At the Southeast
corner of the Town of Covert is a point of land. This spot has seen a number of
different uses over the years.
In the 1830s
William Carman had his ferry service from “Frog Point” to Lansing. [Snippet May20, 1836]
L. H. Owens of
Trumansburg purchased the site with its warehouses in February 1869, as noted
in the Watkins Express of February 18, 1896. “Mr. L. H. Owen of
Trumansburg…has purchased of Mr. Gregg the Warehouse and other property at
Trumansburg Landing.” It was a destination for shipping goods out of the area. Trumansburg
Sentinel noted that “bushels of wheat and oats” were shipped up the lake to
the canal.
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| L. H. Owen Warehouse at Frontenac Point Interlaken Historical Society photo collection #1609 |
On April 1,
1869, the Watkins Express reported that “L H Owens was appointed post
master at Trumansburg Landing.”
As the property
changed hands, so did the use of the land. It was still a stopping point along
the lake; now
people rather than goods were the focus.
The Farmer
Review reported in the June 8, 1889 issue, “The Hotel Frontenac was
formally opened on Thursday, Travis Band furnished the music.”
 |
| Hotel Frontenac Interlaken Historical Society photo collection #2329 |
Through a
collective effort, land was purchased at Frontenac Point and the building of
camp began.
By July 1927,
the camp was ready and a day of celebration planned.
Among Samuel
Brogan’s dedicatory remarks are these comments.
Our
purpose is to dedicate this property to the eternal welfare of American
boyhood… Our objective is to establish a seat of learning, a practical school
of experience where human contacts will reveal lessons untaught by books… while
vocational in its aspects, is primarily dedicated to the development of the
soul of youth.”
However
soon the time may come when we shall relinquish the direction of this camp to
another generation, I prophesy that the time will not come when the music of
these waves will cease to echo in the memories of Barton's sons, when the voice
of our night shall lose its melody, or the spirit of unselfish service
engendered here shall have passed away; for when our sons, like Odysseus,
behold the rosy fingered dawn, they will stand erect before their Creator,
tasting that divine reverence which leads to an appreciation of all that is
beautiful and true.
This
ground is hallowed. It is dedicated to human progress, and to the divine right
of youth to make each generation better and nobler than the last.
I still recall
my first walk up the gorge to the base of the falls for the OA ceremony many
summers ago. Ten Scouts stood along the trail, with a sign for each of points
of the Scout Law. The Scout Law was something the Webelos had been working on
as they prepared to move from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts.
Over the years I
would visit camp many times, first as a Scout’s parent, then as the parent of a
staff member, as a day camp staff member, and most recently, as a visitor,
sharing with that session’s Scouts information about the Civil War.
The lake, the
food, the times shared there are all a part of each Scout who
has stayed in camp. And yes, “each generation is better and nobler than the
last.”
Dewitt’s Diary
Friday, July 15, 1927
Rain this
afternoon.
We drove down to
the Ice Cream Picnic today at the Baptist Church.
I went out with
Charly Doolittle and caught a young coon. He weighed about 24 pounds. We was
out all night.
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