Theodore Roosevelt County Park
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Theodore Roosevelt County Park (formerly Montauk County Park) is just east of Montauk, New York and includes:
- Montaukett Village where the Native Americans originally settled and home of Chief Wyandanch and Stephen Talkhouse
- Deep Hollow Ranch - The first cattle ranch in the United States established in 1658
- Third House - There were only three houses on the eastern tip of Long Island in the 1700s. This was the third one going from west to east. It became the home of Arthur Bensen who bought the land in the 1880s forcing the Montauketts off it.
- Camp Wikoff where Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders as well as 28,000 soldiers were quarantined after returning from the Spanish-American War in 1898.
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[edit] Montaukett Village
The Montaukett tribe originally occupied this area of Long Island. In the late 1600s Chief Wyandanch gave much of the south fork of Long Island to Lion Gardiner. The tribe remained in area. The ruins of a sweat lodge and part of the village are still visible. Stephen Talkhouse, whose 30-50 mile round trip walks inspired the Paumanok Path, is buried here.
[edit] Deep Hollow Ranch
Deep Hollow Ranch claims to be the birthplace of the American cowboy after being founded as a cattle ranch in 1658. It has been operating continuously ever since and now offers horse and hay rides. At its peak 6,000 cattle, horses and sheep roamed the land.
[edit] Third House
In the 1700s three houses were on the eastern tip of Long Island running from west to east. First House in Napeague, New York was to burn, Second House is near the populated center of Montauk and now operates as a museum and Third House operated as the headquarters of Deep Hollow Ranch. In 1879 Arthur Bensen bought virtually all of the land on the eastern end from Napeague to Montauk Point. He made Third House his home. The purchase was to force the Montauketts off the island. He hoped to make the area a resort after Austin Corbin extended the Long Island Rail Road to Montauk.
[edit] Camp Wikoff
Bensen's plans failed to work out and he sold much of the land to the federal government for Army, Navy and eventually an Air Force bases.
Camp Wikoff which was used to quarantine soldiers including Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders at the conclusion of the Spanish-American War.
Camp Wikoff, named for Col. Charles A. Wikoff of the 22nd U.S. Infantry who was killed in the San Juan Heights assaults, was constructed on five thousand acres (20 km²) of land.
Camp Wikoff was to eventually be broken up. However in World War II sections of the Camp were to be used for massive gun emplacements and concrete observation bunkers as part of the New York coastal defense. During the Cold War a huge radar was built at the Camp Hero section. Three state parks which still include portions of the federal military complex and its infrastructure have emerged:
Other portions of the camp were sold to private developers.
Third House, formerly Camp Wikoff headquarters, now serves as the park headquarters and contains a Spanish-American War exhibit with photo and memorabilia from the war and Roosevelt’s disbanding of the Rough Riders. Camp Wikoff is open to the public May through October.
[edit] External links
- Theodore Roosevelt County Park is at coordinates Coordinates:
