Chautauqu Lake

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SUMMER HOLIDAY WEEKENDS STILL AVAILABLE!

CHAUTAUQUA LAKE

Young geography students in the Chautauqua Lake area schools were usually taught the following facts on the Lake: the name "Chautauqua" was Indian for "bag tied in the middle" denoting the shape of the lake; that it was the highest navigable body of water east of the Mississippi; and that rain falling on one side of a certain barn roof at the top of the Mayville-Westfield watershed flowed to the Mississippi, and falling on the other side drained to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The translation from the Indian is open to question, but the balance is true.

Chautauqua Lake cuts a diagonal swath across Chautauqua County, the most western county of New York State. In the eight miles from Lake Erie at Westfield to Chautauqua Lake at Mayville, there is a net rise of 700 feet elevation, with an even higher watershed between. This eight miles was a portage between the two lakes for early explorers. The lake thus became part of an early water route from the Great Lakes to the tributaries of the Mississippi. The Chadakoin River drains the lake, flowing into the Conewango, Allegheny, and Ohio Rivers to the Mississippi.

The mean elevation is 1308 feet and the lake has an area of about 20 square miles. The distance from Celoron to Mayville is 14.7 miles. From the boat landing at Jamestown through the Chadakoin River (known locally as the outlet) to Mayville is 17.7 miles. The width varies from about 1000 feet at the Bemus Point-Stow ferry to two miles wide at three places. The upper, northern end of the lake is the deepest section from 20 up to 75 feet in the Long Point- Maple Springsarea. The lower lake runs from 30 feet deep near Bemus Point to less than 10 feet near Celoron.

The source of water is from many small streams draining the surrounding hills and from springs at the lake bottom. At Celoron, the lake narrows into the outlet, a winding stream though swampy land. Navigation ended at the Fairmount Avenue bridge. At this point were located the docks, turning basin, coal dock and storage slips for the lake steamers.

Mayville, the county seat at the head of the lake, is the oldest village and dates back to the Holland Land Company days. Jamestown was settled shortly after. Between them Fluvanna, across from Celoron, and Bemus Point were locations of the first steamer docks. Most of the other landings developed from the time the lake became a resort area, and were sparked by the building of hotels, campgrounds, or amusement and picnic parks. At the time of the early settlers, Chautauqua Lake was merely a water route, closed in winter, for the easiest travel available. As the railroads were built in the vicinity, the scenic beauty, high elevation and healthy climate of the area started attracting summer visitors. The lake became a great summer resort with many large luxury hotels filled with summer residents, a great many from Pittsburgh. Here they came with their steamer trunks and settled down for the summer to escape the heat and dirt of the cities. The steamboat business developed from the need for transportation from the railroad to the various hotels which were built at Lakewood, Bemus Point, Chautauqua, and Point Chautauqua.