Text By: Strong School 7th and 8th Graders, 2011-2012
Class Picnic At Porter Lake
Strong Historical Society
Porter Lake was not always known by that name. In the early 1900s it was called Sweets Pond.
Strong students have always liked going to the lake. Class picnics often took place at cottages on the lake where swimming, boating, and fishing were easily accessible.
Public Beach
Strong Historical Society
A public beach, however, was not available until the mid-1950s. Property was purchased by Johnson-Cox Post 78, American Legion; members and volunteers provided the labor. Donated equipment was used and the beach was made usable. It became a continuing improvement project for several years.
In 1963 the public beach was dedicated in memory of the late Milton Raymond Bean, a Legionaire who had devoted many hours to see that the beach project was completed. He was killed in a hunting accident in 1961.
Beanies Public Beach
Strong Historical Society
The beach property was transferred to the town in 1965.
Visiting the island in Porter Lake is also fun. There is rope swing there.
Porter Lake is one of the most popular public places in Strong.
Launching On The Lake
Strong Historical Society
Lying on the eastern boundary between Strong and New Vineyard, Porter Lake has an area of 527 acres, with a maximum depth is 86 feet. Porter Lake is west of the New Vineyard Mountains. Many inlets supply the lake from all sides, as well as natural springs. The shoreline is now heavily developed with family camps, cottages and homes.
The different fish in Porter Lake are the landlocked salmon and lake trout, brook trout, rainbow smelt, smallmouth bass, white perch, yellow perch, chain pickerel, minnows, lake chub, golden shiner, common shiner, redbelly dace, creek chub, white sucker, hornpout, pumpkinseed sunfish, and American eel.
The principal game fish are the landlocked salmon, the lake trout, and the chain pickerel. The water of Porter Lake is cold. The cold water is good for game fish. The lake trout like the rocky shoreline. The salmon and brook trout are occasionally stocked to make fishing even more popular.