Just Guyton

Remember when we discovered that Bigfoot apparently has legal representation?

We went down that particular rabbit hole and found ourselves discussing everything from protective laws to legendary creatures that apparently have more legal rights than some of us realized. Somewhere along the way, we met Champ, the mysterious resident of Lake Champlain.

Well, apparently, New York wasn’t finished introducing us to its lake monsters.

Because tucked away in the Finger Lakes region is Seneca Lake, and according to more than a century of newspaper reports, something rather unusual has been lurking beneath its waters.

And before you ask, no. This isn’t Champ taking a little vacation.

This is an entirely different lake monster.

Seneca Lake has a long history of mysterious stories. Indigenous traditions associated with the region include accounts of powerful horned water serpents, although those traditions deserve to be understood in their own cultural context rather than treated as early sightings of a modern cryptid.

By the nineteenth century, newspapers were printing stories about strange things appearing in and around the lake.

In August 1883, a report described unusual noises coming from the water after dark. Witnesses supposedly heard sharp barking sounds that ended in something resembling a howl or a moan.

Naturally, people wanted to know what was making them.

But apparently, some residents were also concerned that spreading stories about a mysterious lake creature might frighten away visitors.

Which is understandable.

Nothing says relaxing lakeside vacation quite like discovering that something unidentified might be howling at you from the water.

The following summer, the Sunday Morning Tidings published an illustrated account involving a group of Hibernians and a supposed sea serpent near Long Point.

The illustration had an amusing twist: it depicted a person dressed as the creature.

That doesn’t prove the entire encounter was staged, but it does tell us that nineteenth-century newspapers were perfectly capable of having a little fun with their monster stories.

And the stories kept coming.

Around the turn of the twentieth century, one of the most dramatic accounts involved a steamboat called the Otetiani.

According to newspaper reports, passengers and crew spotted something unusual floating in Seneca Lake. At first, they believed they were looking at an overturned boat.

But as the steamboat approached, the object supposedly began moving.

Then it reportedly raised its head and opened a mouth filled with sharp teeth.

Well, that certainly changes the situation.

Captain Carleton C. Herendeen reportedly decided to pursue the creature. According to the story, the steamboat struck it with a paddle wheel, leaving it badly injured.

Passengers attempted to retrieve the body, but the ropes slipped, and the mysterious animal sank into the lake.

Gone.

No preserved specimen. No opportunity for scientists to examine it. Just a sensational account that would become part of the lake’s growing legend.

One passenger, described as a geologist, reportedly suggested the creature resembled an ancient marine reptile.

Of course, without a body or other verifiable physical evidence, there was no way to establish what anyone had actually seen.

Even the historical reporting presents a complication. Seneca County Historian Walter Gable dates the reported encounter to July 14, 1899, while a detailed newspaper account appeared in the Buffalo Review on July 16, 1900.

What we do know is that the story circulated in newspapers and became one of the best-known chapters in the Seneca Lake Monster’s history.

But if you think that’s where this story gets strange, just wait.

In August 1927, summer visitors near Kashong Point reportedly noticed something large swimming through the lake and making unusual noises.

Understandably, they were curious.

Dr. Jay Covert reportedly went out onto the water, managed to rope the mysterious creature, and brought it ashore.

And what terrifying beast had been lurking beneath the surface?

A black Angus cow.

Yes. A cow.

Apparently, the poor animal had become separated from its herd and was swimming around trying to find its way back to shore.

Imagine being a perfectly ordinary cow, having an absolutely terrible afternoon, and suddenly finding yourself mistaken for a legendary lake monster.

And somehow, that still wasn’t the end of the confusion.

In 1929, another supposed monster appeared near Kashong Point.

This one reportedly had an enormous head and protruding horns.

A group of men organized an expedition to investigate, and shots were reportedly fired at the mysterious object.

But when they finally got close enough to see what they were dealing with, they discovered something rather unexpected.

An oil drum.

Someone had painted a frightening face on it and attached wooden horns.

I have so many questions.

Who made it? Who put it in the lake? And perhaps most importantly, how long did somebody spend decorating an oil drum just to frighten their neighbors?

Unfortunately, the historical account doesn’t answer all of those questions.

But it does establish that Seneca Lake’s monster stories weren’t always quite what they seemed.

Over the decades, the lake’s mysterious resident became part of local folklore, somewhere between a genuine unanswered question and a community’s willingness to embrace a good story.

And then, in 2015, something happened that I absolutely did not expect.

The city of Geneva, New York, decided to give the Seneca Lake Monster legal protection.

I’m serious.

On August 5, 2015, the Geneva City Council approved an amendment to its hunting and trapping ordinance.

Section 206-2 of the Geneva Municipal Code specifically prohibits hunting, trapping, or harming the Seneca Lake Monster or any of its descendants.

Its language also prohibits using city facilities, including shoreline access points, to launch expeditions intended to capture or injure the creature.

And possession of a carcass, or a living creature matching the description, is considered presumptive evidence of a violation.

Let that sink in.

For generations, people reported seeing something mysterious in the lake. Some tried to catch it. Others supposedly tried to kill it. A few ended up discovering cows and decorated oil drums.

And eventually, the city essentially decided that if there really was a monster living down there, people should leave it alone.

Now, the ordinance doesn’t establish that the Seneca Lake Monster exists.

The city council’s own discussion acknowledged the creature’s potential value as a tourist attraction. There’s a playful element to the whole thing, and the community clearly understood the appeal of its unusual local legend.

But I rather like the sentiment behind it.

After all, why should something have to be captured, displayed, or destroyed simply because we don’t understand it?

Maybe the old sightings involved unfamiliar animals. Maybe some were tricks of light, floating objects, exaggerated stories, or elaborate practical jokes.

And maybe a few witnesses genuinely saw something they couldn’t explain.

We can investigate those possibilities without pretending that speculation is proof.

That’s part of what makes these stories so fascinating.

Somewhere along the way, a mysterious creature became a piece of local history. Its legend survived newspaper headlines, mistaken identities, and more than a century of curious imaginations.

And now, whether it’s real or not, the Seneca Lake Monster has a little protection written into the law.

So apparently, New York has Champ in Lake Champlain and another mysterious resident in Seneca Lake.

I’m beginning to think we should start checking every lake in the state.

Because at this rate, we might discover an entire underwater neighborhood.

And if there really is something extraordinary swimming around down there?

I hope it stays safe, keeps its distance from steamboats, and enjoys the peace and quiet.

Preferably without being mistaken for somebody’s cow.

—Guyton

Sources & Further Reading

• Steele Memorial Library — Timeline of the Seneca Lake Monster⁠
• Schuyler County Historical Society — Lake Monsters: Fact or Fiction?⁠
• Seneca County Historian Walter Gable — The Sea Serpent of Seneca Lake⁠
• New York State Library — Historical Water Monster Reports⁠
• City of Geneva Municipal Code — Chapter 206, Hunting and Trapping⁠