Chautauqua Lake is located entirely within Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

is approximately long and wide at its greatest width. The surface area is approximately . The maximum depth is about . The shoreline is about of which all but are privately owned. The lake's name comes from the now-extinct

Erie language Erie was believed to have been an Iroquoian language spoken by the Erie people, similar to Wyandot. But it was poorly documented, and linguists are not certain that this conclusion is correct. There have been no known connections between the Erie ...

. Because the

Erie people The Erie people (also Eriechronon, Riquéronon, Erielhonan, Eriez, Nation du Chat) were Indigenous people historically living on the south shore of Lake Erie. An Iroquoian group, they lived in what is now western New York, northwestern Pennsylvani ...

were defeated in the Beaver Wars before a comprehensive study of their language could be made, its meaning remains unknown and a source of speculation, with two longstanding folk translations being “bag tied in the middle” and “place where fish are taken out,” the latter having some support based on similar words in other Iroquoian languages. A Seneca legend, dating at least to the days of Seneca diplomat John Cornplanter Abeel, attests to the Chautauqua having a reputation as a "place of easy death."

Geography

While the lake has a similar geologic structure (a very long, narrow valley) to the

Finger Lakes The Finger Lakes are a group of eleven long, narrow, roughly north–south lakes located south of Lake Ontario in an area called the ''Finger Lakes region'' in New York, in the United States. This region straddles the northern and transitional ...

in the east, it is not considered one of the Finger Lakes. Chautauqua Lake runs perpendicular to the westernmost of those lakes (much like an

opposable thumb The thumb is the first digit of the hand, next to the index finger. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position (where the palm is facing to the front), the thumb is the outermost digit. The Medical Latin English noun for thumb ...

), lies in a different watershed, and was likely formed by a different process. Chautauqua Lake, at an elevation of above sea level, is higher than any of the Finger Lakes. It is also one of the highest navigable lakes in North America. The lake's water level is regulated by Warner Dam, with the water level lifted during the summer to allow for recreational boat use and lowered during the winter months. The water from the lake drains to the south, emptying first into the

Chadakoin River The Chadakoin River is a stream that is a tributary of the Conewango Creek. The Chadakoin lies entirely in Chautauqua County in Western New York in the United States. The stream drains an area of , covering much of Chautauqua County. The creek ...

in Jamestown, New York, before traveling east into Cassadaga Creek and

Conewango Creek Conewango Creek is a tributary of the Allegheny River in Pennsylvania and western New York in the United States. The creek's drainage covers much of southeastern Chautauqua County, New York, and western Cattaraugus County, New York. The creek's ...

, south into the Allegheny River in

Warren, Pennsylvania Warren is a city in Warren County, Pennsylvania, United States, located along the Allegheny River. The population was 9,404 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Warren County. It is home to the headquarters of the Allegheny National Fores ...

, and the Ohio River in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

, instead of moving north into the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lak ...

. Chautauqua Creek and Little Chautauqua Creek have their headwaters near the lake, but flow north into lake Erie. The drainage divide was spanned by Pierre-Joseph Céloron de Blainville in his 1749 Ohio River expedition that started from Montreal, and the town of Celoron at the southern end of the lake is named for him. The lake's drainage area is about . Also at the southern end of the lake is the City of Jamestown while the Village of Mayville is located at the northern end. Other communities located on the lake are Bemus Point, Maple Springs, Lakewood and

Chautauqua Chautauqua ( ) was an adult education and social movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Chautauqua br ...

, the site of the influential

Chautauqua Institution The Chautauqua Institution ( ) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit education center and summer resort for adults and youth located on in Chautauqua, New York, northwest of Jamestown in the Western Southern Tier of New York State. Established in 1874, the ...

founded in 1874. There are many other settlements located on the lake, including Fluvanna, Greenhurst, Dewittville, Stow, and Ashville Bay.

Civil division

As of February 19, 2008, Chautauqua Lake has the unique distinction of being an unorganized territory within Chautauqua County. Unlike most large bodies of water in New York which are administratively divided up among the surrounding towns, villages, and cities, Chautauqua Lake is demarcated by the

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

and

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

as a nonfunctioning political division of its own.

Tourism and recreation

The lake is used primarily for recreation, such as boating and fishing, and tourism. The majority of tourists flock to the

, which contains a wide variety of stores and restaurants and is home to live music entertainment and many public lectures during the summer months. Chautauqua Lake is known for its

muskellunge The muskellunge ''(Esox masquinongy)'', often shortened to muskie, musky or lunge is a species of large freshwater predatory fish native to North America. It is the largest member of the pike family, Esocidae. Origin of name The name "muskell ...

fishing and

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cou ...

