village, are both worthy of preservation by the state, not only because of their scenic beauty but also because of their historical associa- tions. The glen is near the Indian village of Catherine Montour, the renowned Queen Catherine of the Seneca Indians. General Sullivan, acting under orders of General Washington to crush forever the power of the Iroquois League, destroyed Catherine’s Town in 1779. Buttermilk Falls and Glen Buttermilk Falls and Glen, two miles south of Ithaca on the highway between Ithaca and Watkins, has been opened to the public for a number of years. The owners, Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Treman of Ithaca, have gone to much expense to erect stairs and guard rails and provide paths for the convenience of per- sons wishing to explore the glen. In the distance of a mile, Buttermilk Creek falls more than 500 feet in a series of cascades, rapids and waterfalls. The gorge is of much interest to the na- ture lover. At the foot of the falls an ample parking space ad- 55 LOWER FALLS—ENFIELD FALLS, STATE RESERVATION IN BUTTERMILK GLEN, NEAR ITHACA joins the state highway. There is a natural swimming pool which can be very much enlarged if the state takes over the property. One of the most beautiful camp sites in the Finger Lakes Region is found at the foot of Buttermilk Falls. Fillmore Birthplace and Glen Millard Fillmore, thirteenth President of the United States. was born in the Finger Lakes Region near the village of Mo- ravia. The officers of the Finger Lakes Association believe that his birthplace should be preserved as a national shrine. With this in view they have already secured title to the property BUTTERMILK FALLS, FROM ITHACA—WATKINS’ HIGHWAY 56 lesatlisbiiat CASCADE GLEN, NEAR MORAVIA FILLMORE GLEN, NEAR MORAVIA which is now being held by the Cayuga County Historical So- ciety. Near the village of Moravia there is a large and interest- ing glen which has been christened Fillmore Glen. As a boy Millard Fillmore roamed the hills and valleys in the vicinity of Fillmore Glen and the Association believes it would be wise to place the glen and his birthplace in one park. Connecticut Hill Connecticut Hill, which is located midway between Ithaca and Watkins, is the highest point in the Finger Lakes Region. The hill is 2,095 feet above sea level. Several hundred acres of land could be purchased at small expense and reforested. The hill is part of the watershed of Butternut Creek which passes through Enfield Glen. Red Jacket State Park If the state wishes to perpetuate the inhabitation of the Finger Lakes Region by the Iroquois, provisions should be made for a park in the vicinity of Canoga on Cayuga Lake, near the birthplace of Red Jacket, known to the Indians as Sa-go-ye-wat- ha. A park for tourists could be provided on the shores of Cayuga Lake near the handsome monument erected to Red Jacket. The remains of this famous Indian Chief and orator were brought from Buffalo a number of years ago and placed under the monument. Red Jacket was of great assistance to President Washington and other leaders of the nation in its 57 CHEQUAGA FALLS—MONTOUR FALLS early days in bringing about a better feeling between the Iro- quois and the new government. Great Gully Great Gully, which is located on the shore of Cayuga Lake between Union Springs and Aurora, is the center of some of the earliest activities of the Jesuit missionaries in central New York. The Jesuits erected a church in 1656. A state park in the vicinity of Great Gully would be accessible to Auburn, the largest city in the Finger Lakes Region. Several of the glens along the west shore of Owasco Lake between Auburn and Moravia should be included in the genera} plan of development of the Finger Lakes Region. 58 NX Finger lakes Y Farks and Hi§hways Present and Proposed Developments END EXISTING STATE PARKS @ PROPOSED STATE PARKS wv SCALE of MLES SYRACUSE Or IMPROVED HIGHWAYS om rr “reer, PROPOSED IMPROVED HIGHWAYS saga SENECA FALLS CANANDAIGUA Waterloay) er © ar SENEYA \ Sci ioe wy xX )Sherwood a W Fillrhare Glen PENN YAN Keuka Par, Birthplace of Naples () Keuka Callegg Fillmore Homer.) BranchportQ) O) UKA. 5 CORTLAND@ J GROTON [) North Cohocton sere =f By eorge Junior Republic Pulteney) Bluff Point e Kg Cohocton "a QHector ya @ Hector Falls (4 OU Dryden Urban A i= Cornell Omversity A : HAMMONDSPORY DN blthace Falls baie Enfield Glengy MPAA, Buttermilk “ 5 + Eh arins AYU TA RAKE Falls eee: Springs Kanona o gy hegunga els) ., e Newfield ~~ e (J Connecticut, N 7o,,, Bath MONTOUR FALLS COdessa Ai i7 AMES 7, Montour Glen Wy Spence: Painted Post Sg Horseheads pf, f nae Addi. WPS roam Es oun Cee eta (eyenina MAP OF PRESENT AND PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT OF FINGER LAKES PARKS 59 THE BRONX RIVER PARKWAY AT SCARSDALE VII. THE PROPOSED PARKWAY FROM NEW YORK CITY TO BEAR MOUNTAIN PARK This project will provide the remaining link necessary to complete a grand circuit from New York City through what is destined to be the world’s greatest outer park system. The parks