About the Dennis Port area

Dennis Port and the surrounding Dennis area offers easy accessibility to all of Cape Cod and has beaches on both the North and South sides. Historic Dennis along Rte. 6A offers antiques and many of Cape Cod's nicer gift shops. There is a diversity of dining in Dennis, with everything from family-style Ye Olde Seafood-type restaurants to upscale cuisine. Dennis also has some of the best public golf courses on the Cape, and several fishing charters in Sesuit Harbor. It's an all-around versatile town for both first-time and experienced Cape Cod vacationers.

One of the few bi-coastal towns on the Cape, Dennis was incorporated in 1793. The town is named for the area's first appointed minister, Rev. Josiah Dennis. In 1816 town resident Henry Hall found that sand which had blown onto his cranberry vines made for a sturdier and larger fruit. It was this discovery that was the catalyst for cranberry farming to become a big business on Cape Cod

The Legend Of Scargo Lake

Like most of the lakes and ponds on Cape Cod, Scargo Lake was formed by glacier activity eons ago. Yet, facts are never as interesting as folklore, so share this tale with your companions.

Once, the beautiful Princess Scargo, lived along the Dennis shores. She was part of the Bobuset tribe, lead by her father Sagem. One day, a brave young runner from a faraway tribe happened to espy the Princess. At once, the two fell madly in love.

To show his devotion, the brave gave the Princess a beautifully carved pumpkin, which he had hollowed out and filled with water. Four small silvery fish were inside. He promised to return to the Princess before the fish had fully grown.

The Princess adored her gift. She hollowed out a small pond in a clearing and returned every day. As the fish grew, the time apart from her beloved diminished.

The summer was long and dry, though. One morning, when she arrived at the pond, she found it dry. Three of the fish were dead. As she wept uncontrollably, her tears kept the one remaining fish alive.

Her grief greatly distressed her father. Sagem called a meeting at which it was decided a lake was needed for Princesses' fish. The strongest and most skilled brave was instructed to shoot an arrow. When it fell, the spot was marked. The brave shot 3 more arrows to mark the remaining boundaries for the lake. Then, squaws, using clamshells as shovels, dug a hole within the boundaries, which was then filled by fall rains.

The fish thrived in the lake and Princess Scargo resumed her wait for her lover. As promised, he returned before the fish had matured, and they were married soon after. They continued to live along the shore of Scargo Lake, where the descendants of the silvery fish-a token of love-still swim.