Rockland Lake State Park is a state park located in the hamlets of Congers and Valley Cottage in the eastern part of the Town of Clarkstown in Rockland County, New York, United States. The park is located on a ridge of Hook Mountain above the west bank of the Hudson River. Included within the park is the Rockland Lake.

Development of the park as part of the Palisades Interstate Park system began in 1958. Rockland Lake State Park is functionally part of a continuous complex of parks that also includes Hook Mountain State Park, Nyack Beach State Park, and Haverstraw Beach State Park.

Ice production

thumb|Cutting Ice, Rockland Lake, New York, [[Andrew F. Bunner, circa 1890]]

Prior to the establishment of the park, Rockland Lake served as an important supplier of ice to New York City after the Knickerbocker Ice Company was established on the lake's northeastern bank in 1831. Rockland Lake eventually became known as the "Icehouse of New York City", with a reputation for having the cleanest and purest ice in the area.

During the 1850s, the Knickerbocker Ice Company operated a dozen steamboats, 75 ice barges, and employed 3,000 people. Ice harvests typically began in January, and blocks of ice were stored in large icehouses before being shipped to customers during warmer weather. The icehouses, insulated with sawdust, could store up to 50,000 tons of ice.

The Knickerbocker Ice Company closed in 1924. In 1926, workers who were demolishing one of the ice houses accidentally set fire to the structure's sawdust insulation. The fire spread extremely quickly and destroyed much of the village of Rockland Lake.

See also

  • List of New York state parks

References

  • New York State Parks: Rockland Lake State Park
  • Palisades Parks Conservancy: Rockland Lake State Park
  • The Friends of Rockland Lake and Hook Mountain, Inc.
  • NY-NJTC: Rockland Lake State Park details and trail info