and boulevards in Manhattan and The Bronx con- nect with The Bronx River Parkway, which, in 1924, will be completed to the Kensico Dam and Reservoir in Westchester County. From the dam it is 22 miles past lakes and reservoirs to Mohansic Park and another 12 miles to Anthony’s Nose, where the new bridge will span the Hudson to Bear Mountain Park. Already on heavy traffic days the many excellent high- ways in Westchester County are filled to capacity with an ever- increasing volume of pleasure vehicles surging out from New York City. With the completion of The Bronx River Parkway, the first objective will be the Kensico Dam—25 miles from the Plaza at 59th street. The second objective will be Mohansiec Park—22 miles farther north. Thence another 13 miles, to Bear Mountain and the Palisades Interstate Park System of 36,000 acres to be made directly accessible by the new bridge. From Bear Mountain down through the Palisades system to the new vehicular tunnel or Hudson River ferries to Manhattan com- pletes a splendid circuit of approximately 125 miles, which will be directly available for the seven million people residing iu this part of the State of New York. 60 VIEW ON THE BRONX RIVER PARKWAY Scope of the Project The $1,000,000 set down for this project is needed for ac- quiring and improving lands between the Kensico Dam and the approaches to the Bear Mountain Bridge. Advantage will be taken of existing main highways and cheap lands along ad- jacent water courses, including ponds or small lakes available for park features along this connecting route. It is the purpose to acquire many of the choicest bits of landscape and at the same time provide for widening existing rights-of-way and eliminating dangerous curves. In some locations considerable areas of picturesque woodlands are available at low cost, which will provide liberal spaces for picnicking and other recreation areas. There is urgent demand for such picnicking spaces, where motor parties can park safely and avoid obstructing traffic and the dangers incident to picnicking at the roadside. Details of the Grand Circuit Starting at 59th Street Plaza, go through Central Park to 110th street and 7th avenue. Thence through 7th Avenue Boule- vard to 145th street and across the Harlem River to the Grand Boulevard and Concourse. Thence along the Concourse to 61 MOHANSIC LAKE Mosholu Parkway. Turn east on Mosholu Parkway to Botanical Gardens and Bronx Park, going northerly through the upper end of Bronx Park to the southerly terminus of The Bronx River Parkway. Follow The Bronx River Parkway Drive 151% miles to the Kensico Dam and Reservoir. Thence over the proposed new connecting parkway crossing Croton Reservoir at Pines Bridge and through Yorktown Heights to Mohansic Park. Pass- ing through Mohansic Park and continuing along the proposed new parkway to Peekskill, the route leads to Roa Hook and over the proposed new approach roads to be built by the Bridge Company, to the east bank of the Hudson River at Anthony’s Nose. Thence over the new Hudson River bridge to Bear Moun- tain Park. From this point it is but a few miles northerly to West Point and the Storm King Highway. Returning from Bear Mountain Park there is a choice of routes through different sections of the Palisades Interstate Park system. The first route follows along the west side of the Hudson River through the park areas of Rockland Lake, Blau- velt Rifle Range and the upper Palisades to Alpine and thence on the new road at the foot of the Palisades to Dyckman Street ferry. The second or alternative route returning from Bear Moun- tain lies through the Harriman Park to Tuxedo and thence via Suffern to connect with the first route at Nyack. Arriving by either route at the west side of the Hudson opposite Dyekman street, take Dyckman street or Fort Lee ferry to Manhattan; 62 e Compgny ro builf bridge TO -——"~oCROTON FALLS MOHANSIC PA. HITE PLAINS Le f ney poe ee \ ah A” PORTCHESTER Q Wired o SHOWING PROPOSED. PARKWAY CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE BRONX RIVER PARKWAY BEAR MOUNTAIN PARK aig MOHANSIC PARK BEAR MOUNTAIN-HUDSON RIVER BRIDGE Oatober 1922 Scale of Miles ‘ . thence from either ferry south along Riverside Drive to 72d street and east on 72d street to Central Park. Thence through Central Park to the starting point at 59th Street Plaza. In lieu of crossing on Dyckman street or Fort Lee ferries, one can con- tinue south along Hudson Boulevard to 42d street or 34th street ferry or to the vehicular tunnel now in course of construction. Features of the Grand Cirewt The opportunity to connect in the manner described above so many noted parks and parkways is perhaps unparalleled in the history of such developments. From the 59th Street Plaza the Queensboro Bridge provides a direct connection to the pro- posed Roosevelt Parkway and Park on the north shore of Long - - - Island and to the great Queens Boulevard, which is about to be improved to Jamaica, where it will connect with the main traffic arteries of Long Island. In The Bronx the