No one today would consider the northwestern corner of Bergen County to be a resort paradise, but for the first half of the 20th century that’s exactly what it was. In researching the history of the Ramapo River I happened upon several sources describing Oakland as a summer resort town.  From the early 1900’s through the 1960’s Oakland was home to a number of resorts located on the banks of the Ramapo River.  The quiet town of Oakland would almost quadruple in size during the summer months to accommodate all of the incoming tourists from the urban centers of the tri-state area.  Even boxing greats like Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Robinson were commonly sighted in the resort area of Oakland, which was near their training camp in Pompton Lakes.  The multiple resorts and beaches that lined the banks of the Ramapo in Oakland gave fond memories to an untold number of families. In the 1960’s one of the River resorts called Pleasureland was a successful music venue, hosting many popular bands. The Turtles, The Swinging Medallions, Question Mark and The Mysterians, and Vanilla Fudge have all headlined at Pleasureland. According to one source from the Oakland Journal, Vanilla Fudge played a gig at Pleasureland in 1967 the night before their self-titled first album debuted. The beginning of the 1970’s brought the end to the heyday of the Ramapo River resort area.