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 Beaver Island State Park - Grand Island, NY Posted by:  Rayman
N 42° 58.004 W 078° 57.605
17T E 666362 N 4759138
Beaver Island State Park is one of the Buffalo/Niagara area's finest parks and offers many recreational activities.
Waymark Code: WM29JB
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 09/27/2007
Views: 149
Beaver Island State Park is located on Grand Island, in the Niagara River between Buffalo and Niagara Falls. Research has dated campsites used by early peoples on Grand Island to 3500 years ago. Grand Island was called "Owanungah" by the Neuters, "Ga-We-Not" by the Senecas who conquered them, and "La Grande Isle" by the French Explorers.
The great oak forests of Grand Island brought commercialization and the saw mill town of Whitehaven became a center for wood for barrel staves. In 1833 the East Boston Company of Massachusettes bought 16,000 acres of woodland and stripped the island of it's oak forests to be used in building clipper ships. By the mid 1800s lumbering had given way to expansive cattle ranches, grand hotels and magnificient homes.
Remnants of the past make up the 952 acre Beaver Island State Park. One of the most significant structures in the park is River Lea, home of cattle rancher and farmer Lewis F. Allen, uncle of Grover Cleveland. Built in 1849, Mr. Allen's farm formed the nucleus of land designated in 1935 as Beaver Island State Park. The Civilian Conservation Corps contributed significantly to the early development of the park including the popular Casino-Bathhouse which was destroyed in October 1992 by fire.
During the winter months, the park is open for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing and also contains a sledding hill. Snowmobiling by permit across the frozen ground or ice fishing along the shore are also popular. In the summer, the half-mile long sandy beach is one of few in the Buffalo area. Cabana and chair rentals are available on the beach. The river offers opporunities for fishing, boating and windsurfing.
The golf course here is a USGA approved championship 18-hole public course. It is a 6770 yard long par-72 course with tree-lined fairways and sand traps. It is open from mid-April to mid-November. The Blue Heron disc golf course opened in 1999 is almost 4000 yards long. Disc sales and rentals are available in the park office.
The park has five major picnic areas with shelters, tables and grills. Shelters are reservable for summer dates by calling the park office after January 1.
Park Type: Day Use
Activities:
Golfing, disc golf, hiking trails, fishing, boating, picnicing, cross-country skiing, swimming, sledding, snowmobiling,
Park Fees: Not listed
Background:
See long description.
Date Established?: 1935
Link to Park: [Web Link]
Additional Entrance Points: Not Listed
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