circuit will have direct connections with Van Cortlandt Park, Crotona Park, Pelham Bay Park, Pelham Parkway and the New York Zoologi- cal Park. Bronzg Riwer Parkway The Bronx River Parkway follows along both sides of the Bronx River through Mount Vernon and White Plains, forming a direct route between Bronx Park and the Kensico Dam and Reservoir. The Parkway Reservation varies in width from 200 to 1,200 feet with an average width of about 600 feet. The drive- way is being paved 40 feet in width and two sections aggregat- ing six miles in length are now open for traffic. The grading for the remainder of the driveway is finished and it is expected to-complete the paving in 1923. The Bronx River is the chief landscape feature and, by natural treatment throughout, the valley is being restored to its former beautiful condition. Kensico Dain and Reservoir The Kensico Dam is architecturally the finest of the great dams of the world. It impounds a reservoir with water surface of 2,000 acres, protected by a marginal area of 2,500 acres, mak- ing a total of 4,500 acress acquired by the City of New York for water supply purposes. Approximately $10,000,000 has been ex- pended by the city in this area which constitutes a most beautiful outer park with good highway around the lake and with hun- dreds of thousands of evergreen trees rapidly developing on the protective areas. Crossing over the top of the dam and following along the west side of the lake about three-fourths of a mile, one finds a group of 1,800 aeration fountains, a magnificent spectacle in constant play. From the Kensico Dam and Reser- voir the proposed connecting parkway passes through the beautiful upper Westchester hill country, and follows along 64 ae uIOAWASAN GNV WVd OOISNAM AO MAIA INV1dalV "G40 DADDY [DIABPY PTY IND T aodluvd WAIN NOSGNH-NIVINNOW uyaa the shores of the Croton Reservoir to the road leading north to Yorktown Heights and Mohansic Park. Mohansic Park Mohansic Park has an area of approximately 1,100 acres and includes Mohansic Lake, over one mile in length. The park area was acquired by the State of New York for institutional purposes, which institutions were objected to because of the situation on New York City‘s watershed. Last year by authori- zation of the legislature this area was turned over to the West- chester County Park Commission, upon condition that it be developed and maintained as a park for the use of all of the people of the state. First attention is being given to the de- velopment of picnicking and camping facilities. Mohansic Park will be a convenient and popular tarrying place along the Grand Circuit. Bear Mountain Hudson River Bridge The Bear Mountain Hudson River Bridge Company was granted a charter by the Legislature in 1922. The bridge will cross the Hudson from Anthony’s Nose to Bear Mountain Park near Bear Mountain Inn and both the bridge and its approaches leading from the Albany Post Road will be built by private capital. Bear Mountain Park The Palisades Interstate Park system is too well known to require extended mention here and is also referred to elsewhere in this report. Its vast areas and facilities will be made more easily accessible upon the completion of the improvements herein described. ON THE AXIS OF THE MAIN APPROACH, STANDING OUT IN FIRM SILHOUETTE AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF THE BAY AND THE DISTANT HILLS OF CENTRE ISLAND, SHOULD BE A GREAT FLAG-POLE WITH A MONUMENTAL BASE VIL. THE ROOSEVELT MEMORIAL PARK AND PARKWAY Oyster Bay, on the north shore of Long Island, has become an historical spot enshrined in the hearts of patriotic Ameri- cans. Here, on Sagamore Hill, lived Theodore Roosevelt. Here, on the shady hill overlooking the beautiful waters of Oyster Bay and Long Island Sound, that great American rests for- ever. Each week, towards Oyster Bay, thousands from near and distant parts of the Empire State crowd the roads beyond the 68 SCENES ALONG PROPOSED PARKWAY danger point. At Oyster Bay no special provision has been made to care for visitors and no memorial has been created in recognition of our former great Governor who later became President of the United States. The Oyster Bay Memorial Association, composed of Theo- dore Roosevelt’s friends and neighbors, has been formed to establish a Memorial Park on the shore of the Bay, and the Na- tional Roosevelt Association, Inc., has pledged aid to develop and maintain the park which will ultimately contain at least 53 acres of waterfront property. In order to hasten the construction of this Roosevelt Me- morial Park and permit the state to share in this memorial 69 ‘ubisap ayy ue Burpyof jrisomom Cpiampsip v ng KinvIaq 189DIAB ay} KJUO JOU WYjIQO O} IAD IM fi uorpsodutos syi fo Koay} pouasof ay} Qvsapisuod SSIA]S OF jupj4odgutr $i JT “0024 ay} fo uoypuiquios v 2q Cpu asay) 10 Aouunue poULAOf 40 NjSyoANJOU VD AIY}II UL podopaaap 9q fou ay “Kynvaq yoa4b fo yYoo]jno up spy [DLAOMLawM S1Yy 40f apis ay T ’ ‘gjodse, y—] joog—) ‘sSuipue, pue dijs yeog—]p ‘s}]INOD-sIuuld} pue punois [jeqaseq—q ; eee uadQ—q ‘uonej\s peolrey— “‘ulejunoy—q ezeid [e1juag—V : (OR OF; 9 PH Fae a < A Oe : Sc screener Soe. Big BS 7 eae to its great citizen, it is now proposed to add to the sum already raised by private contributions sufficient money from the state to complete the park at once. In order to provide an adequate and dignified approach the Roosevelt Memorial Parkway is proposed, which will follow existing roads from Oyster Bay to the New York City line, some sixteen miles distant. Each week thousands of automobilists throng the route ot the proposed parkway endeavoring to visit Oyster Bay and reach the beautiful open country extending for many miles to the eastward, and at this time it is difficult for them to do so because the road congestion is so great that it becomes very difficult to reach either Oyster Bay or the country beyond quickly enough to allow sufficient time for recreation. Perhaps the best way to describe the Roosevelt Memorial Park and Parkway scenically is to follow the route from the New York City line where it will connect with a boulevard al- ready partially completed in and by New York City. Travelling east one drives past the Great Neck Peninsula over a tree-lined road through open country and then drops swiftly into Manhasset at the head of Manhasset Bay, thence climbing rapidly after passing a small and attractive lake to the highlands of Manhasset Neck, from which an extended view 18 ones northward to Hempstead Harbor and Long Island ound. Hugging the side of an almost clifflike hill the route is fol- lowed down to the headwaters of Hempstead Harbor and through the beautiful village of Roslyn with its three lakes and the well-preserved home of William Cullen Bryant, and then, after a climb of 200 feet to a plateau, through Brookville to East Norwich. This section is high and a broad view of wooded and open country is obtained. From East Norwich it is possible to leave the parkway and continue directly east for many miles along the north shore of Long Island with its numerous and beautiful harbors and recreational spots. At East Norwich a turn to the left opens up a beautiful descending road which suddenly terminates at the edge of Oyster Bay, at the site of the Memorial Park, from which a panorama extends in three directions from Bayville on the Sound, past Centre Island to Sagamore Hill and the simple cemetery where Roosevelt sleeps. The thousands from New York City and the rest of the state who make this pilgrimage often pass along the route just de- scribed at the rate of 800 to 1,000 automobiles per hour. It is necessary to provide the park not only as a memoria! but to care for the thousands of visitors who already throng the vicinity and who are rapidly increasing in number. 71 “fyasy. hog ayy fo anjq daap qybisg ay, pun ‘suooby ay, m hays ayy fo uoysa}fas ays ‘syjpar Jaana ay} 0} ysvaguor yumrypiag m aboyof yavp Ysuap vp burmasof ysp puv ‘yII09q ‘poombop ‘ajyanskauoy ppm “aanv] ‘saad, Bumosp -M20] PUD SQnAYS UDILADUE aQyDU pajuD]d KjyI14}7 Usaaraqg Jsaa2 ay} MOLL YIDOAGGD Huo] Vv pL puokag pup uwjunof Hwuyjsasayur up aq jam Kou a41ayy uooby] ay, fo pua ay}, yp “uorpisodiuor oy} fo yang youaof ay} fo yon of Siuja payunsy qo} fO ASN ay} PI}DjNI]DI a2vYy $}IA}{YIAD AY] The primary expenditures would, of course, be for the com- pletion of the Memorial Park. In addition it will be necessary to acquire land at various points along the route to Oyster Bay to create a fairly broad parkway with larger park tracts at ap- propriate places. The roadway itself will be taken into the state highway system and widened where necessary, leaving the roadside lands to be developed through the Roosevelt Me- morial Park and Parkway plan. There can be no criticism of the Memorial Park, and the fact that the roads leading to the park are not even state high- ways indicates the necessity for adequate approach. It has been proposed that the trees lining the parkway be each named in memory of one who has died in the military or naval service of our country. It is proposed that the monies for the Roosevelt Memorial Park and Parkway shall be expended by a Commission con- stituted by the legislature to be known as the Roosevelt Me- morial Park Commission, and it is estimated that the million dollars asked for this project will complete the necessary im- provements. A fitting memorial to a great man which also provides means for many thousands to enjoy the wonderful country and beauti- ful waters which he so greatly loved; this is the purpose of the Roosevelt Memorial Park and Parkway. COLONEL ROOSEVELT’S GRAVE 73 Ix OTHER PROPOSED PARK DEVELOPMENTS It is proposed that there be set aside a sum of not less than $750,000 for the further development and connection of state parks other than those provided for in the preceding chapters and for new state parks where population needs require and the appropriate forest lands are available. The committee has not thought it desirable to attempt to recommend every project which should be undertaken through the use of this