The Seneca Lake Monster is a large, possibly prehistoric, unknown species of marine animal purported to exist in New York State’s Seneca Lake. Sightings of the creature have been reported from the late 1800s through recent years.
There have been a handful of known hoaxes of the creature, and some sightings could be explained by misidentification of known animals. However, some sightings remain unexplained.
“Exploring Seneca” Documentary
In March 2015, a 37-minute documentary written by Christopher Pike and directed by Pike and Ryan Yasulski entitled “Exploring Seneca” was released. The film explores the legend of the lake serpent and is a must-see for anyone interested in the Seneca Lake Monster tale.
The Steamboat Otetiani’s Famed Encounter With The Lake Monster
On July 14, 1900, around 7:00PM, Frederick Rose, the pilot of the steamboat Otetiani, traveling Seneca Lake on its way to Geneva, reported what he thought to be an overturned boat about 400 yards ahead. Upon approaching and at a distance of about 100 yards, the object suddenly turned and began slowly moving away. As the steamboat gave chase, the object raised its head and looked toward the Otetiani, opening its mouth to reveal two rows of sharp, white teeth.
The captain of the Otetiani, Carelton C. Herendeen, decided to pursue the creature and ram it with the steamboat, and the beast again turned its head toward the boat before submerging out of sight. Shortly after, the creature again surfaced, and this time Pilot Rose was able to strike it with the boat halfway between its head and tail. The impact threw everyone on board off of their feet, and within moments, the now-dead creature was floating alongside the Otetiani with its spinal column clearly broken, and after raising its head one last time and making a gasping sound, it died.
Life boats were lowered and ropes were placed around both ends of the creature, and the passengers attempted to haul it in so that it could be brought to Geneva for examination. However, as the carcass cleared the water, one roped slipped off and, unable to hold the weight of the creature, the passengers had to release the other rope. The body immediately sunk into an area of the lake that is over 600 feet deep, and was lost forever.
Otetiani passenger Professor George R. Elwood, a geologist, described the creature to a correspondent from the Rochester (NY) Herald as most resembling a Clidastes, an extinct marine lizard of the Cretaceous period. Elwood estimated the length as 25 feet and the weight at 1000 pounds. The head was triangular, about 4 feet long, with fish-like eyes and a large mouth with two rows of triangular white teeth. The body had a spiked covering, brown in color with a greenish tinge, that resembled the carapace of a terrapin, with a white belly and a tapered tail that broadened at the end not unlike a whale. The story was chronicled in newspapers including the Geneva Gazette, the New York Telegraph, the Boston Globe and the Pittsburgh Press.
City of Geneva Passes Amendment To Protect Seneca Lake Monster
On August 5, 2015, by a 6-1 vote, the Geneva, NY City Council approved a motion amending Chapter 206 of the Geneva Municipal Code – Hunting and Trapping.
§ 206-2. Hunting or trapping of Seneca Lake Monster prohibited. [Added 8-5-2015 by Ord. No. 8-20151]
https://archive.is/w4pTZ
The hunting, trapping, or cause of harm to the serpent termed the Seneca Lake Monster or any of its descendants is prohibited. No person shall use any City facility, including access points to Seneca Lake on City shorelines, to launch a hunting or trapping party aimed at killing, trapping, or injuring the Seneca Lake Monster or any of its descendants. Possession of the carcass of said creatures, or of any live creature meeting this description, will be considered presumptive evidence of a violation of this section.
