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Wilson in Niagara County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Welcome to Wilson-Tuscarora State Park

 
 
Welcome to Wilson-Tuscarora State Park Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Anton Schwarzmueller, October 28, 2014
1. Welcome to Wilson-Tuscarora State Park Marker
Inscription.
Wilson-Tuscarora State Park is located in Niagara County along the south shore of Lake Ontario at the mouth of Twelve-Mile Creek. Established in 1965, the park encompasses approximately 386 acres where visitors can swim, fish, canoe, birdwatch, and picnic. Slowly recovering from past logging and agricultural use, the park's landscape is now dominated by successional field, shrubland, northern hardwood habitat communities as well as by wetlands and mature forests

The lake is home to a wide variety of fish species and aquatic plant life. Smallmouth bass, yellow perch, bullhead, and walleye pike have inhabited these waters for hundreds of years. Fish such as Chinook and coho salmon and brown and rainbow trout are stocked in Lake Ontario. Others, such as the round goby and the sea lamprey, were accidentally introduced to Lake Ontario.

Belted Kingfisher, photograph courtesy of Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, photographer Johann Schumacher. Common Merganser, photograph courtesy of Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, photographer Mike Hopiak. Smallmouth Bass, photograph courtesy of NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. Bushy Cinquefoil. Ring-billed Gull, photograph courtesy of Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, photographer O.S. Pettingill.

Lake Ontario Statistics. Length 193 miles. Width 53 miles.
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Elevation 243 feet. Retention Time 6 years. +Retention Time: measure based on on the volume of water in the lake and the rate of outflow. Volume 393 cubic miles. Average Depth 283 feet. Maximum Depth 802 feet.

Approximately 13,000 years ago, meltwater from the receding ice sheet formed glacial Lake Warren (pre-Lake Erie). As the lake extended east, overflow spilled into the Niagara Region forming Lake Tonawanda between the Niagara and Onongaga Escarpments. Lake Tonawanda's outlets drained over the Niagara Escarpment into Lake Iroquois (pre-Lake Ontario) as waterfalls. After Lake Tonawanda's four eastern outlets dried up, the Lewiston outlet formed the Niagara River. The Lewiston Branch Gorge was created as the initial, smaller Niagara Falls dropped over the Niagara Escarpment. From F.M. Kindle and Frank B. Taylor, Geologic Atlas of the United States, Niagara Falls - folio No. 190 (New York, 1913).

Natural History of Lake Ontario. Lake Ontario is one of five Great Lakes that contain nearly 20% of the world's fresh water. Created as a result of glacial activity, geologists believe the lake to be about 6,000 years old. Lake Ontario's ancestor was Lake Iroquois, a post-glacial lake that formed 12,500 years ago when meltwater began flowing over the Niagara Escarpment to the south. The lake level started dropping when the Wisconsin glacier retreated north and freed
Marker is at Left. Lake Ontario in Background. image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Anton Schwarzmueller, October 28, 2014
2. Marker is at Left. Lake Ontario in Background.
the St. Lawrence channel of ice, forming a new drainage path to the Atlantic Ocean. Lake Ontario received the outflow of the other Great Lakes by way of the Niagara River located 12 miles west of here. Gulls, herons, terns, kingfishers, and numerous waterfowl can be found along Lake Ontario's shore. Wilson-Tuscarora State Park is situated between the east and west branches of Twelve-Mile Creek. Nearby is a gravel bar that is home to bushy cinquefoil, an endangered plant species of New York State.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: AnimalsEnvironmentWaterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1965.
 
Location. 43° 18.715′ N, 78° 51.068′ W. Marker is in Wilson, New York, in Niagara County. Marker is on Wilson-Tuscarora State Park Road, 0.2 miles north of Lake Road (New York State Route 18), on the left when traveling east. Marker is behind the facilities building at the top of the staircase to the beach. Marker is in Wilson-Tuscarora State Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3371 Lake Road, Wilson NY 14172, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Beach Treasures (here, next to this marker); Lake Shore Rarities (within shouting distance of this marker); Toronto Skyline (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); O'Connell Island
Westward. image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Anton Schwarzmueller, October 28, 2014
3. Westward.
Facility Building at Left. Park road in background. Markers at Right.
(approx. 0.6 miles away); A Solemn Tribute to the Men and Women of Wilson who Served (approx. ¾ mile away); Vietnam Memorial in Memory of 1st Lt. Michael E. Witkop (approx. 0.8 miles away); Lake Island Park (approx. 0.8 miles away); Lake Island Park, Wintergreen Island, Tugwell Island & Clark Island (approx. 0.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wilson.
 
More about this marker. Vehicle use fee may be required in season.
 
Also see . . .
1. Wilson-Tuscarora State Park. New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation website entry (Submitted on December 10, 2014, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York.) 

2. Niagara Escarpment. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on December 10, 2014, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York.) 

3. Glacial Lake Iroquois. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on December 10, 2014, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York.) 

4. Onondaga Formation. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on December 10, 2014, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York.) 
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on January 2, 2022. It was originally submitted on December 10, 2014, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York. This page has been viewed 400 times since then and 6 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on December 10, 2014, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 19, 2024