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Three Waves: The Story of Lake Ronkonkoma, Long Island, NY
Three Waves The Story of Lake Ronkonkoma Long Island NY Author:Ann Farnum Curtis Lake Ronkonkoma has been called a place of haunting mystery. Indians and white men alike wondered about its source of pure fresh water and its unexplained tendency to rise and fall periodically with no apparent relationship to the local rainfall. Many legends, myths and superstitions about Lake Ronkonkoma were based on the theory that the lake... more » was bottomless. Other legends are based on a forbidden love between a beautiful Indian princess and an English settler who met a tragic end together. The title Three Waves refers to the three groups of people who came to Lake Ronkonkoma and caused dramatic changes. The first wave was caused by the railroad which brought the wealthy and famous to the lake in the late 1800 s and early 1900 s. The second wave came with the automobile which changed the lake to a full-blown summer resort in the 1920 s and 30 s. The final wave was made up of permanent residents who came after World War II. Hundred-year-old deeds, records, historic journals, letters, poems, postcards, dozens and dozens of treasured pictures, shared memories and anecdotes from life-long residents all tell the great story of Lake Ronkonkoma, "The Gem of Long Island".« less