Twitchell Lake, NY

Someone on the internet reached out and asked me about how I thought Twitchell Lake, NY got its name and I said I would research it. This is that research. In summary, a twitchell is a place between two bodies of water linking them together. Or it was named after a family who settled in the area. Pick whichever story you link to think is the correct one.

Twitchell Lake Research

04/15/2019

1. Excerpts from: “A History of the Adirondacks” by Donaldson, Alfred Lee, 1866-1923. Page 88-89, Chapter XIII “John Brown’s Tract”.

John Brown of Providence, R.I., was born in 1736. He was a great-grandson of Chad Brown, the famous preacher and surveyor, who joined the colony at Providence soon after its settlement by Roger Williams.

His father was James Brown, who married Miss Hope Power, the daughter of another old Providence family. The father died not very long after, and left the widow with a family of six young children to bring up. There has been six boys and one girl, but one of the boys died in childhood and another only lived to be twenty-one. The four (boys) that grew to manhood - Nicholas, Joseph, John and Moses - became leading and distinguished citizens in their State.

Their business training was looked after by their uncle Obadiah Brown, their father’s younger brother, and they all made the most of their opportunities. They and other Baptists founded Rhode Island College in 1764. It was originally located in Warren, ten miles from Providence, but later, in 1770, as a result of lands and funds furnished by the Browns, it was removed to its present site. In 1804, in recognition of the increasing benefactions of various members of the Brown family, the name of the college was changed to Brown University. Nicholas (not the brother but the nephew of John) is said to have given the institution no less than $160,000-a large amount for those days. John laid the cornerstone of the first permanent building on the new site - the present University Hall - and was treasurer of the college for many years.

John Brown’s Tract contains 210,000 acres, and lies east of Watson’s West Triangle and the Brantingham Tract. A Straight narrow strip of it, containing 40,000 acres, is in Lewis County; a triangular peak, containing 3,000 acres, runs into Hamilton County; the remaining 167,000 acres are in Herkimer County, and the tract, according to Mr. Charles E. Snyder, Esq, the lawyer who was used by Dr. Webb when buying the land, comprises one sixth of the total area of that county.

2. From: “ A history of Lewis County, in the State of New York; from the beginning of its settlement to the present time by Hough Franklin Benjamin, 1822-1885, first published in 1860 in Albany by Munsell & Rowland. 

“Denmark”; page 84.

Jesse Blodget was the first settler in Denmark village and arrived with his family in the Spring of 1800. The first male child

“Denmark”; page 85.

In the spring of 1801, the Nathan Mungers (father and son), millwrights, having had their attention called to the Black river country, came down the river and followed up the Deer river to half a mile above the falls where they selected a site for mills, and in that season finished a saw mill and got it in operation. The Proprietors to encourage the enterprise gave them the water proveiege from the High falls up over two miles. In 1803, they got a small grist mill with one run of burr stones in operation, in time to grind the first wheat raised in town as soon as it was in condition for use. The mill stood directly below the upper saw mill in Copenhagen Village, and it’s viciny gradually receiving a number of mechanics acquired the name of Munger’s Mills. 

The first store was opened at this place by Urial Twitchell and the first inn on the hill south, was kept by Andrew Mills. A beaver meadow, now a broad and beautiful intervale just above the village, afforded the first hay used in the settlement.

3. From: ”State of New York Forest, Fish and Game Commission…” List of Lands in the Forest Preserve Purchased 1866 - 1909”; pages 56-57.

Date of Conveyance Dec. 1 1897, certificate number 51, Grantor: Wm Seward Webb and Nehasane Park Association. Herkimer County, John Brown’s Tract, Township 8. 244 acres.

4. From: “Annual report of the Forest Commission of the State of New York” by New York (State) Forest Commission, 1885; pages 165-166.

The Nehasane Park Association.

This organization now holds title to the larger portion of the Adirondack lands purchased by Dr. William Seward Webb, of New York. Its lands are located in Township 8, John Brown’s Tract, and in Townships 37 (* not including the land in Township 37 north of the railroad), 38, 41, and 43, and triangle north of 38 in the Totten and Crossfield Purchase, all in the northern part of Herkimer and Hamilton Counties. The number of acres owned is about 112,000; no land is leased.

The officers are: President, Henry L. Sprague, 15 Broad Street, New York; treasurer, William L. Carden, 51 East Forty-fourth Street, New York; secretary, Charles H. Burnett, 51 East Forty-fourth Street, New York.

The same persons constitute the board of directors.

The association is capitalized at $400,000, divided into 4,000 shares of $100 each; and its membership, at present, is limited to the officers and directors named, and Dr. William Seward Webb. It’s objectives are, substantially, to preserve and cultivate the forest; protect and propagate its game and fish; and to develop and better generally the Adirondacks as a resort for sportsmen and tourists, as well as to preserve, beautify, and improve its streams, lakes and ponds.