fund. There are, however, three projects of outstanding importance which should certainly be considered in this connection in ad- vance of other projects, though not to the exclusion of them. One of these projects calls for the extension and development of the Saratoga State Reservation which has enjoyed enormous popularity in spite of inadequate facilities. Another is the pro- posed new tri-state park which will ultimately involve the co- operation of the states of New York, Massachusetts and Con- necticut in the establishment of a park or forest in the Taconic mountain region. A third is the further development of the beautiful John Boyd Thacher Park in the neighborhood of Albany. These projects are briefly described below. EXTENSION OF THE SARATOGA SPRINGS RESERVATION The first white man to use the waters of Saratoga Springs for medicinal purposes was Sir William Johnson. Severely wounded in 1767, he was brought to the Springs by the Mohawk Indians whom he had befriended. From then on the Springs grew in popularity. In 1909 the State appropriated $600,000 for the purchase or condemnation of all the natural medicinal springs of Saratoga Springs and vicinity. An additional $350,000 was appropriated in 1911. In 1915 $99,000 was appropriated for the same purpose. In addition to this, there was appropriated at various times and in different amounts $376,000 which was spent by the Reser- vation Commission for expenses and development previous to the taking over of the Reservation by the Conservation Com- mission in 1916. A considerable part of these monies has been appropriated from a special Saratoga Springs Reservation bond issue. The purchase and restoration of the springs by the state caused a renewed interest in the springs and since then they have grown more and more popular until now 1,500 baths and treatments are given daily during the summer months. 74 The number of treatments from 1915 to 1920 increased from 11,292 to 53,000. The following table of receipts from 1914 to 1920 is in- teresting: 1914, by State Reservation ............... $1,085 .33 1915, by State Reservation ............... 14,891.22 1916, by Conservation Commission ....... 59,518 .05 1917, by Conservation Commission ....... 63,495 .67 1918, by Conservation Commission ....... 81,773.50 1919, by Conservation Commission ....... 103,542.3 1920, by Conservation Commission ....... 68,555.92 (July 1 to December 31—6 months only.) The reservation now comprises about 550 acres of land, 122 wells and springs, and three modern bathhouses, as well as two bottling plants equipped with special bottling machinery. In its report to the Legislature in 1918 the Conservation Com- mission recommended that ‘* an appropriation is requested with which to at least begin construction of a suitable bath house and drinking hall upon the State Reservation at Saratoga Springs.’’ This was renewed in 1919 and 1920. The increased business has proved conclusively that there is a great demand for the therapeutic treatment available there and the people are waiting only for the time when the state will make adequate provision. About 355 acres of land lying south of the Lincoln Park and west of Geyser Park and adjacent to the state properties have AERIAL VIEW OF SARATOGA BATHHOUSES 75 been acquired by private purchase at a cost of about $300,000. This property is now being held for acquisition by the state at the actual cost price plus interest. Preliminary plans were prepared by the State Architect, in co-operation with the Conservation Commission, after a care- ful study of the systems in Europe and a personal visit to some of the spas in the United States. It was found that two things were necessary—a proper bathhouse should be provided for every hydrotherapeutic treatment which the wonderful waters of Saratoga make possible. Secondly, in connection with the treatment, proper hotel accommodations should ultimately he provided where the necessary diet could be furnished for prop- erly administering the treatments. The erection of golf links and tennis courts adjacent to the hotel property is planned to provide the exercise so necessary in therapeutic treatments. Walks through the beautiful reservation furnish the required exercise for those with cardiac trouble. Winter sports are pro- vided in the plan by the erection of a dam in Coesa Creek with a guarantee of sufficient water for skating in winter and with a PROPOSED EXTENSION OF SARATOGA STATE RESERVATION WA WSS goes tity Indicates lands now owned by the Stare, yy, Iadlicates lands to be ocguired, the greater park Li: of which ore held for site to the St fe of cosh "BY = Proposed new Baths and Hotel, WX QP DW WS SO od NSS ta esr a : INSSRRRRA SIO SOUTH WH SS SW SOOQOK]}. I Lg 5 = 8 Vina, Aww G iN > f SKETCH OF PROPOSED SARATOGA RESERVATION EXTENSIONS proposed toboggan slide, snow shoeing and skiing, there would be furnished as much exercise during the winter months as during the summer. Their geographical situation adjacent to the Adirondacks and the dry climate make Saratoga