A Tour Around Shinnecock and Peconic Bay
by Jodi Chan
 |
| On the R/V in Shinnecock Bay! |
One of the most exciting things about studying at Southampton is its proximity to water and the adventures that await us! Our first boat trip around the Shinnecock and Peconic bays did not disappoint and we learned a great deal about Long Island’s dense history. It’s fascinating to hear the stories behind the things we pass by and see every day.
When you hear “Long Island Rail Road,” what do you think of? The sleek, fast train system runs all over the body of the island, connecting parts of the New York City boroughs to the tips of each fork. Countless times have I used the LIRR, but never have I truly thought about its history. It’s the oldest United States railroad that is still in use today and was actually built in the 1800s as a way for commuters to travel between New York City and Boston. Previously, people would have had trouble travelling through the difficult topography of Connecticut. Unlike today’s widespread network, the LIRR only ran down the middle of Long Island and lacked local stations. It’s amazing to imagine how different it must have been two hundred years ago and how it evolved to what it is presently.
 |
| Stopped for a quick climb atop a jetty. |
While the Long Island Rail Road has successfully adapted to modern day, we also learned about a building that has gradually been succumbing to its old age. The Canoe Place Inn is now a dilapidated, run-down remnant in Hampton Bays, but it used to be “the place to be.” The structure we see now is actually a rebuilding of the original; the initial Canoe Place Inn was built before the Revolutionary War and served as a departure site for Native Americans using their canoes. During the Prohibition, CPI was a popular destination since the LIRR had a direct stop to it, allowing bootleggers to easily transport alcohol to the building. Unfortunately, the first CPI burned down and was rebuilt to what it is today. In its glory years, many famous entertainers performed there, like Duke Ellington! A lot of controversy surrounds its proposed rehabilitation and renovation, but perhaps one day, it will be restored to its former glory.
by Taryn Haynes
For my first class of Coastal Cultural Experience, we went on a boat tour of the Shinnecock and Peconic Bays. Our instructors were Tara Rider and Kurt Bretsch, who narrated our tour while Captain Andy drove the boat. It was very interesting to learn about the Brothertown Indians, which was a band of Indians who wanted to distance themselves from the whites. Many Montauk Indians joined this tribe and moved up to Central New York. There, they named the town Brothertown, and hoped to live in peace, far from the influences of the whites. Unfortunately for them, the whites eventually travelled to the Central New York area, causing the Brothertown Indians to move yet again. They finally decided upon land in Wisconsin, which they again named Brothertown, and even when settlers moved out there, they refused to move again. Tara explained to us that since many of the Montauk Indians left with them, it made it difficult for the remaining Montauk Indians to become a recognized tribe by the government. At first, it seemed strange that the government refused the 100+ Montauks fighting for their tribe to be recognized, but then Tara explained how due to the migration of many Montauks to join the Brothertown Indians, it was hard to prove blood lines, and many of the culture and religion had been lost, including the language.
Once we had crossed the canal into the Peconic Bay, we learned about Rum Row. Rum Row refers to the areas along Long Island that rum runners or bootleggers used to smuggle in alcohol during prohibition times. Tara told us about a man by the name of Bill McCoy, who was never caught in possession of the illegal goods. Apparently, McCoy would travel dip his bottles of alcohol in salt, which made the bottles sink in the water, because it made them become denser than water. Once he saw the Coast Guard approaching, he would toss the bottles overboard, and due to the salt coating, they would sink. By the time the Coast Guard questioned him, there was no sign of the alcohol, and so he appeared to be clean. However, the salt would dissolve once it hit the water, and after some time, the bottles would rise back to the surface. Due to his success, McCoy was known to not water down his booze, which was a common thing among the less successful rum runners. As a result of giving undiluted alcohol, the phrase, “That’s the real McCoy!” became a popular saying, meaning that it was genuine or the real thing. All in all, the tour was rich in Long Island history, and was something not to be missed!
Shinnecock and Great Peconic Bays Boat Tour
by Becky Reigle
The first trip of the semester was an interesting boat tour of the Shinnecock and Great Peconic Bays. It was a perfect, warm, and sunny day which made the trip that much more enjoyable. Captain Andy took us out on the R/V Peconic while Tara and Kurt spoke to us about the history of the bays and pointed out various landmarks along the way.
The first thing that we were all dying to know and begging Tara to tell us about was why the Shinnecock tribe does not want anyone near their reserved land. Tara told us the very interesting story of how some powerful people in New York forged a petition from Shinnecock tribe members. The signed petition led to the sale of thousands of acres that belonged to the Shinnecock tribe since the 1,000 year lease that was made in the beginning of Long Island colonization. The tragedy of the land being taken away from the tribe has led to a lot of tension on Long Island. We were all told that we should never go near their shore or even close to their side of Old Fort Pond because you never know what they might do if they see someone coming towards their land.
The ride through Shinnecock Bay was really great and allowed us to see all of the huge and beautiful houses right on the water. You wouldn’t believe how gorgeous some of these houses are! Once we had gone through Shinnecock Bay we were heading over to Great Peconic Bay, but the only way to get there is through the canal that connects the two. The really interesting part of the canal is that there are locks to control the flow of water since the Peconic Bay can be a few feet higher than Shinnecock Bay. The water was at the right level when we got into the canal that we actually got to experience the locks being used. The boat has to pull into an area where the locks are and the water level is then raised or lowered based on the height of the water on the other side. We also got to experience the locks being used again when we went back into Shinnecock Bay from Great Peconic Bay.
