Keuka Lake
Keuka Lake is an unusual member of the
Finger Lakes because it is
Y-shaped instead of long and narrow. Because of its shape, it was referred to in the past as
Crooked Lake.
Keuka Lake empties into another Finger Lake,
Seneca Lake, from a stream, called
Keuka Lake Outlet, at the lake's northeastern end in
Penn Yan, New York. The stream empties into Seneca Lake at the
village of Dresden. At one time the outlet was developed into a
canal, the
Crooked Lake Canal, connecting the lakes.
The lake is about twenty miles long and varies in width from a half mile to two miles. The length of the shoreline is about sixty miles. It has a surface area of 11,730 acres, and a maximum and mean depth of 186 feet and 101 feet respectively. This body of water possesses large and healthy populations of
lake trout,
brown trout,
rainbow trout,
landlocked salmon,
smallmouth bass,
largemouth bass, and
yellow perch. The productive fishery is supported by huge numbers of baitfish, most notably
alewives (sawbellies), and is a very popular lake with area fishermen.
The village of
Penn Yan, New York is at the northeastern tip of the lake, and
Branchport is at the northwestern tip.
Hammondsport lies at the south end of the lake. Hammondsport was the home of
Glenn Curtiss, a pioneer of naval aviation.
Much of the economy of this region is based on
grape growing and
wine production.
Keuka College is located in
Keuka Park on the western shore of Keuka Lake.
Keuka Lake State Park is located at the northwest branch of the lake.
Keuka (local pronunciation:
kyoo-ka) means
canoe landing in the
Iroquois language.
*
Beautiful Keuka Lake from the Elmira Daily Advertiser, 1902
*
Along the Outlet of Keuka Lake by Frances Dumas
*
An Excursion on the Keuka Maid by Richard Sherer
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The Mary Bell: The Queen of Lake Keuka from the Hammondsport Herald, 1892
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Keuka Cottage Boy by Robert V. Anderson
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Keuka Lake information *
Keuka Lake State Park 
