By Bill Burk
Drive the north coast of Chautauqua Lake along Route 430. You’ll come up on the entrance to Long Point State Park. Turn in, past the “Welcome” sign, and the reception shack. Weave through the tree-lined corridor, bordered by a bike path on one side, a deciduous forest on the other. Chautauqua Lake appears before you, like a watery revelation.
Or, if you’re able, pull your boat in at the public dock at the state park, in the bay defined by the shoreline and “the point”. Coming from the Bemus narrows, you’ll see the Long Point peninsula cut into the lake, a finger of land reaching to touch the west-side coastline.
Now picture the same drive, but instead of the welcoming New York State public park kiosk, there’s a guard shack operating a thick iron gate. The gates are closed. If you don’t have the access code, an RFD transponder, or your name on a guest list, you don’t get in. Past the shack you see condominiums, a resort rising and flowing down to the lakefront (where you’re not welcome either).
If you were to choose the most valuable stretch of waterfront on Chautauqua Lake, from an esthetic and distinctive position, you’d be hard pressed to pick a place other than Long Point State Park. “The Point”, is a glacial till that adds a unique contour interrupting the predictable linear shoreline that starts the northern basin of the lake. The mile or so of lakefront property there frames the 360 acres of land that is the park. It’s acreage would have developers licking their chops, were they able to get their hands on it.
Fortunately, for lake visitors and conservation-minded people, they can’t. There won’t be any gates keeping the public from the shores and woods and trails of the park any time soon. Of the 41.2 miles of Chautauqua shoreline, only about 1.4 remains in natural condition, all but 2.6 are privately owned. Long Point State Park features a big part of that with the peninsula, the beachfront and marina.
Long Point State Park was formed by two separate gifts to New York State. The original owners of the land had the foresight, and money, to ensure there wouldn’t be commercial development of the property. Until 1956 most of Long Point was owned by the Minturn family. Mrs. Minturn was the granddaughter of former state governor Rueben Fenton, and the family estate made the initial donation to the state parks department, complementing the gift to the city of Jamestown of the Fenton home that is now the Fenton Historical Society building.
The second gift expanded the park to its current footprint several years later when the estate of Bainbridge Colby donated property. Colby was the United States Secretary of State under Woodrow Wilson in 1920 (after which he practiced law in New York State, notably representing Mark Twain).
Today the park, located in the town of Ellery, Hamlet of Maple Springs, is considered a National Natural Landmark with a varied ecosystem including wetlands, forest and lakeshore wildlife. Over a hundred-twenty species of bird have been catalogued. There is a sand beach with a beach house, one of the oldest structures on the lake. There are miles of trails throughout the densely wooded park, suitable for hiking, winter snowshoeing and snowmobiling. The boat launch is one of the most modern on the lake, with gas pumps, showers, a marine pump-out, and a small store selling refreshments and bait. An upper quad overlooks the beach and marina with a playground, and picnic conveniences. Pavilions can be rented daily and can accommodate up to 144 guests. Boat slips are available at the marina. Overnight camping is not permitted at the park, but you can bring your pet, provided they’re leashed. The park hosts over 50,000 guests yearly.
For more information visit; www.newyorkstateparks.com.