Native peoples once sheltered under rock shelters or rock overhangs on the shores of Charleston Lake. Archaeologists have determined that early peoples came to the lake during part of their seasonal pattern of hunting and gathering.
Evidence of several 19th century agricultural landscapes is present within the park. The moldering remains of abandoned homesteads and farms, along with a number of small mine sites, are a testament to the efforts of earlier inhabitants who tried to make a living on this rugged and rocky landscape.
In the late 1800s, Charleston Lake became a popular resort area for well-to-do vacationing city folk, with lodging in expensive hotels, lake travel in wood-burning steamships, and seasoned fishing guides eager to take visitors out onto the lake to catch their fill of bass and trout. Tourists from cities in Ontario and New York were drawn to the lake by its spectacular scenery and outstanding fishing, two attractive features of Charleston Lake which still remain today.
