Editing Copake, New York (section)

==History==
Copake was part of the 1686 Taconic Grant to [[Robert Livingston the Elder|Robert Livingston]],  for approximately {{convert|400|acre|km2}} of good land and {{convert|2200|acre|km2}} of woodland. After it was purchased from the Indians, it turned out to be {{convert|160000|acre|km2}}, and he established the English-style Livingston Manor. The manor extended well into what is now [[Massachusetts]]. The first lease given by Livingston in Copake was for about {{convert|85|acre|m2}} in 1687, to Matthews Abraham Van Deusen. Because [[New England]] claimed ownership west to the [[Hudson River]], a border dispute broke out. The [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]] laid out three townships west of the [[Taconic Mountains]] in 1755. Most of the present town of Copake was in one of the townships. New settlers were given {{convert|100|acre|km2}} free, and some of Livingston's tenants refused to pay rent. The border was settled in 1757 by the Lords Commissioners of Trade in London. Farmers west of the border continued to protest, however. In 1844, a rally organized by the Taconic Mutual Association took place in the center of the hamlet. After the rally, the arrest of several of the leaders sparked wider protests. Eventually the Anti-Rent Party was formed in New York state, and New York instituted land reform. The Anti-Rent Party called for a Homestead Act to develop the western land. It became part of the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] platform and was important in the election of [[Abraham Lincoln]] in 1860.

The town of Copake was formed in 1824 by splitting it from the town of Granger that was renamed [[Taghkanic, New York|Taghkanic]]. An early industry was [[iron]] mining and [[smelting]]. In [[Taconic State Park]] adjacent to Copake Falls is the "Ore Pit", a former iron mine, now a {{convert|40|ft|m|adj=on}} deep swimming pond.

Copake is home to a handful of summer camps for adults and children and filled with other activities to do in the summer, such as swimming, hiking, biking, and water skiing. In the winter, residents and tourists can visit nearby ski mountains, such as [[Catamount Ski Area]].