Clove's Tail

Little Clove Rd. bet. Windsor Rd. and Victory Blvd.

Staten Island

This text is part of Parks’ Historical Signs Project and can be found posted within the park.

Clove’s Tail is so named for its location at the tail end of Clove Lakes Park. The Dutch word “kloven” translates as cleft in English, and here refers to the valley and brook lying between Emerson and Grimes Hills.

A massive ice sheet forced its way through this region 20,000 years ago; and as the ice receded northward, it dug valleys into the landscape. As ice melted, ponds and brooks were formed from the immense water run-off. One such brook originated in what is now Brooks Pond, and ran through this valley, ending in the Kill Van Kull channel that connects New York Bay with Newark Bay. This watercourse is known as Clove Brook. In pre-colonial Staten Island, Native Americans used a path adjacent to the stream as a route to Kill Van Kull.