. There are two very popular boating locations on the lake, "Sandy Bottoms", and Long Point State Park, located near Maple Springs. On busy, warm weekends, it is not uncommon to see nearly 100 boats in this area of the lake. Every

Fourth of July Independence Day (colloquially the Fourth of July) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States ...

fireworks Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices ...

are launched from communities around the lake. There is one bridge that connects the opposite sides of the lake, the Veterans Memorial Bridge (also known as the Chautauqua Lake Bridge). The structure was completed on October 30, 1982, and joins Bemus Point to Stow on

I-86 Interstate 86 may refer to any of three unconnected Interstate Highways in the United States: * Interstate 86 (Pennsylvania–New York) * Interstate 86 (Idaho) * Interstate 84 (Pennsylvania–Massachusetts) Interstate 84 (I-84) is an I ...

(at the time known as Route 17). Prior to the construction of the bridge, the only means for cars to cross the lake was the Bemus Point–Stow ferry, a nine-car cable guided ferry, which still operates during the summer months and has become more of a tourist attraction. The cost of the ferry ride is free, though donations are accepted, and it is operated by the Sea Lion Project Ltd. The lake is the home of the ''

Chautauqua Belle The steamer ''Chautauqua Belle'' is an authentic Mississippi River-style sternwheel steamboat owned and operated by U.S. Steam Lines Ltd, operating on Chautauqua Lake in Western New York. History Originally financed and built by Captain James W ...

'', a replica sternwheeler steamboat constructed in 1975 for the US Bicentennial, which offers sightseeing cruises on the lake. The Village of Bemus Point has several popular attractions on the lake during the summer months. Prior to 2018, a popular tourist location was the Bemus Point restaurant, The Italian Fisherman, since re-named "The Fish." Prior to its change in name and ownership, the Italian Fisherman boasted a popular floating stage that hosted an annual summertime concert series. As of 2020 plans were underway to move the floating stage series to Mayville. Bemus Point offers The Village Casino, a restaurant and bar that can easily be reached by boat. Boaters are able to tie up at the Casino's dock where waitresses will serve them from their location. This establishment also has historical value in the area and offers nightlife on the lake. Contrary to its name, the Casino does not offer gambling. The Italian Fishermen, also in Bemus Point, offers fine dining and a floating stage during the summer with live bands and events scheduled at various times throughout the warm season. From the late 1990s until September 2018, visitors could schedule a lake tour or dinner cruise on ''The Summer Wind,'' a large leisure boat that departed from Celoron at the southern end of the lake. The Summer Wind was damaged in a storm in 2019 and missed the 2020 tourist season. ''The Summer Wind'' was sold in late 2021 and moved out of Chautauqua County. Two

yacht club A yacht club is a sports club specifically related to yachting. Description Yacht clubs are mostly located by the sea, although there some that have been established at a lake or riverside locations. Yacht or sailing clubs have either a mar ...

s are located at the lake, Chautauqua Lake Yacht Club in Lakewood and Chautauqua Yacht Club in

In popular culture

Chautauqua Lake is mentioned in at least one episode of ''

I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning six seasons. The show starred Lucille Ball, her husband, Desi Arnaz, along wit ...

''.

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedienne and producer. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Golde ...

(a native of nearby

Celoron, New York Celoron ( ) is a village in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. It is part of the town of Ellicott and sits on the west boundary of the city of Jamestown. The population of Celoron was 1,082 at the 2020 census. History Celoron Park ...

), playing the role of

Lucy Ricardo Lucy is an English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings are Luci, Luce, Luc ...

, finds a stuffed and mounted fish in a trunk in her attic and recalls that

Ricky Ricky may refer to: Places *Říčky (Brno-Country District), a village and municipality in the Czech Republic *Říčky v Orlických horách, a village in the north of the Czech Republic * Rickmansworth, a town in England sometimes called "Ricky" ...

caught it at Chautauqua Lake, and was so thrilled that he had mounted and kept it.For further information, see

Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center The Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum,, formally The Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum & Center for Comedy and commonly known as the Lucy Desi Museum, is a museum at 2 West 3rd Street, Jamestown, New York that is affiliated with the nearby National Co ...

an
SaveLucyDesiCenter.org
. Chautauqua Lake is of major significance in the novel ''Wish You Were Here'' by Stewart O'Nan, published in 2002. The German translation of the title was ''Abschied von Chautauqua'', which means "A Farewell from Chautauqua". It is also the origin and namesake of the

adult education movement, which was heavily referenced in the novel ''

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance ''Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values'' is a book by Robert M. Pirsig first published in 1974. It is a work of fictionalized autobiography and is the first of Pirsig's texts in which he explores his concept of Qua ...

'' by Robert M. Pirsig.

References

External links