When Caleb Carr, one of the 101 men who purchased Conanicut and Dutch Islands in 1657, petitioned the General Assembly to incorporate Jamestown in 1678, the town had 150 inhabitants. The community thrived until the American Revolution, when the British occupation drove away many people. Nicholas Carr and John Eldred both remained, rebelling in their own ways. The town recovered slowly, and its character changed with modernized modes of transportation. Steam ferries, introduced in 1873, ushered in an era of resort hotels, affluent summer visitors, and a service economy. The West Passage bridge in 1940 brought permanent residents with off-island occupations and interests. The East Passage bridge (1969) and the replacement West Passage bridge (1992) created a suburban atmosphere enlivened by a continuing influx of summer vacationers. Most newcomers revel in the islands beauty and are intent on keeping Jamestown the peaceful haven that attracted them.

From founding families in the early 1800s to contemporary conservationists in 2011, this volume celebrates a multitude of individuals who have impacted the Chautauqua Lake region. Before the armchair traveler journeys around the lake, a sampling of historians and photographers are honored for preserving its past. Subsequent chapters showcase the lakeside communities of Mayville, Dewittville, Point Chautauqua, Maple Springs, Bemus Point, Greenhurst, Fluvanna, Jamestown, Celoron, Lakewood, Ashville, Stow, and the Chautauqua Institution. Each presents several residents who aided its growth, made significant contributions, or simply remain of interest for their uniqueness.

When Caleb Carr, one of the 101 men who purchased Conanicut and Dutch Islands in 1657, petitioned the General Assembly to incorporate Jamestown in 1678, the town had 150 inhabitants. The community thrived until the American Revolution, when the British occupation drove away many people. Nicholas Carr and John Eldred both remained, rebelling in their own ways. The town recovered slowly, and its character changed with modernized modes of transportation. Steam ferries, introduced in 1873, ushered in an era of resort hotels, affluent summer visitors, and a service economy. The West Passage bridge in 1940 brought permanent residents with off-island occupations and interests. The East Passage bridge (1969) and the replacement West Passage bridge (1992) created a suburban atmosphere enlivened by a continuing influx of summer vacationers. Most newcomers revel in the island's beauty and are intent on keeping Jamestown the peaceful haven that attracted them.

The short, burly Lincolnshireman, Captain John Smith, first among the Englishmen to establish a permanent settlement in the New World, was almost as controversial in death as he had been in life. In American history books he is portrayed as dauntless, energetic and staunch. Even in English history little is said about his life before he established and, for a time, ruled Jamestown settlement in what later became Virginia. But John Smith was already an almost legendary figure before he sailed for the New World. For centuries historians have branded Captain Smith a liar. But John Smith simply had the misfortune to live a life so colourful that ordinary people could not believe anyone capable of his achievements. Quite often he very narrowly managed to survive. Recently his flamboyant tales have been proven not just highly probable but true. John Smith lived a lifelong adventure, perhaps the 'least' memorable of his exploits being the questionable event of his life being saved by the Indian girl Pocahontas. More than three hundred years after his passing, the dispassionate judgements of contemporary historians show John Smith to have been very much a man of his time.

- Time line- Focus boxes- Maps- Primary source documents- Further reading- Glossary & Index