Cranberry Lake
Encyclopedia
Cranberry Lake is a lake
on the Oswegatchie River
in the Adirondack Park in New York
in the United States
. It is the third largest lake in the Adirondack Park (after Lake George
and the Great Sacandaga Lake
. About 75 percent of the shoreline is owned by State of New York; the 118000 acres (477.5 km²) Five Ponds Wilderness Area
abuts its south shore, and the Cranberry Lake Wild Forest covers much of its remaining shoreline.
Most of the lake is in the eastern end of the Town of Clifton
, but a small part of the east side of the lake is in the Town of Piercefield
and a small part of the west side of the lake is in the Town of Fine
. The lake is entirely in the south part of Saint Lawrence County, New York.
A peninsula
jutting into the lake from the north contains Bear Mountain and state camping facilities. One end of the Bear Mountain Trail leaves from campsite loop 3. The other end, a trail head with plenty of good parking, is located much closer to the campground entrance. The hike is fairly rigorous, but from start to the top it is only about 1 miles (1.6 km). The lookout spot near the top provides a great view to the south and south west, mainly of Joe Indian and Buck islands (see below). To the west of the peninsula, on a north arm of the lake is the community of Cranberry Lake. On a western arm of the lake in the Town of Fine, is the community of Wanakena
. Wanakena is the location of the New York State Ranger School
.
Several islands are within the lake, the largest being Joe Indian Island and Buck Island. The Cranberry Lake Biological Station is located on Barber Point and is part of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry
. There are several private camps on the southern shore, including on a piece of land called, "Chair Rock". A large rock near there at Barber Point Bio Station bears an engraved memorial for Reuben Wood
, designer of fishing flies
and politician
. There also exists a large camp setting called Wildcliff Lodge (formerly "Hoppies" and then "Verns") that used to have an inn, bar and restaurant. The dining room was actually the former one room log cabin of hermit, "Philo Scott" of Big Deer Pond
. It is now closed. Chair Rock Lodge was another popular dining and lodging establishment on the South Shore. It, too, is closed.
bog
s that it once contained. In 1865, the state authorized the building of a dam on the Oswegatchie that doubled the lake's surface area and killed thousands of trees, the stumps of which still remain in some areas. In 1902, the Rich Bros. Lumber Co. purchased 16000 acres (64.7 km²) on the southwestern shore of Cranberry Lake, and constructed a lumber mill. Housing for the millworkers was built in part from lumber salvaged from the company's abandoned Pennsylvania lumber operation. There were up to 1500 workers at the Rich mill and associated industries.
A logging railroad was constructed connecting Wanakena to the Carthage and Adirondack Railroad at Benson Mines, starting operation in 1905. The railroad allowed tourists easy access to the area. In 1913, a second railroad was built by the Emporium Lumber Company, connecting Cranberry Lake to the New York Central Railroad
.
The Rich Bros. Lumber Co. donated 1800 acres (7.3 km²) in the vicinity of Cranberry Lake to the New York State Ranger School in 1912. Businessman Charles L. Pack donated 1000 acres (4 km²) of what today is the Cranberry Lake Biological Station to the New York State College of Forestry
in 1923. Six years later, in 1929, the International Paper Company donated 500 acres (2 km²) to the Ranger School. By 1940, the state had purchased most of the remaining lands of the former lumber companies.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
on the Oswegatchie River
Oswegatchie River
The Oswegatchie River is a river in northern New York that flows north from the Adirondack Mountains to the Saint Lawrence River at the city of Ogdensburg. The river mouth was the site of a Jesuit mission, Fort de La Présentation, founded in 1749. Also a fur trading post, the village had 3,000...
in the Adirondack Park in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the third largest lake in the Adirondack Park (after Lake George
Lake George (New York)
Lake George, nicknamed the Queen of American Lakes, is a long, narrow oligotrophic lake draining northwards into Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River Drainage basin located at the southeast base of the Adirondack Mountains in northern New York, U.S.A.. It lies within the upper region of the...
and the Great Sacandaga Lake
Great Sacandaga Lake
The Great Sacandaga Lake is a large lake situated in the Adirondack Park in northern New York in the United States. The word Sacandaga means "Land of the Waving Grass" in the local native language. The lake is located in the northern parts of Fulton County and Saratoga County near the south...
. About 75 percent of the shoreline is owned by State of New York; the 118000 acres (477.5 km²) Five Ponds Wilderness Area
Five Ponds Wilderness Area
The Five Ponds Wilderness Area, an Adirondack Park unit of New York's Forest Preserve, is located in the towns of Fine and Clifton in St. Lawrence County, the town of Webb in Herkimer County and the town of Long Lake in Hamilton County...
abuts its south shore, and the Cranberry Lake Wild Forest covers much of its remaining shoreline.
Most of the lake is in the eastern end of the Town of Clifton
Clifton, New York
Clifton is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 791 at the 2000 census. The town takes its name from a mining company.The Town of Clifton is in the south part of the county, within the Adirondack Park....
