Saratoga Lake

Saratoga Lake
Saratoga Lake from the southwest with a view of Snake Hill
Location	Saratoga County, New York
Coordinates
Primary inflows	Kayaderosseras Creek
Primary outflows	Fish Creek
Catchment area	244 sq mi (630 km2)
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	4.5 miles (7.2 km)
Max. width	1.5 miles (2.4 km)
Surface area	6.3 sq mi (16 km2)
Average depth	25 ft (7.6 m)
Max. depth	95 ft (29 m)
Water volume	33,000,000,000 US gal (120,000,000 m3)
Residence time	5 months
Shore length1	23 miles
Surface elevation	200 feet (61 m)
Frozen	usually unfreezes mid-late March or early-mid April
References
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Saratoga Lake is a freshwater lake in the eastern part of Saratoga County, New York. The lake is approximately 4.5 miles (7.2 km) long, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) wide at its widest point, and about 95 feet (29 m) deep.

The Lake is surrounded by the City of Saratoga Springs on the north west, the Town of Malta on the south west, the Town of Stillwater on the south east, and the Town of Saratoga on the north east. New York State Route 9P is a highway that runs along the southern end and eastern side of the lake, and then crosses its outlet in the north.

The lake's major source is the Kayaderosseras Creek which enters the lake from the north west, and the outlet is Fish Creek, which exits the lake from the north and flows into the Hudson River at Schuylerville, New York.

History

View of Saratoga Lake from the north end in the vicinity of Moon's Lake House about 1867

The name Saratoga is said to derive from the native Se-rach-ta-gue, meaning hillside country of the great river; however several completely different interpretations have been proposed.

Archeological evidence shows Native American occupation dating back to 7000BC.

The first European to visit the lake may have been the Jesuit Isaac Jogues in 1642. The Saint Isaac Jogues Chapel, on the Lake in Stillwater, commemorates his mission.

Rowing

The sport of rowing has a long history on Saratoga Lake, especially along Fish Creek. "In July 1874, the Rowing Association of American Colleges hosted the University Race for the Championship at Saratoga." Columbia won what was reported as "the most exciting race ever witnessed." Other participants were Wesleyan, Harvard, Williams, Cornell, Dartmouth, Princeton, Trinity, and Yale. Competitions were held annually thereafter for several years.

This tradition was revived in 1986 with the first Head of the Fish Regatta which, by 2010, had grown to be "the second largest regatta in the country, by volume of boats entered."

Places on Saratoga Lake

The north end of the lake, around Fish Creek, contains a public boat launch and many private marinas while the middle and southern areas are less densely developed.

• Brown's Beach - Stillwater. Public beach, restaurant and Bed and breakfast.
• Crum's Place - Malta Ave. Ext., Malta., former restaurant owned by the reputed inventor of the potato chip.
• Fish Creek - Saratoga. Public boat launch.
• Fish Creek Marina - Saratoga. Kayak and paddleboard rentals.
• Kaydeross Park (now closed) former trolley park - Saratoga Springs.
• Moon's Lake House - Saratoga Springs (now razed). George Crum supposedly invented potato chips here.
• Riley's Cove (Chinatown) - Malta.
• Saratoga Lake Sailing Club - Manning's Cove, Malta.
• Saratoga Lake Motel - Saratoga.
• Snake Hill - Stillwater. An outcrop on the east side of the lake named for timber rattlesnakes that denned there until their extirpation in the mid-1800s. This was the only known rattlesnake den to have ever occurred in Saratoga County. The county placed a bounty on rattlesnakes from 1948 to 1950, after the snakes were extirpated.
• South Shore Marina - Malta.
• White Sulphur Spring hotel (now razed) - Stillwater.

External links

• Saratoga Lake Association