.^Jay 3, 1913 
FOREST AND STREAM 
567 
The Orchard Lake Club 
Being the second of a series of articles covering hunting and fishing clubs in the United 
States and Canada. First of this series appeared recently under the caption, “The Pipe 
of the Piping Rock,” treating of the Piping Rock Club, of Locust Valley, Long Island. Sec¬ 
retaries of clubs are invited to submit articles describing their clubs with a view to appear¬ 
ing in this series. 
ORCHARD LAKE. 
Within a six hours' journey of New York 
city, by railroad, wagon route and up-grade all 
the way, there is a sixty-acre lake which is just 
coming into its own as a reserve for enviable 
trout fishing. It is Orchard Lake. Sullivan 
county, in the foothills of the Catskills, owned 
and controlled by the Orchard Lake Club, of 
New York. Large gamy brook trout, from 
all reports, rise there throughout the season 
with encouraging rapidity, if only the angler is 
fortunate enough to select the proper fly. 
Orchard Lake was known to many New 
Yorkers as an exclusive fishing preserve as long 
ago as fifteen years. Two years ago the prop¬ 
erty. including 500 acres of timber land, was 
taken over by the Orchard Lake Club, com¬ 
posed of about fifty well-known business and 
professional men and have a board of gov¬ 
ernors selected from New York city. 
Aside from its resoursefulness for fly-fish¬ 
ing, Orchard Lake is one of the successful trout- 
propagating preserves. The lake is filled with 
native brook trout and the stock is replenished 
annually from a hatchery situated a short dis¬ 
tance above the lake on a little mountain 
stream. 
Orchard Lake is reached by New York, 
Ontario & Western from the West Shore 
terminal to Livingston Manor, a four-hours' 
trip, thence eight miles over hill and dale in a 
wagon. The elevation is 2,100 feet above sea 
level. From the departure outside of the city 
environs, at the juncture with the scenic Hud¬ 
son to the approach of the wagon trail's end 
at the club house on a hillock overlooking the 
beautiful lake, the atmosphere is that which 
the tired-out business man hails as one of rural 
sublimity. A winding macadam road follows 
the Willowemoc River, and leads to the old 
wagon road at the mouth of Sprague Brook. 
P'rom that point on more ox-teams than auto¬ 
mobiles are met. I he road climbs through the 
woods beside the brawling brook to the club 
propert3c In the spring and summer rabbits 
bob from the roadside, and in winter both 
deer and bear frequent the trails to the ponds 
and streams in the forest. 
There are few preserves in the Catskills 
where the natural characteristics have not been 
marred by commercializing in one form or an¬ 
other. This is not true of Orchard Lakei The 
forests verge the lake directly on three sides, 
and the old woodmen trails serve as the only 
short cuts through the dense overgrowth. On 
the fourth side a grassy approach leads to the 
club house and other buildings over the brook, 
which^ feeds the lake. boat house stands on 
this end of the lake and looms up on the ap¬ 
proach to the club's reservation, as the first sign 
of the encroachment on nature. The wagon trail 
leads directly alongside this boat house. 
Of unusual interest is the club's provision 
for the entertainment of the members' wives 
and families as well as their guests. In addition 
to the main club house, a cottage arran.ged on 
the apartment plan, has recently been fitted tip 
for extended house parties. An important ad¬ 
junct to the club is its clay pigeon traps, and 
among the members are many upper register 
aerosaticer exterminators, who while away many 
pleasant hours cracking the elusive clay discs. 
Bathing in the summer time is delightful. 
Beyond the club house and surrounding build¬ 
ings, the forest again stretches for miles. From 
the lake, therefore, the angler can see the forest 
in all directions, rising gradually to the peaks of 
a range which conforms in almost every detail 
to the outline of the irregularly shaped trout 
lake. On one of the highest points, a quarter 
.'f a mile from the club house, is a spring of 
clear, sparkling water, which supplies all the 
club buildings by gravity. 
The preserve and club house is open to 
members of the club and their guests from May 
I until Oct. I. 
Officers of the club are: William W. 
Harrison, President; Milton H. Yale, Vice- 
President: Chas. S. Kneeland. Secretary and 
Treasurer. Board of Trustees; Term ending 
1914—Louis Stearns. Adol]di Victor, Frank S. 
Smith: term ending 1913—Robeson L. Low, 
George Hodgman. Milton II. ^'ale; term ending 
1916—William W. llarrison, C. Eustace Knee- 
land. 
THE HATCHERY. 