Springs an ideal location for the cultivation of the finest spa in the world. There is no state in the union that compares with the Empire State, and New York should awaken to its opportunity to make use of these natural springs whose recognized curative and medicinal prop- erties would attract people from all over the world. As a first step toward this development the state should pur- chase the necessary land and should begin the construction of a new bath house and drink hall. THE PROPOSED TACONIC FOREST—A TRI-STATE PARK There is a splendid opportunity for the development in the Taconic Forest of a Tri-State Park involving the co-operation of the states of New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut, and some aid from private sources. While this project has not yet reached the point for immediate action, it is one which should be considered in connection with the New York plans, so that funds may be available when the proper time for action comes. The official commissions in both Massachusetts and Con- necticut have seriously discussed the Taconic Forest project for several years. The Connecticut Commission has proposed the Tri-State project as a vitally important feature in the Connecti- cut system, since it includes the highest point in the state and the finest mountain scenery. 7 The tract is a total of about 40,000 acres, shown plainly enough by the mountain contours on sheets of the United States topographical survey—Milbrook and Copake in New York, Shef- field and Cornwall in Massachusetts and Connecticut. It is im- possible to put these four sheets together and escape the signifi- cance of this mountain mass. [See map opposite page 6.] The area is divided into 20,000 acres in Massachusetts, 11,000 in Connecticut, and 9,000 in New York. The New York area is not of any value by itself, but the western slopes are neces- sary to afford adequate fire protection, and it is plainly impos- sible for one of the three states alone to realize the potential value of its share in the whole. The location of the proposed reservation makes the problem somewhat difficult, because it is obvious that the greater part of the public to use such a park will come from New York, while the greater cost of acquisition and development must fall on Connecticut and Massachusetts. There are at present no funds available in Connecticut, either private or public, for land pur- chase. Massachusetts has a forest purchase program, but will normally proceed with more central areas first, and is limited to $5. Connecticut has power, if the funds are available to acquire forest land at $8 or less and parks at any figure re- quired, plus the power of domain for park purposes. It is not at all unlikely that Massachusetts and Connecticut will appro- priate special funds for the Taconic Forest project, but neither state is ready to appropriate large sums for use in another state, or within its own borders for the use of the people of another state. It is therefore necessary that private initiative supply at least part of the funds necessary to insure the co-operation of the three states. There is another superficial obstacle to complete co-opera- tion by the three states in the varying policies to date of each state. Massachusetts has no state parks—the Mt. Everett State Reservation (800 acres within the Taconic tract) is actually a state park, but is not so termed. Connecticut distinguishes sharply between park and forest, and conceives the primary purpose of the forest to be economic, including the growing and harvesting of timber crops, while in New York the park and forest theories are combined in such a way that the park use predominates. The Taconic Forest, lying in three states, might well be developed in such a way that each state would handle its own product in timber, but with close co-operation in the recreational features, and with certain areas reserved for park purposes purely—including all the brooks, lakes and lookonts. Eventually there should be a development of parkways con- necting the park areas. 78 JOHN BOYD THACHER PARK John Boyd Thacher Park, comprising 400 acres on the Hel- derberg escarpment and border- ing on Thompson’s Lake, is the only state park in Albany coun- ty. It is only about fifteen or twenty miles from the capitol. Nothing has been spent on it for permanent improvement since it was given to the state. It needs about $25,000 for a suitable ad- ministration building and about $25,000 more for public conven- iences, roads, paths, bridges, cliff- trails and guard rails. There is not a habitable building in the park and the superintendent lives in a rented cottage outside of the park boundaries. MINE LOT FALL RIM OF ESCARPMENT, JOHN BOYD THACHER PARK 79 NOLVALTSIS INYT YEND aur is mraes| | SnsanT SON SHUULS 0S /0I1C{SYL “UOM nfonay : LMOsUyy UWL Iii LuaMnNON Seyi NOLSONIH LV) Wavzeoy nuvi MO eae fo StayPneg Sistah Mics MONE UPISET| woisnn wosanor| | #2 “ARR SRAGRENS Swit) [30 santana sv [gece a VAVITUA BIS 3SNOH NOLNITO alvis 30 LM3GNALNIY IANS} NOLWINGS 30 