Since prehistoric times, the rugged landscape of the Kittatinny Ridge made it more a place to visit than a place to live. Native Americans hunted the forests and fished the lakes there, while their villages stood in the more fertile river valley below. By the early 1800s, a few settlers built farmsteads among the rocks and survived by logging the forests for cordwood and charcoal, growing crops, and raising livestock. In 1855, the State Geological Survey identified the summit of the Kittatinny Mountains as New Jersey’s highest point, and it became a popular destination for hunters, fishermen, and sightseers who came to fish and picnic at Lake Marcia, gather huckleberries, and hike to the high point for panoramic views. In 1890, Charles St. John of Port Jervis, New York, built the High Point Inn on a bluff overlooking Lake Marcia, where vacationers enjoyed croquet, lawn tennis, cards, billiards, dancing, swimming, boating, fishing, hunting, and hiking. Though difficult to reach, the remote mountain resort operated successfully for almost 20 years before closing in 1908.
