Van Cortlandt Park

By A Mystery Man Writer

At 1,146 acres, this northwest Bronx park provides active recreation alongside a natural wilderness. The glaciated terrain, marked by steep ridges and vales, was consolidated by the Van Cortlandt family beginning in 1694. Over time their improvements on the land included the construction of a 16-acre lake, the family mansion in 1748, and the 41-mile Croton Aqueduct in 1837, which brought freshwater from farther upstate. In 1888, the City of New York purchased the land, naming the parkland after the Van Cortlandts in 1913.