1d30 au ] I : — , 5 A poumguon) | ly yy Iya sedbyg By featon|| ar sons | | ene eee [_or-seagsa | _—_ [arsieuarssyumog| [5-smeuarssjuua))| Withee 2 tpussng || Oe [ NOISNWW w3TAnHOS | | 3WoH Hainan] = [o7astuve NMOLMaN] | a5vi109 1nvua| | [aNWIsI Ads] | | WivoLNOW [é = SsBU0ISS/ UMD) | [ § - Ssouarssnmag ] [eS | | “S3U "AVM WAAIH XNOU| [M4 auWS GNWIS! auld SITE porsueg-puyalpy [__ -Stauarssuuny | [s-sauasspuitieg | ee ie MVE ONWTS! FILLS OTST TLV, MaAWaSau STTvd O7a1aNa] |_| WHYd BIVIS ANVORTIY] ween Pane waanLanle cate Maar) | | arerear arze ge Zeer 70H SONUH FSET Hd | aonepauas ry bh A [2 -Ssauorssyunuag | | 4 -Sveworssnuuuog | oe 0 valk HLYOMHOLIT tia reg [MavAWasay N319 SNDALV [wuasau avis vuvovin] | 7 ae eters i NOLYIMIEG LYS MG Apa130S 94ff GL) May JO Spuew +-—______| ANP ett pd sso oO Niled “kWbLS SS 059 THYT se ped pa grey | tee AL3I00S NOLIVARRSaNA Of- Citbissiuues MOLLVIQOSSY TWOIHOUSIH THH 31dWaL 8 - 9HNGMN NOISSIWINOD SIMOLSH ANS NVOIGRY BLVLS MOA MN 3H. pruva auvisuaunt Saaysi va] “SUDGV3H SNOLONINSYM| — | SLNAWNNOW MHDA aK} [iH 40 AGOLSNO 3HLNI] | [40 AGO1SND JHL NI dIHSNVIGOLSNO 40 SNOIINAS SYANOISSINWOD ONY M0138 d31511 S30VN HL 30 3S193X3 OSV S¥391440 SOUYOd SNIMOTIOS SHL SH) ANY AWWO SUL HO MV Aa 31v1S ONIMOTI0S 3HL SLNIOddy HONH3AD9 3HL AQiAOMd SVH SHNIVISIONT 3HL SNOILVAYTISTY NYION! ON/IGNTIN! LON LSFTYILM WAOLSIH INV HAILNTIS “HNIIS JO SIDV Td ONY SHUY¥aS FLYLS SO ADOLSNI UNV NOILVYZINV9YO FHL ONIMOHS LYVHI V XIGNUddV 81 APPENDIX B AN ACT making provision for issuing bonds to the amount of not to exceed fifteen million dollars for the extension and improvement of existing state parks and the establishment of new state parks and parkways in order to create a comprehensive and unified state park system for the promotion of the recreation, instruction and health of the people, and providing for a sub- mission of the same to the people to be voted upon at the general election to be held in the year nineteen hundred and twenty-three. The People ef the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows. Section I—There shall be issued, in the manner and at the times hereinafter recited, bonds of the state in an amount not to exceed fifteen million dollars, which bonds shall be sold by the state and the proceeds thereof paid into the state treasury, and so much thereof as may be necessary expended for the acquisition and improve- ment of lands for state park purposes and the establishment of a unified state park system as hereinafter provided Such bonds when issued shall be exempt from taxation. Section II—The comptroller is hereby directed to cause to be prepared the bonds of this state to an amount not to exceed $15,000,000, such bonds to bear interest at the rate of not in excess of five per centum (5%) per annum, which interest shall be payable semi-annually in the city of New York. Such bonds, or such portion thereof as may be issued, shall be serial bonds payable in equal annual instalments, the first of which shall be payable one year after the date of issue and the last of which shall be payable fifty years after the contracting of the debt. Such bonds shall be sold for not less than par. The comptroller is hereby charged with the duty of selling stich bonds to the highest bidder after advertising for a period of twenty consecutive days, Sundays excepted, in at least two daily newspapers printed in the city of New York and one in the city of Albany. Advertisements shall contain a provision to the effect that the comptroller, in his discretion, may reject any or all bids made in pursuance of such advertisements, and, in the event of such rejection, the comptroller is authorized to re-advertise for bids in the form and manner above described as many times as in his judgment may be necessary to effect a satisfactory sale. Said bonds shall be sold in such lots and at such times as may be required for the purpose of making partial or final payments in accordance with the provisions of this act. The principal and interest on such bonds as the same accrue, shall be paid out of appropriations made therefor pursuant to law. Section III—The proceeds of such bonds, after appropriation or appropriations therefrom by the legislature, shall be applicable to the acquisition of lands for state park purposes within the state of New York and to the making of permanent im- provements thereon as follows, provided that no part of the sum set aside for the State Forest Preserve shall be used for any other purpose than the acquisition of lands within the forest preserve counties, which lands if now owned by the state under existing law, would be part of the Forest Preserve: For the State Forest Preserve......... ccc cece cee cece sees eect eeeeenes $5,000,000 For the Palisades Interstate Park.......... ccc cece e cece cece cence eeees 3,500,000 For the Allegany State Park....... 0... cc ccc ccc ence eee eee cen en eens 2,000,000 For the New York State Reservation at Niagara...................005- 1,000,000 For the: Letchworth Park. 6.1 .occcmamseenway deawanaw avg anya ne pawns ere 500,000 For the Watkins Glen and Enfield Falls Parks and for other parks and parkways in the Finger Lakes region...............c ccc ceueuceuees 250,000 For parkway connections between the Bronx River Parkway and the bridge from Peekskill to Bear Mountain in Westchester County............ 