Lake History

The first people to live in and around the surrounding areas of Bostwick Lake were Indians, mostly Ottawa, some Chippewa and Pottowatomie. Relics and artifacts can still be found on the shorelines, particularly after strong storms

The first white people came to the area around 1837 to establish residence near the south end of the township and the proximity of Cannonsburg. The white people who settled in Cannonsburg and around the lake area have enjoyed fishing and pleasure parties here at Bostwick Lake since 1839.

One of the first white settlers to enjoy the lake was Edwin B. Bostwick of Cannonsburg. In 1844 Mr. Bostwick had an Indian build a huge canoe from a white-wood tree which grew a mile south of Cannonsburg. The canoe, over 30 feet in length, was transported the five miles to the lake with a vast amount of labor. The journey took two days and used four oxen. After the canoe was launched, Bostwick and his neighbors James Thomas, Major Worden, Sydney S. Haskins, Zebulon Rood and Tom hall had a good night of fishing.

Mr. Bostwick was a businessman: he plotted the village of Cannonsburg for LeGrand Cannon of Troy, New York, in 1843. He built the first grist mill in Kent County in 1844. He was also a partner in a general store in Cannonsburg. He died on September 19th 1850 while travelling the overland route to California.

Sometime during the years of 1855-62 the lake was named Bostwick Lake. it seems only natural that our lake be named after this very prominent man who was one of the first settlers to enjoy this beautiful gift of nature.

Some years later the settlers on the land adjacent to the lake found fragments of Bostwick’s deserted canoe, which was then supposedly kept in the family of S.B. Kutts (Kutz) who lived on a farm nearby. The original homesteaders and succeeding landowners such as Davies, Young, Ramsdell, Kitson, Weller, Davis, Eldred and Foote have played a large part in making Bostwick Lake as we know it today. Their names can be found on the streets surrounding the lake and nearby districts.