How Fyke Got Its Name
By Jim Wright
A friend in the NY/NJ Trail Conference recently asked if the Fyke Nature Association had a role in the creation of the Campgaw Mountain Reservation back in the early 1950s.
I did a little digging in an online newspaper archive and found a 1953 newspaper article that explained how “Fyke” became part of our group’s name.
"The Fyke Nature Association was organized in January 1952, and has 34 active members, many of whom are experts in various facts of nature,” the article in The Paterson News reported.
“Topics covered so far in monthly meetings, which take place on the fourth Friday (even back then), are wildflowers, marshes, binoculars, bird banding, mushrooms, rocks, minerals and astronomy,” the article continued.
Now here’s the cool part: "The name of the association was chosen in deference to the locale of activity where the Bergen County Park Commission is acquiring large tracts of land between Route 202, or the Valley Road, and Camp Road, south of Darlington Ave. The Fyke is a highway that starts on the eastern end of the area and all but peters out in the Ramapo Mountains, but reaches far enough for the purposes of those who take interest in the wonders that lie about them.”
The article went on to say that the Fyke Nature Association received permission to label trees and mark trails for the new park, dubbed “Fyke Park” at the time. The park was likely named Fyke Park because, according to an early Fyke president, the area had been called the Fyke from the earliest Dutch days. * Information is accurate at the time of printing. Please check The Fyke Nature Association Home for any updates. “Fyke” was thought to refer to a narrow-mouthed fish net, in apparent allusion to the shape of the lower Fyke valley in the Netherlands.
The county property includes Fyke Pond, part of Fyke Brook and Fyke Road. After its creation, Fyke Park became known as the Campgaw Mountain Reservation. An article in the November 25, 1955, edition of The Record confirmed Fyke’s work: “Stiles Thomas, president of the Fyke Nature Association, announced at a meeting of the group on Friday evening in Ramsey that the Nature Trail Committee has completed surveys for two additional nature trails in the Campgaw Mountain Reservation.
“The group is cooperating with the Bergen County Park Commission in marking trails. The two additional trails will be 600 and 800 yards in length. Eventually, it plans to label all trees, plants, rocks, etc.” A later article said that “the association continued its work in helping plan the roads, trails and parking and picnic areas and in identifying trees, shrubs and other points of interest.” Even after the name of the property had changed to Campgaw and the group’s involvement had diminished, our nature group stuck with “Fyke” because, the article reported, people liked the name.
* My Trail Conference friend John Moran added this fitting footnote:
“I've personally been attending to the trail blazing and maintaining for over 25 years [at Campgaw]. I was told that an anonymous park employee was keeping the trails up before then, but after his retirement they fell into minor disrepair.
“Somewhere in late 1990s I nominated Campgaw for adoption by the Trail Conference, and we've been at it since then.”
In short, John followed in Fyke’s footsteps… Thanks, John!