Contracts have been made for the removal of the soft or floatable timber (down to the proper diameter limit) on about 30,000 acres of these lands, principally in the Township *; but no timber in Township 8 has been sold around Twitchell Lake, or on the shores of the Fulton Chain. No effort to utilize the hard woods on these tracts has been made.

Page 365-366.

BIG MOOSE GUIDES

MOOSE RIVER - BIG MOOSE LAKE - TWITCHELL LAKE - BIG SAFFORD LAKE - INDEPENDENCE LAKE - FULTON CHAIN - QUEER LAKE - RAQUETTE LAKE.

Richard Crago J. J. Rose

T.J. Rose J. H. Higby

William Dart H. D. Grost

Garrett Riggs Cyrus Wood

Milo Ball William Ball

Robert Roberts.

P.O. Address: Big Moose, Herkimer, Co., N.Y.

5. Routes and rates for summer tours … 1888 by Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad Company; page 51.

Twitchell Lake (2 x ¾), is an interesting body of water, beautified by several islands and islets, and encircled by densely wooded heights. This and Wood’s Lake are especially sequestered, and their solitudes are seldom invaded except by the trapper and adventurous sportsman. The scenery around then is very attractive, and but for the difficulty of reaching them with boats, they would soon become favorite haunts, as game and fish are very plentiful. Both are tributary to Twitchell Creek, a stream entering the Beaver a few rods east of Stillwater.

Hiram Burke (P.O. Lowville), the very efficient guide, has erected a substantial hunting lodge on the north shore of Twitchell Lake, where sportsmen are entertained and furnished with the best fare that the forest affords. When desired, he will conduct his gusts (no better woodsman than he) to the various choice sporting grounds which lie in the neighborhood.

6. State of New York, First Annual Report of the New York State Conservation Commission 1911, Volume I, Divisions of Lands and Forests and Fish and Game, printed in 1912. “Examination of Waters”; page 207-209.

In accordance with a request of Commissioner Austin, I went to Twitchell Lake, three miles from Big Moose, in Herkimer county, on October 21, 1910, and remained until the night of October 23rd for the  purpose of reporting on the character of the lake and the question of screening it’s outlet.

A number of property owners around Twitchell Lake, resident and nonresident, wished to place a screen at the outlet, to prevent the rainbow trout from escaping into Twitchell Creek. A thorough examination of the lake, it’s small tributaries and the outlet led to the opinion that no screen should be introduced. It would be against the general policy of the Commission to permit such obstruction in the stream; and iot would not accomplish the object desired by the petitioners as well as the better policy of stocking the streams and lakes tributary to Twitchell Lake, and the reduction of the few rock obstructions which now interfere with the free ascent of trout through the upper waters of Twitchenn Creek into the lake. The rapids in the first one-eighth mile of the course of Twitchell Creek could easily be overcome by means of an inexpensive fishway to supplement the natural fish ladder which now appears almost complete in the creek. A few sticks of dynamite, properly used, in the rock bed would remove the obstructions to such degree as to make it possible for trout to go up into the lake.

From personal observation and from information obtained from residents Twitchell Lake, at present, contains nothing but brook trout, lake trout, and chubs, the chub is the common horned dace, or fallfish, Semotilus atromaculatus. This fish appears to be starved, probably because it has increased in numbers too rapid for the natural food supply. The troup feed upon this fish. The black nosed dace is said to live in this lake also; but we were unable to find it.

Twitchell creek is about twelve miles long, and it flows into Beaver river. Twitchell Lake is of glacial origin, and lies at the elevation of 2,050 feet. It contains a few species of water plants, relatives to the water lilies, also a plant resembling eel grass and a bushy species which is sell adapted for the shelter of young trout and the natural food of trout. The water is clear and cold and is well stocked with insects and crayfish. The comparatively shallow depth of water, about forty feet at the maximum, is unfavorable to the prosperity of the lake trout, although there are some fish if that species in the lake. There is no reason why the lake should not support a larger number of brook trout and rainbow trout.

The shores of the lake include few beaches, and the bottom is hard and covered with pebbles and boulders of various sizes. There are a few large glacial boulders in the lake and the headwaters of Twitchell Creek exhibit a great jumble of immense boulders and rock ledges.

In order to improve the fishing it would be best to increase the stock in the lake itself and to plant rainbow trout in Oswego ponds, Lilypad pon, Little Birch pond, all of which empty into Twitchell Lake, and in several small streams flowing into the head of the lake. This restocking with brook trout and rainbow trout will no doubt accomplish the object of the petitioners better than the introduction of a screen. …

Yours Truly, W.M. Dick.