Three Mile Point facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Three Mile Point |
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 Location in New York Adirondack Park
Location in the United States
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| Location | North of Cooperstown, New York |
| Coordinates | 42°44′29″N 74°54′31″W / 42.74139°N 74.90861°W |
| Offshore water bodies | Otsego Lake |
| Elevation | 1,207 feet (368 m) |
| Topo map | Cooperstown |
Three Mile Point, also known as Wild Rose Point, is a piece of land that sticks out into Otsego Lake. It's like a small peninsula. You can find it in the town of Otsego in Otsego County, New York.
This spot is located north of the village of Cooperstown. You can get there easily by using State Route 80. In the summer, it's a popular public swimming beach. It has changing rooms, a picnic area, and a covered pavilion for everyone to enjoy. When winter comes, it becomes a convenient parking spot for people who like to go ice fishing on the lake.
Contents
History of Three Mile Point
Early Ownership and Public Use
In 1836, a famous writer named James Fenimore Cooper came back to Cooperstown from Europe. He owned Three Mile Point. He noticed that people were using his land as if it were public property. There was also a lot of damage, which is called vandalism.
In 1842, Cooper wrote about this in a magazine. He said that people had cut down a special tree. This tree had a strong connection to his father, and Cooper would not have allowed it to be cut for any reason.
The Cooper Family's Concerns
James Fenimore Cooper wanted Three Mile Point to stay with his family. When he passed away in 1851, the land went to his son, William Cooper. William was also upset about the damage to the property.
In July 1837, William put an announcement in a local newspaper called the Freeman's Journal. It warned the public not to trespass on Three Mile Point. He stated that the public had no right to the land. Any use of it had only been allowed by the kindness of the owners.
Public Reaction and Legal Battles
Many people in Cooperstown believed that Judge Cooper, James Fenimore Cooper's father, had given the land to the community. They were very angry that the Cooper family was trying to close off the point. A public meeting was held where people spoke out against James Fenimore Cooper. They asked for his books to be removed from the village library.
Newspapers in New York used this story to criticize Cooper. They called him an "aristocratic snob." Cooper then sued these newspapers for writing false or harmful things about him. These successful lawsuits helped shape libel law in New York. Libel law deals with written statements that unfairly damage someone's reputation.
Three Mile Point in Literature
James Fenimore Cooper even wrote about this situation in his novel Home as Found. In the book, he called Three Mile Point "Fishing Point." The story shows the differences between city life in New York City and life in Cooperstown, as Cooper saw them. The main family in the book, the Effinghams, had the same argument over the point as Cooper did in real life. In chapter 14, they discuss it, saying, "That point has been ours ever since civilized man has dwelt among these hills; who will presume to rob us of it?"
Becoming a Public Park
Three Mile Point stayed with the Cooper family for many years. Eventually, it passed to William Storrs Cooper. In 1871, he rented the land to the Village of Cooperstown.
Later, in 1899, people raised money to buy the point for the village. Since then, it has been a public park for everyone to enjoy. In 1904, the northern part of the point was bought by Adolphus Busch. He built a boathouse there. In 1928, the Busch family offered to trade some of their land further up the lake for the rest of Three Mile Point. However, the village trustees of Cooperstown quickly turned down this offer.
Three Mile Point in The Deerslayer
Three Mile Point is an important location in James Fenimore Cooper's famous novel, The Deerslayer.
Hetty Hutter's Journey
In the story, a character named Hetty Hutter docks her boat at Three Mile Point. She is trying to find the Huron Indian camp, which is further south at Muskrat Cove. Hetty goes to the camp to ask for her father to be set free.
Deerslayer's Capture and Rescue
Later in the novel, Three Mile Point is where the Huron Indians set up their second camp. Here, Chingachgook manages to rescue Hist (Wah-ta-Wah). He also tries to save Deerslayer, but Deerslayer is captured by the Huron.
A Detailed Description
Cooper describes Three Mile Point in great detail in Chapter 16 of The Deerslayer:
The whole projection into the lake contained about two acres of land, and the part that formed the point, and on which the camp was placed, did not compose a surface of more than half that size. It was principally covered with oaks.... Beneath, except the fringe of thick bushes along the shore, there was very little underbrush.... The surface of the land was tolerably even, but it had a small rise near its centre, which divided it into a northern and southern half.... A brook also came brawling down the sides of the adjacent hills, and found its way into the lake on the southern side of the point. It had cut for itself a deep passage through some of the higher portions of the ground, and, in later days, when this spot has become subjected to the uses of civilization, by its windings and shaded banks, it has become no mean accessory in contributing to the beauty of the place.... There was a delicious spring on the northern side of the point....
