Royalton Ravine Park
Gasport Rd. Gasport, NY 14067 - MAP
Niagara County Parks Policy 2008
Niagara county Parks will begin accepting shelter reservation for the 2010 Season on Monday, March 1, 2010. You may contact them at 439-7950.
The Royalton Ravine Park is located on Gasport Road in the Town of Royalton.
It is a perfect setting for a family picnic or anyone wishing to get back
to nature. The park offers four shelters available for rentals, a
fishing pond, a baseball field and restrooms within its 146 acres. There
are several miles of nature trails that wind along both sides of the ravine
that runs through the park. You will find a wooden suspension footbridge,
a waterfall and historic homestead ruins as you travel along the trails as
well as many varieties of flora and fauna.
The park is open from Memorial Day weekend through September and daily from 7AM to 9PM. Each of the shelters is equipped with electricity and fees are $40.00 per shelter. Reservations can be made by calling the Parks Division of the Niagara County Department of Public Works at (716) 439-7950.
Read about the face lift coming to Royalton Ravine Park.
PARK RULES
No glass containers.
Park hours are 7AM to 9PM.
Animals must be on leashes and picked up after.
Music must not interfere with other picnickers (this includes bands).
No bounce houses, inflatable slides, dunk tanks, or any type of amusement rides are permissible in the parks. 
WARNING
Please be aware that in the summer of 2004, Giant Hogweed, a very dangerous
plant, was found growing in various areas of the County including Royalton
Ravine. All sites located at that time have been destroyed, but should
you come across something you suspect may be Giant Hogweed, do not touch
the plant. Contact the Parks Department immediately at (716) 439-7950. Giant
Hogweed is a public health hazard. It results in severe skin irritation
and painful burning blisters that could turn into purplish or brown pigmentation
and scarring. It resembles a very large Queen Anne’s Lace plant. Its
stems are 9-14 feet high and 2-4 inches in diameter. They are hollow
and ridged with purple blotches and coarse hairs. Flowering occurs
from mid-June to mid-July and flower clusters may reach 2 ½ feet across. Again,
do not touch the plant and contact the Niagara County Parks Department at
(716) 439-7950.
HISTORY
The historic ruins mentioned above are a little known part of national history. The
ruins of the homestead that lie within Royalton Ravine Park are where Belva
Lockwood was born; the first woman ever admitted to practice law before the
Supreme Court and the first woman to ever run for President of the United
States. Ms. Lockwood was born in Royalton in 1830. She attended Genesee
College, which later merged with Syracuse University, and upon graduation,
at age 27, she was appointed principal of the former Lockport Union School
District.
Later on, at age 38, she attended what is now known as George Washington University Law School. Upon the completion of her course studies, she and the other women were not permitted to participate in the graduation ceremonies and were denied their diplomas. Ms. Lockwood appealed to President Ulysses S. Grant by letter and within one month’s time, she received a diploma signed by the President and was admitted to the Washington D.C. Supreme Court Bar. Five years later, after much hard work, Belva Lockwood was the first woman to practice law before the United States Supreme Court and be admitted to the bar of the United States Court of Claims.
Ms. Lockwood believed wholeheartedly in equal rights and shared political
opinions and kept company with well known Women’s Rights activists
like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Belva Lockwood
is officially recognized by the Smithsonian as the first woman to ever
run for President. In 1884 and 1888, Ms. Lockwood was nominated for the
Office of President of the United States by the Equal Rights Party and
chose Marietta Stow as her running mate. She was, of course, unsuccessful
and suffered much criticism during her campaigns from both men and women. In
her later years, Ms. Lockwood’s specialty in equal rights claims
against the government led her to pursue and win the largest payment awarded
to a Native American Tribe for land taken by the U.S. Government.
Belva Lockwood also pursued a career in international law and diplomacy. In the late 1880’s she was actively involved in the Universal Peace Union and attended International Peace Congresses in Paris, London, and Milan as well as one in Rome at the age of 81. She served as secretary of the Washington office of the International Peace Bureau, which she helped to establish in Switzerland. In 1896, Ms. Lockwood was appointed by the U.S. Government as delegate to the Congress of Charities and Corrections held in Geneva, Switzerland and at the age of 83, she went to Budapest, Hungary as dean of twenty ambassadors to the Women’s Convention. She also served on the nominating committee for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Belva Lockwood was honored in a historic “Women of Distinction” exhibit in the Legislative Office Building in Albany and her portrait hangs in the National Gallery in Washington, D.C.
