Otisco Lake is a Finger Lake in Onondaga County in central New York state. One of two in the county, it

is the easternmost of the chain, and fourth smallest. The lake is located southwest of the city of Syracuse.

History

Otisco Lake's name may have been derived from the Iroquois name for the lake's outlet, Nine Mile Creek, Us-te-ke, meaning "bitter-nut-hickory". At least one older map, published in 1825, has the name spelled as "Ostisco". The name may also have been derived from the word ostickney, meaning "waters much dried away", or from the Onondaga word ostick, meaning "the water is low".

Prior to European settlement, the lake was used by the Onondaga people for seasonal fishing and hunting, however no permanent settlements were known to exist. After the Revolutionary War, lands surrounding Otisco Lake were given to soldiers as payment for their service in the war. The first house was erected near the head of Otisco Lake by Oliver Tuttle in 1804, in what is today the Town of Otisco.

In 1869, Otisco Lake was made larger with the construction of a dam near the lake's outlet, which enabled the lake to be used as a reservoir for the Erie Canal. The dam's construction raised lake levels by , and flooded a road at the southern end of the lake. To re-build the road, a causeway was built out of hemlock logs. The causeway was damaged by storms and allowed to deteriorate before being reconstructed in 1983.

Description

Otisco Lake is approximately long and wide at its widest point. The lake has an average depth of and reaches a maximum depth of . It has a surface area of and can hold of water.

References

  • Onondaga County Parks: Otisco Lake Park
  • Onondaga County Water Authority