60 



THE BOROUGH OF THE BRONX 



is also used for athletic sports of all kinds, particularly baseball, 

 golf and polo. 



The parade ground is the site of Adrien Van der Donck's 

 Planting Field (1653), where he located his bouwerie. Van der 

 Donck had been sheriff of Rensselaerswyck, but his young, newly- 

 wedded wife persuaded him to remove to Manhattan. Before he 

 had completed his arrangements for removal, his pretty cottage 

 burned down ; and, as it was in the depth of an inclement winter 

 (1647), Van Corlear invited his houseless neighbors to share his 

 hospitality. A quarrel soon arose because the host insisted that 



Van Cortlandt Vault, Van Cortlandt Park 



Van der Donck was bound to make good to his patroon the value 

 of the lost house. Van der Donck retorted sharply, and was orderd 

 from the house. Kieft, who was indebted to him for a large amount 

 of borrowed money, permitted him to purchase from the Indians a 

 large tract of land, now part of Van Cortlandt Park, and granted 

 him the privileges of patroon. This took the name of Colen Donck, 

 on Donck's Colony. Many of the Dutch were in the habit of calling 

 this estate de Jonkheer's Landt, Jonkheer being a title which in 

 Holland was applied to the sons of noblemen. The English cor- 

 rupted it and called it "Yonkers," whence the name of the town 

 north of Van Cortlandt Park. 



Van Cortlandt Lake comprises about seventy-five acres and 

 during winter offers opportunity to ten or fifteen thousand skaters, 



