At the 1931 town meeting, Wellfleet voted to accept from Arthur T. Hopkins and family the land known as Hamblen Island or Cannon Hill, to be held forever by the town as a public park. The hill overlooks Duck Creek, which by 1830 was the principal harbor in Wellfleet. Commercial traffic in Duck Creek declined steadily in the 1860s as clipper ships gave way to metal ships and steam power. By 1870, construction of a railroad dike across the head of Duck Creek impeded tidal flow and began the harbor's transformation into the marsh and tidal flats seen today. Wellfleet Community Preservation Act Funds contributed to the restoration of Hamblen Park.