- Palisades Interstate Park Commission
Infobox_nrhp | name =Palisades Interstate Park
nrhp_type = nhl
caption =Lake Kanawauke inHarriman State Park .
location=Fort Lee, New Jersey and SoutheasternNew York
area =
built =1900
architect=
architecture=
designated=January 12 ,1965 cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=676&ResourceType=Site
title=Palisades Interstate Park|date=2007-09-18|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service]
added =October 15 ,1966
governing_body = State
refnum=66000890 cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]Palisades Interstate Park and its creator, the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, was formed in 1900 by governors
Theodore Roosevelt ofNew York andFoster M. Voorhees ofNew Jersey in response to the destruction of the Palisades by quarry operators in the late 19th century. The Palisades are the cliffs on the west bank of theHudson River across from and continuing north ofManhattan island. The Commission consists of ten commissioners, five appointed by each Governor, who serve staggered five-year terms.In 1912, George W. Perkins was appointed chairman of the newly formed Commission by governor Roosevelt. He hired Major
William A. Welch as assistant engineer, and in 1914 named him chief engineer and general manager. Under Welch's leadership, the Palisades Interstate Park grew from the initial 10,000 acre (40 km²)Bear Mountain State Park to the more than 40,000 acre (162 km²)Harriman State Park . By 1919 nearly a million people a year were coming to the park.When work started on the Park there were no existing models or precedents for an endeavor of its nature and scope. Welch organized a massive reforestation program, built 23 new lakes, 100 miles (160 km) of scenic drives and 103 children's camps, where 65,000 urban children enjoyed the outdoors each summer. He helped found the
Palisades Interstate Park Trail Conference and served as chairman of theAppalachian Trail Conference .The Palisades park system has been expanded over the years; it now includes 24 parks and eight historic sites, covering over 100,000 acres (405 km²) along more than 20 miles (32 km) of Hudson River shoreline and beyond: the Commission also oversees
Minnewaska State Park Preserve . The commission also operates thePalisades Interstate Parkway , built between 1947 and 1958.The
Palisades Interstate Park was designated aNational Historic Landmark in 1965. The area included in the landmarking is the Palisades Park in New Jersey, the Palisades Park in New York State, and the Tallman Mountain State Park in New York State.,cite web|url=PDFlink| [http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Text/66000890.pdf "Palisades Interstate Park", May 30, 1975, by Richard Greenwood] |442 KiB |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination|date=1983|publisher=National Park Service]References
Other Sources
*Myles, William J., "Harriman Trails, A Guide and History", The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, New York, N.Y., 1999.
External links
* [http://www.pipc.org Palisades Interstate Park Commission]
* [http://www.njpalisades.org/ New Jersey Palisades]
* [http://www.waterwire.net/Resources/archives.cfm?ContID=1702 Waterwire.net summary of the Palisades Interstate Park]
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