Montauk

Book excerpt: Montauk, the easternmost hamlet in the town of East Hampton, is located at the end of Long Island--118 miles out to sea and surrounded on three sides by water. Location plays the most important role in the history of Montauk. The land of Montauk and its various uses--pastureland for over 300 years; a private resort for Arthur Benson and friends; a center of coastal navigation and defense from the time of the Revolutionary War to the Cold War; exceptional, modern-day fishing grounds, where the converging tide of the Atlantic Ocean and the Block Island Sound create a natural funnel for fish; and a world-renown resort that began with Carl Fisher--will be explored herein. Great measures have been taken to preserve as much of Montauk as possible, with over 70 percent of the land now designated as New York State Parks, Suffolk County preserves, and East Hampton reserved land to be enjoyed in perpetuity.