Indian Lake, Denville, NJ

One of the traditions at Indian Lake during the 1920’s was to invite members of the Lenape Tribe to the annual regattas. On Thanksgiving, I thought this would be a perfect time to share two fascinating photos that were taken at one of the regattas. (Courtesy of the Denville Historical Society collection.)

Our lake is rich with Native American and Lenape history. For example, the map of Indian Lake dated 1947 shows that Diving Board Beach was originally called “Matacom Beach,” named after the Lenape’s Chief Matacom.

The tribe name Lenni Lenape comes from their autonym, Lenni, which may mean “genuine, pure, real, original,” and Lenape, meaning “Indian” or “man.”