Golden Hill State Park

“Golden Hill State Park is located in Niagara County, [New York] on the south shore of Lake Ontario.” It features 5.5 miles of nature trails, in addition to 55 campsites, 6 yurts, and a 3-bedroom lighthouse cottage that can be rented year-round. Although it didn’t officially open until 1962, Golden Hill State Park contains a treasure trove of history.

At Golden Hill, just walking the shore of Lake Ontario is like walking the shore of history. “The beach is made of Queenston shale, an iron rich stone made from the eroded rock of the Taconic mountain range. One of the oldest sedimentary rocks in NY state, it contains no fossils, because when it was formed, life did not yet exist [t]here.”

Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse stands ashore more than 60-feet tall and proud of its maritime history. Built in 1875 of cut stone, the lighthouse warned mariners of “a rocky shoal and shifting sandbar in Lake Ontario.” Its navigational light could be seen from 18 miles away. And oh, how this light was needed! Several disastrous shipwrecks occurred off Thirty Mile Point before the lighthouse was built. 

In 1780, for example, a freak Halloween storm sank the H.M.S. Ontario, a British warship that was navigating the treacherous waters during the Revolutionary War. It carried 88 passengers and, it’s believed, 30 American prisoners of war. There were no survivors. The next day, compasses, hats, blankets, and other debris washed ashore in the area known today as Golden Hill State Park. In June 2008, 228 years after the sinking of the Ontario, two shipwreck enthusiasts discovered the well-preserved vessel in its watery grave. 

What are tales of shipwreck without buried treasure? “In 1834, a local farmer named Daniel Cartwright was herding cattle along the creek that empties into the lake near Thirty Mile Point, when he saw men row ashore from an anchored ship and unearth a chest from the creek bank.” Cartwright believed “[t]he secreted bounty” was gold that had been buried by shipwreck survivors. So too did all the treasure hunters who later came to the area in search of more hidden gold! 

Some speculate that this is how the park got its name. It’s more likely that the name Golden Hill, as found on early French maps, originates from a small island that once existed at the mouth of the creek. In the fall, the island was covered in goldenrod blossoms which, in the afternoon sunlight, would have resembled a hill of gold to approaching explorers. 

Today’s explorers can enjoy “camping, fishing, boating, shoreline hiking, picnicking, nature walks and walking tours of the lighthouse site.” Golden Hill State Park is part of the Great Lakes Seaway Trail and was named one of Reserve America’s Top Outdoor locations in 2005.

Hope L. Russell, Ph.D.