Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-06-29

Rich in historical association and not
ed for its unusual beauty of mountain
and woodland scenery, large tract of
land known as the Sterling property,
lying in Orange and Rockland counties,
in the state of New York, and covering
parts of four townships, has recently
been purchased by party of prOmi-
nent New York men at reported cost
of $3.O0O,0Oo and is to be converted at
cost of several millions of dollars
more into a great residential park,
modelled more or less along English
and continental lines, says the New
York Herald. 1t is to be called Ster-
ling park.
For 200 years the tract has been I'M
divided from the original patent grant
ed by Queen Anne save for Il part
sold to Peter Lorilard in 1914, out of
which the beautiful Tuxedo park has
since been built During this space
the ownership underwent comparative
ly few changes, and there are today
| living in or near the property descend
ants of the first patent holders.
BY purchasing 30 per cent of the
stock of the Sterling Iron and Railway
company, which acquired the land in
| 1865, the present ownership came
about 1t is being continued under
| the old corporate title.
| While the services of the landscape
gardener and the architect are to be
employed in devising certain improve
ments, such as the conversion of n
great stretch of depressed pasture land.
lying in a natural bowl formed by the
Blackjack hills. into an artificial lake
and suuken Italian gardens. for the
most part the property will be left in
the almost primeval state In which 1t
now is.
On the tract. which is eleven miles
long and about three miles wide. there
are several lakes, including at least
two which are several miles in extent.
The estate touches Greenwood lake in
New Jersey. 1t is about forty miles
from New York, TO which it is readily
accessible. and lies in the heart of the
Ramapo mountains
Because OF the sparse habitation the
tract is still the home of many of the
native wild animals. while the numer-
Gus streams abound i'll fish. Roughly
speaking. it lies behind-that is. TO the
west Of-Tuxedo park, and in late
years sites on or near it have been
chosen for the country places of
wealthy New York men.
CIitheroe, once the home of the
daughter of the late Dr. LoomiS, is now
owned by Theodore Price, who is build
ing a costly new home: the large estate
of Mr.. Hartman touches the tract to
the northeast. and Macgrane Coke.
one of the first owners of the land. has
Il large place on its edge. Among the
other estates are those of the late
Abram s. Hewitt, William Pierson
Hamilton and Francis Lynde Stetson.
On the tract there is located one of
the oldest iron mines in the country
Sterling mine, which gives it its name.
In the furnace near by was forged the
great chain that was stretched across
the Hudson river in IT'S to impede
the progress of the British fleet up
stream. To celebrate that historical
event the Daughters of the Revolution
recently unveiled on the ruins of the
furnace tablet in its commemoration
Macgrane Coke made the address, and
on behalf of the owners Mr.. Price ac-
cepted it. Among the tenants of the
new landlords are the residents of the
villages of Lakeville, Elizabeth and
Sterling.
Included in the ownership of the
property is the Sterling railway, which
is about eight miles long and runs from
Sterlington. on the Erie, to the Ster-
ling mine. The more picturesque of the
Ramapo hills are on the land, and with
in IaaS hn lol- oil
two miles long; Sterling lake, one and
Il half miles long; Little Dam lake, Ce-
dar pond, Sterling pond and part of |
the shore of Greenwood lake, which is
eleven miles in length.
Explained by one of the directors, it |
was an appreciation of the growing de- |
sire on the part of the weather. class |
to have their homes amid natural sur |
roundings and at the same time with |
in easy reach of the center of their |
financial activities that brought about |
the present plan. While no definite |
plan of campaign as yet has been out |
lined by the syndicate controlling the |
property, it is known that minimum |
allotment is to be made to purchaser |
Those who answer the qualifications
imposed and are admitted to member
ship must buy certain number of |
acres, with which they may do as they
please provided they do not violate the
restrictions surrounding each transfer. |
To see that the natural almost |
primeval, appearance of the property
is preserved is to be made prime OBJ
jective. There are approximately 90
600 acres included in the tract, which
is about thirty-three square miles, and,
judging from increases in values In
nearby property, when it has passed
through the process of being made
ready it will have n worth of about
S1OOOO.OOO. The old mines on the