Van Cortlandt Park Lake, ca. 1906

Van Cortlandt Park contains the Bronx's largest freshwater lake. This lake was originally created in the 1690s, when nearby Tibbetts Brook was dammed to power a gristmill. The lake and the surrounding 76 acres of land were owned by Jacobus Van Cortlandt, who served two terms as the mayor of New York City in 1710 and 1719. The city came into possession of the lake and the land that became the park in 1888.

In the late 1890s, the lake was used for boating in the summer, and, while frozen over the winter, for curling and ice skating. By 1935, it is estimated that the lake was used by over 20,000 ice skaters per day during the winter months. The lake is still used for fishing today.