Brantingham Lake

Brantingham Lake
Jewel of the Adirondacks
Coordinates 43°41′50″N 75°18′45″W / 43.69722°N 75.31250°W / 43.69722; -75.31250Coordinates: 43°41′50″N 75°18′45″W / 43.69722°N 75.31250°W / 43.69722; -75.31250
Type Lake
Surface area 327 acres (1.32 km2)
Average depth 25 ft (7.6 m)
Max. depth 75 ft (23 m)[1]
Shore length1 11 miles (18 km)
Surface elevation 1,234 feet (376 m)
Islands 2
Round Island, Dark Island
Settlements Brantingham, New York
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Brantingham Lake is a 327 acres (1.32 km2) lake, within the Adirondack Park, located east of Brantingham, New York in Lewis County, New York. Home to both seasonal and year-round residents, the lake and surrounding area offer public boating, fishing, hunting, hiking, biking, ATV, horse, and snowmobile trails, the Brantingham Golf Club, and a variety of restaurants including the Pine Tree Tavern, Brantingham Inn Motel, Trailside Inn, Brantingham General Store and Coach Light Inn. During the winter months, the area receives an average 150 inches of snow, making Brantingham a popular destination for winter enthusiasts.[2]

History

Oneida Indians, who called the lake "Fish Lake", ceded most of the land in and around Brantingham to the state of New York by formal treaty on February 22, 1788.

In 1793, Alexander Macomb made an application to purchase more than 3,500,000 acres (14,000 km2) of land at six cents an acre, including all of Lewis County. On April 4, 1794, the land was sold to Thomas Hopper Brantingham of Philadelphia for $23,073, (forty-six cents an acre), however soon after, he executed three mortgages on the land, neglecting to make good on his debts, eventually it was sold again.

John Greig became the next to acquire the land on which Brantingham sits. The town name eventually was changed to Greig, due to the past negative perception of Thomas Hooper Brantingham. Even with this change, the lake and surrounding hamlet kept the name Brantingham.

Geography

Brantingham Lake covers 341 acres (1.38 km2) with eleven miles (18 km) of shoreline. The lake has a maximum depth of 70 feet, and an average depth of 30 feet in accordance with fluctuating yearly water levels. There are two islands present, Grant (or Round) Island, and Dark Island (about three times larger). Two distinct sand bars, each one marked by buoys and one visibly submerged sand bar stemming at the rear of Dark Island are visible. Depending on yearly water levels, these shallow sand bars may only be covered by a few feet of water, requiring caution from boaters. The lake bottom yields little vegetation, but rather is covered by organic matter and sand, making the lake favorable for recreational use during the summer months.

On the southwestern side of the lake, there's an inlet leading to the portion of the lake that is referred to as the "Lily Pond." There are two bridges crossing this inlet: 1) the wood walking bridge nearest Brantingham is a remnant from the Brantingham Hotel, and 2) the concrete bridge where Cottage Road crosses the inlet. Both bridges are navigable by most motor boats, although the height is limited. At the farthest end of the Lily Pond (to the west of the base of "Shady Point") is a small concrete dam used to draw down lake levels from October to May in order to prevent shore erosion and damage to docks during the winter. The water traveling over that dam flows south to the Lake of the Pines, then down Fish Creek and eventually into the Black River.

A variety of fish are present in the lake such as Blue Gill, northern pike, Brown Bullhead, Lake Whitefish, Largemouth Bass, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Rock Bass, White Sucker, and Yellow Perch.

In 1995 a brief severe weather phenomenon, a microburst, caused heavy damage to lake properties and the surrounding landscape.[3]

Surrounding Locations

  • Catspaw Lake – A small lake (beaver pond) north of Brantingham with an abundance of small pickerel
  • Glenfield – A hamlet west of Brantingham, at the Black River
  • Greig – A town bordering the southwestern part of Brantingham
  • Otter Creek – A creek and a hamlet of the same name, north of Greig

Images

References

  1. ↑ Sportsman's Connection (Firm) (2004-01-01), Western Adirondacks New York fishing map guide: includes lakes & streams for the following counties: Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida, St. Lawrence., Sportsman's Connection, ISBN 1885010672, retrieved 2017-05-02
  2. ↑ Lewis County Weather. "Lewis County Weather, USA.com. Retrieved on 2 January 2015.
  3. ↑ National Weather Service Albany NY. "Adirondack Derecho of July 1995, National Weather Service Albany NY, Albany, NY, 15 July 2005. Retrieved on 2 January 2015.
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