this summer. It is pleasantly and conveniently located on the highest 

 portion of the park. On the shore of the lake there is a golf house con- 

 taining 600 lockers. 



Water Sports. — There is a long, narrow lake that covers some 13^2 

 .acres. There are boats and canoes on this for rent. In the winter it is 

 used for skating, the golf house being used as a skate house. Curling 

 matches are also engaged in here. 



Baseball and Other Sports. — There are 23 base ball fields. There 

 are 8 tennis courts : 4 on the Gun Hill Road, 2 on the Parade Field, 2 on 

 the new golf links. During the Fall season the base ball fields are used 

 for football. There is a 120-acre parade ground on the edge of which 

 are two polo fields and a cricket field. A cross-country course has been 

 laid out. 



Colonial Garden. — A very beautiful feature in this park is the for- 

 mal Colonial Garden in front of the Colonial Mansion, comprising about 

 ZYz acres. In the center of it is a handsome marble fountain, surmounted 

 by the coat of arms of the City of New York, and the sides of which 

 represent the coats of arms of the Thirteen Original States. This foun- 

 tain was presented to the City of New York by Mrs. E. M. Thompson, 

 at a cost of from $12,000 to $15,000. 



Van Cortlandt Mansion and Other Historical Features. — The 

 Van Cortlandt Mansion is one of the old houses within the area of 

 Greater New York. It is still in excellent condition. It is in the custody 

 of the Colonial Dames of the State of New York. This society has 

 gathered a very interesting collection of Dutch and Colonial household 

 furniture and utensils, arms and documents. It is open to the public 

 every day in the week except Thursday. 



Historical Associations. — The land comprised in Van Cortlandt 

 Park was originally included in a vast tract, having at first no particular 

 bounds, under the control of the Dutch West India Company. This 

 company acquired a formal title originally from the Indian proprietors, 

 the tribe called the Manhattans, the Indian overlord or chief of which 

 was Tackareek, whose campfire burned on the heights of Nevisane, the 

 region now known as Navesink Highlands. 



The first individual owner of the tract was Adriaen Van der Donck, 

 who acquired it from the resident governor of the Dutch West India 

 Company, Governor Kieft, in 1646. Van der Donck was further required 

 at this time to obtain the consent of the Indians to the formal transfer 

 of the property to him. 



He planned to colonize it and erect there his "bouwerie." 



While he evidently did succeed in cultivating his land to a small 

 extent, his larger plans for its upbuilding were never carried out. He 



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