The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1909-09-10


New York has but recently discov- |
cred a new summer resort right with |
in the metropolitan district. and it is
only just beginning to utilize it. This |
is the Palisades park, which belongs |
Jointly to the states of New York and !
New Jersey and stretches for miles !
along the western bank of the Hud- |
son. The ground from the top OF the !
cliffs to low water mark and several
places at the top of the cliffs were ac-
quired FIVE years ago in order partly |
to stop the destruction of the Pail
sades by stone quarters and partly to
prevent this, the choicest spot around
New York, from getting into the
hands OF real estate dealers, and so
being cut up into building lots and
thus taken away from the general
public.
commission, consisting of 10 New
York and New Jersey business men,
was appointed to look after it and one
or more of these visit the park every
day.
New Workers have just discovered
what an ideal spot this is for camp
ing. All along the shore are tents, in
which boys and men and often wom-
en-, too, are living close to nature. The
debris washed down from the Pail
sades by the waters of the ages has
formed a beach, sandy and smooth In
some places, rocky and overgrown
with trees in others. Upon this beach
any one may pitch tent, except in
few choice spots, where a small fee is
required, but it is necessary for all
to obtain a permit from the commits
sion and also to obey the rules that
are laid down by it.
The beach is reached by boat easily,
but one can walk along the shore from
the Fort Lee ferry. or. better still,
take a trolley car to the turn at Main
street, Fort Lee, and then walk about
a mile along the road in northwest
erly direction and down a flight of
primitive stone steps. There are also
other points further north at which
one can descend the cliffs. Along this
stretch of beach the campers may be
! found. Their tents and fires are Wis
! ible from the far upper west side of
Manhattan, say from about One Hun
dred and Seventy-second street up TO
Spuyten Duyvil. In some tents are
whole families. the father going to
! and coming from business in a motor
| beat and rowing across to and from
Manhattan or walking to and from
Fort Lee or CoytesviIe, N. J. In 9th.
VNfn nf n
one group is a band Of volunteer life
savers, who keep a beacon burning at
night and encourage the boys of the
other camps to learn to swim and
dive. There are boats that may be
hired by the day, week or month.
There is excellent fishing for cells and
crabs; the water, while not quite as
salty as the sea. is more than brack-
ish and the river in many places Is so
shallow that at low tide one may walk
half way across to New York.
Franklin Hopkins, the broker. of
No. % Broad street. is one of the most
active men on the commission that
has charge of this strip of park and
has really made it his hobby. A few
days ago he took the writer in mo-
tor boat for tour of the camps.
Two years ago these hills were in
very, very bad condition" he said.
as he pointed out their beauty. Camp
ers used to come over in whole fami-
lies, set up great tents and take in
boarders. The sanitary conditions
we're appalling and the conditions of
morality were little better. There was
really n canvas tenement district here
fin the woods and vandalism that
showed only too plainly that there
would be few natural beauties along
the shore left IL these people were
permitted to go their own way. To
stop this II was made law that a
camping permit must be obtained and
that no tent could remain up for more
than four weeks out %: any year II
certain rules and laws we're violated
the campers must go, permit or nc
permit.
we have picked six mon who have
lived under the Palisades nearly al
their lives to do the pGtrol.ng and The
work here"
At sight OF a thin spiral OF enck'
sine from amid the trees the capta:i
owed ashore