Lake Oscawana is located at the heart of Putnam Valley, New York, United States.
| Lake Oscawana | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Dogs swimming in Lake Oscawana | |
  Lake Oscawana  Lake Oscawana | |
| Location | Putnam County, New York, United States |
| Coordinates | 41°23′48″N 73°50′54″W / 41.39667°N 73.84833°W |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 386 acres (156 ha) |
| Max. depth | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
The 386-acre (1.6 km2) lake has a depth that ranges from 25 feet (7.6 m) to 30 feet (9.1 m) at its deepest. The lake is fed by a stream from its north end and it drains out into Oscawana Creek at the middle of its southeastern shore. It is located between two hill ranges. Oscawana Creek merges into Peekskill Hollow Creek near the intersection of Peekskill Hollow Road and Oscawana Lake Road in Putnam Valley the hamlet of Lake Peekskill.
The lake has a number of houses around its edges, and a peculiar rock formation (Goose rocks) in the center of the lake, accessible most safely by kayak or canoe. Lake Oscawana provides summer recreation, and some local residents use the lake for boating, swimming, and fishing from the lake's several private beaches.
It features a variety of wildlife including fish, Canada geese, water snakes, turtles, and an occasional stork. In the summer it is cleaned regularly by an aquatic weed harvester; however, as of 2020 the harvester was in disrepair, causing significant growth of invasive weeds.[1] Since then, the lake community has addressed mounting issues of cyanobacteria blooms and filamentous algae using grass carp and aquatic herbicides.[2] In the winter, the lake freezes over and allows for ice skating and ice fishing. There are reports of people falling through the ice in warmer winters.[3]
History
editLake Oscawana was said to be named by members of the Wappinger Indian Confederation, and varying spellings of the lake's name were written on tracts of land sold to the Van Cortlandt family in the 1680s.[4] The lake has had a thriving summer resort community surrounding it since the 1850s,[5] around which time the area was accessible by an hour-and-a-half drive from the Peekskill train station.[6]
Celebrity residences
editBabe Ruth is known to have spent some time on the lake at the home of his business manager, Christy Walsh.[7] At the time, the lake housed many hotels and resorts.[8] Another former resident was Roy Scheider.[9] Scheider's house, which is still owned by his former wife, was filmed in the Adirondack Lake house scene in The Sopranos episode, "Soprano Home Movies".[10]
References
edit- ^ "2020 Lake Oscawana District Newsletter" (PDF). putnamvalley.gov. 2020.
- ^ "Lake Oscawana 2021 Update" (PDF). putnamvalley.gov.
- ^ Taliaferro, Lanning (24 January 2019). "Sheriff's Cadet, Family Help Deputy Save Man From Lake". Patch.
- ^ "Early Settlers & Native Americans". Town of Putnam Valley, New York.
- ^ "David and Kathryn Bisbee Postcard Collection". New York Heritage Digital Collections.
- ^ "From Lake Oscawana". The New York Times. August 18, 1865.
- ^ Haggerty, Nancy (9 July 2014). "Babe Ruth toiled at Yankee Stadium, but playground was Westchester, Putnam, Rockland". lohud.com.
- ^ Scudero, Richard A. (8 September 1996). "Offering a Reason for Babe Ruth's Visit". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016.
- ^ North County News Archived 2007-07-30 at archive.today
- ^ The Sopranos location guide