, but a small part of the east side of the lake is in the Town of Piercefield
Piercefield, New York
Piercefield is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 305 at the 2000 census.The Town of Piercefield is in the southeast corner of the county and is southeast of Canton.- History :...
and a small part of the west side of the lake is in the Town of Fine
Fine, New York
Fine is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 1,622 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Judge John Fine, a businessman involved in settling the town....
. The lake is entirely in the south part of Saint Lawrence County, New York.
A peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
jutting into the lake from the north contains Bear Mountain and state camping facilities. One end of the Bear Mountain Trail leaves from campsite loop 3. The other end, a trail head with plenty of good parking, is located much closer to the campground entrance. The hike is fairly rigorous, but from start to the top it is only about 1 miles (1.6 km). The lookout spot near the top provides a great view to the south and south west, mainly of Joe Indian and Buck islands (see below). To the west of the peninsula, on a north arm of the lake is the community of Cranberry Lake. On a western arm of the lake in the Town of Fine, is the community of Wanakena
Wanakena, New York
Wanakena is a hamlet located on the shore of Cranberry Lake in the town of Fine in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. Tourism is a major industry in the area; a small year-round population is supplemented by an influx seasonal residents each Summer...
. Wanakena is the location of the New York State Ranger School
New York State Ranger School
The New York State Ranger School in Wanakena, New York, was founded in 1912 under the administration of the New York State College of Forestry at Syracuse University, to train forest rangers and other personnel for the still-young Adirondack Park....
.
Several islands are within the lake, the largest being Joe Indian Island and Buck Island. The Cranberry Lake Biological Station is located on Barber Point and is part of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry
State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry
The State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry is an American specialized doctoral-granting institution located in the University Hill neighborhood of Syracuse, New York, immediately adjacent to Syracuse University...
. There are several private camps on the southern shore, including on a piece of land called, "Chair Rock". A large rock near there at Barber Point Bio Station bears an engraved memorial for Reuben Wood
Reuben Wood
Reuben Wood was a Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Ohio. He served as the 21st Governor of Ohio.Wood was born near Middletown, Rutland County, Vermont. While living with an uncle in Canada, he was conscripted into the Canadian Army at the outset of the War of 1812, but escaped across...
, designer of fishing flies
Artificial fly
An artificial fly or fly lure is a type of fishing lure, usually used in the sport of fly fishing . In general, artificial flies are the bait which fly fishers present to their target species of fish while fly fishing...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. There also exists a large camp setting called Wildcliff Lodge (formerly "Hoppies" and then "Verns") that used to have an inn, bar and restaurant. The dining room was actually the former one room log cabin of hermit, "Philo Scott" of Big Deer Pond
Big Deer Pond
Big Deer Pond is located approximately 1.5 west of Lows Lake in the Five Ponds Wilderness Area and the Adirondacks "Bob Marshall Wilderness" area . It serves as a 1/2 mile water-portage between Lows Lake and the upper Oswegatchie River. The portage is a total of 3.5 miles through blowdown of...
. It is now closed. Chair Rock Lodge was another popular dining and lodging establishment on the South Shore. It, too, is closed.
History
The lake was named for the extensive cranberryCranberry
Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus Oxycoccus of the genus Vaccinium. In some methods of classification, Oxycoccus is regarded as a genus in its own right...
bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
s that it once contained. In 1865, the state authorized the building of a dam on the Oswegatchie that doubled the lake's surface area and killed thousands of trees, the stumps of which still remain in some areas. In 1902, the Rich Bros. Lumber Co. purchased 16000 acres (64.7 km²) on the southwestern shore of Cranberry Lake, and constructed a lumber mill. Housing for the millworkers was built in part from lumber salvaged from the company's abandoned Pennsylvania lumber operation. There were up to 1500 workers at the Rich mill and associated industries.
A logging railroad was constructed connecting Wanakena to the Carthage and Adirondack Railroad at Benson Mines, starting operation in 1905. The railroad allowed tourists easy access to the area. In 1913, a second railroad was built by the Emporium Lumber Company, connecting Cranberry Lake to the New York Central Railroad
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
.
The Rich Bros. Lumber Co. donated 1800 acres (7.3 km²) in the vicinity of Cranberry Lake to the New York State Ranger School in 1912. Businessman Charles L. Pack donated 1000 acres (4 km²) of what today is the Cranberry Lake Biological Station to the New York State College of Forestry
History of the New York State College of Forestry
The New York State College of Forestry, the first professional school of forestry in North America, opened its doors at Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York, in the autumn of 1898. After just a few years of operation, it was defunded in 1903, by Governor Benjamin B. Odell, in response to public...
in 1923. Six years later, in 1929, the International Paper Company donated 500 acres (2 km²) to the Ranger School. By 1940, the state had purchased most of the remaining lands of the former lumber companies.