Great Sacandaga Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Great Sacandaga Lake |
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A view of the Great Sacandaga Lake from a nearby overlook
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 Great Sacandaga Lake
Location in New York Adirondack Park
Great Sacandaga Lake
Location in the United States
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| Location | Adirondack Park, Fulton / Saratoga / Hamilton counties, New York, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 43°08′30″N 74°10′39″W / 43.1417068°N 74.1776256°W, 43°16′33″N 74°02′31″W / 43.2757119°N 74.0420061°W |
| Type | Reservoir, man-made construction: earth and concrete date: March 1930 |
| Primary inflows | Sacandaga River |
| Primary outflows | Sacandaga River |
| Catchment area | 1,044 sq mi (2,700 km2) |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 29 mi (47 km) |
| Max. width | 5 mi (8.0 km) at its widest point |
| Surface area | 20,650 acres (32.27 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 32 feet (9.8 m) |
| Max. depth | 70 feet (21 m) |
| Water volume | 29.920 billion cubic feet (847.2 hm3) low: 7.800 billion cubic feet (220.9 hm3) |
| Shore length1 | 66 miles (106 km) |
| Surface elevation | 771.0 ft (235.0 m) low: 740.0 ft (225.6 m) |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
The Great Sacandaga Lake is a large lake found in the Adirondack Park in northern New York, United States. It used to be called the Sacandaga Reservoir. The lake covers about 41.7 square miles (108 km2) when it's full. It is also about 29 miles (47 km) long.
The name Sacandaga means "Land of the Waving Grass" in the local native language. The lake is mostly in Fulton County and Saratoga County. A small part of it reaches into Hamilton County. The wider, southern end of the lake is near the cities of Johnstown and Gloversville.
Great Sacandaga Lake is a special kind of lake called a reservoir. It was made by building a dam on the Sacandaga River. The main reason for creating this reservoir was to stop big floods. These floods often caused a lot of damage to towns along the Hudson River and the Sacandaga River.
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Building the Great Sacandaga Lake
People had thought about building a dam on the Sacandaga River for many years. But it wasn't until several large floods hit cities like Albany that serious action was taken. The state decided to look into ways to control these floods.
In 1924, a special group was set up to study if building a dam was possible. They decided it was a good idea. Construction on the dam started in the 1920s and finished in March 1930. It cost about $12 million to build. The dam was built at Conklingville in the Town of Day, Saratoga County.
When the lake was being built, four covered bridges and a steel railroad bridge had to be removed. A new bridge, 3,075 feet (937 m) long with 21 steel sections, was built at Batchellerville. This bridge was later replaced with a newer one in 2012.
Life Before the Lake
As plans for the dam became known, many people bought and sold land. Some people moved their homes and buildings to new places outside the area that would be flooded. Many farms were covered by water. Parts of ten communities were also flooded. These included Batchellerville, Fish House, Osborne Bridge, The Vly, Cranberry Creek, Sacandaga Park, Town of Day, Conklingville, Munsonville, and Benedict.
About 1,100 people had to leave their homes. Twenty-four cemeteries with 3,872 graves were also moved. Anything left behind as the dam was finished was burned.
The Lake Today
The new body of water was first called a "reservoir." But in the 1960s, its name was changed to the Great Sacandaga Lake. This was done to encourage more people to visit the area. The lake is managed by the Hudson River-Black River Regulating District.
Today, local businesses benefit a lot from the lake. It protects them from floods and also brings many tourists. People come from nearby towns and cities, and even from other states like New England and New Jersey. They visit the lake for fun activities. Many people also own summer camps and second homes here.
You can visit the lake using public boat launches, public beaches, and campgrounds. The "I GO INN" Restaurant is the oldest business that has been open continuously in the Sacandaga area.
Even though New York State owns the lake and some land around it, no public money is used to manage it. About 70% of the money to run the lake comes from agreements with power companies. These companies use the dam's water to create electricity.
The David Rayfiel House is located on the south shore of the lake. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.
A very large Northern Pike fish was caught in the lake. It weighed 46 pounds, 2 ounces (20.9 kg). This fish, caught on September 15, 1940, by Peter Dubuc, is still the record for that type of fish in North America.
Fishing in the Lake
The Great Sacandaga Lake is a great place for fishing. You can find many types of fish here, including:
- Walleye
- Northern pike
- Smallmouth bass
- Rock bass
- Smelt
- Brown trout
- Yellow perch
- Landlocked salmon
- Pumpkinseed sunfish
- Brown bullhead
There are four main places where you can access the lake to go fishing:
- A boat launch on NY-30 in the village of Northville.
- Another boat launch at the Northampton Beach Campground near NY-30, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of Northville.
- A boat launch off County Route 110, about 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of the village of Broadalbin.
- A boat launch on North Shore Road, about 5 miles (8.0 km) north of the hamlet of Edinburgh.
Gallery
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The Conklingville Dam
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The lake at sunset
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The narrow section of the lake
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The old bridge
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The new bridge
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View from new bridge
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Images for kids
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Great Sacandaga Lake from Hadley Mountain Fire Observation Station