1,000,000 For the extension and development of the Roosevelt Memorial Park as a state park and for a parkway connection between this park and the City of New Yotkiccieaimgi +85 é.qsndnaciwide obasnvivedesinietes enum wuss 1,000,000 For the development and extension of other state parks and the acquisition and development of additional parks, including the further develop- ment of the State Reservation at Saratoga Springs and of the John Boyd: Thacher Park's «os soca sacmennee saa 4 saeerewn Ws Foe. Fs sap ueuenasaiers 750,000 Section IV.—The monies for the State Forest Preserve shall be expended and lands acquired under the direction of the conservation commissioner by and with the advice and consent of the commissioners of the land office. The monies for the extension and improvement of the Palisades Interstate Park shall be expended by the commissioners of the Palisades Interstate Park. Lands shall be acquired by the commissioners of the Palisades Interstate Park under the provisions of chapter one hundred and seventy of the laws of nineteen hundred, as amended. The monies for the extension and improvement of the Allegany State Park shall be expended by the commissioners of the Allegany State Park. Lands shall be acquired by the com- missioners of the Allegany State Park under the provisions of chapter four hundred and sixty-eight of the laws of 1921, as amended. The monies for the extension and improvement of the New York State Reservation at Niagara shall be expended by ' the commissioners of that Reservation. The monies for the Bronx Parkway exten- sions and connections shall be expended by the Bronx Parkway Commission or other- wise as the legislature may determine. The monies for the Roosevelt Memorial Park and Parkway shall be expended by a commission constituted by the legislature, to be known as the Roosevelt Memorial Park Commission. The monies for the extension and improvement of the Letchworth Park shall be expended by the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society; the monies for the extension ' and improvement of state parks in the Finger Lakes region shall be expended by a commission to be constituted as the legislature may determine and the remaining monies for other park extensions and for new parks, including the further develop- ment of the State Reservation at Saratoga Springs, shall be expended under the direction of the conservation commission by and with the advice and consent of the commissioners of the land office, or otherwise as the legislature may determine. The legislature may at any time hereafter provide that the monies as to which it is hereinbefore provided that the expenditure shall be made under the direction of the respective commissions or societies in this section specified, may be expended by any other commissioners that it may designate. : Section V.—The monies appropriated for the acquisition of lands under this act shall be available for the payment of the purchase price where lands are acquired by contract or for payments of judgments and awards in case of purchase by con- demnation. Monies appropriated for the acquisition of forest preserve lands shall also be available for the payment of judgments and awards in case of proceedings by entry and appropriation. Section VI.—The term “lands” as used in this act includes the improvements thereon, if any. All lands acquired under and the state park system contemplated by this act shall be for the use of all the people. Section VII.—Submission of law to people. This law shall not take effect until it shall at a general election have been submitted to the people and have received a majority of all the votes cast for and against it at such election; and the same shall be submitted to the people of this state at the general election to be held in November, nineteen hundred and twenty-three. The ballots to be furnished for the use of the voters upon the submission of this law shall be in the form prescribed by the election law and the proposition or question to be submitted shall be printed thereon in sub- stantially the following form, namely: “Shall chapter (here insert the number of the chapter) of the laws of nineteen hundred and twenty-three entitled ‘An Act making provision for issuing bonds to the amount of not to exceed fifteen million dollars for the extension and improvement of existing state parks and the establish- ment of new state parks and parkways in order to create a comprehensive and unified state park system for the promotion of the recreation, instruction and health of the people, and providing for a submission of the same to the people to be voted upon at the general election to be held in the year nineteen hundred and twenty-three, be approved?’”. 83