Sodus Bay is a bay on the south shore of
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...
, one of the
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...
. Sodus Bay is located in
Wayne County,
New York, United States. Most of the bay is in the
Town of Huron; however, the western part is in the
Town of Sodus.
Sodus Bay has sometimes been referred to as "Great Sodus Bay" to distinguish it from "Little Sodus Bay," which is east of Sodus Bay in the
Town of Sterling.
Sodus Bay is halfway between
Rochester and
Syracuse.
Sodus Bay is one of Lake Ontario's major embayments separated from the lake by a 7,500-foot-long barrier beach.
The bay is located in Wayne County, New York, and is 4.4 miles in length and 2.4 miles across.
This major point of access to Lake Ontario contains 12 marinas, 13 waterfront restaurants, 2 public access sites, a public beach, and a sailing school.
The Sodus Bay watershed is composed of land that is 30% agriculture, 4% developed land, 61% forest, and 4% wetlands. First Creek, Second Creek, Third Creek, Sodus Creek West, Sodus Creek East (Glenmark Creek), and Clark Creek empty into this bay.
The Towns of Huron, Sodus, Rose, Galen, Lyons and the Village of Sodus Point are located within the approximately 46-square mile watershed that drains to the Sodus Bay.
Wayne County's shoreline embayments are of ecological importance containing over 6,807 acres of protected wetlands and host to over 36 species of aquatic plants, including three species of protected aquatic plants (e.g., American Lotus) and the protected softshell turtle.
Chimney Bluffs State Park is located in the northeast part of the bay.
Webster, New York–based
Sea Scout Ship 303 operates the
schooner S.S.S. ''Lotus'' out of Sodus Bay.
History
The bay was called "Assorodus" ("Silvery Waters") by pre-colonial indigenous peoples of the
Onondaga Nation. Around 1794, Europeans began to settle in what's today
Sodus Point. During the
War of 1812 the community was mostly burned during an attack by the British.
A community of
Shakers
The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, more commonly known as the Shakers, are a Millenarianism, millenarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian sect founded in England and then organized in the Unit ...
lived near here until about 1836, when they felt the development of the area was becoming too worldly.
A
lighthouse was erected on the western point of the bay in 1870, replacing an earlier lighthouse constructed in 1824.
The bay was considered an important port. A rail line extending into Pennsylvania allowed coal to be place on board lake shipping.
Geography
Eagle, Leroy, and Newark Islands are in Sodus Bay and the only islands in south central end of
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The Canada–United Sta ...
.
References
External links
Sodus Bay information
{{Authority control
Bays of New York (state)
Bays of Lake Ontario
Bodies of water of Wayne County, New York