The
History of Greenwood Lake
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Greenwood
Lake is located in Orange County, New York. It is Northwest of New York City (
50 miles ). The community of Greenwood Lake has a nine mile long lake. It is fed
by springs and brooks. The lake covers two states, New York and New Jersey.
The Dutch came from New Amsterdam around 1689 and settled in the Dutch Hollow
area of Greenwood Lake.
Greenwood Lake was a popular place for vacationers from the New York City area
in the late 1800’s and the early 1900’s. Vacationers came to Greenwood Lake
by way of the Erie Railroad and horse and buggy. Once they got to Greenwood
Lake, steamboats met them at Sterling Forest. The names of the steamboats were
Montclair, Anita, and Arlington. The largest was the Montclair. It could hold
200 passengers The Montclair was a double-decker steamboat with a paddle wheel
on the side. When autos became popular, the steamboats became obsolete.
An important event that happened in Greenwood Lake was the first successful
delivery of mail by rocket on February 23, 1926.
Today people visit Greenwood Lake to go boating, swimming, jet & water
skiing, fishing, ice-skating, ice-fishing, and snow sledding.