HWS: Pulteney St. Survey Online: Seneca Lake

The Colleges and Seneca Lake

Over the summer of 1997, the staff of The Pulteney St. Survey (the Hobart and William Smith Colleges magazine) studied the effects that Seneca Lake had had on the Colleges. In the process, we also learned a lot about the lake itself.

The results of that project appear in the magazine's Fall '97 issue, and have been assembled for this website. We hope all who know and love Seneca Lake will enjoy this web presentation as well.

Note: Many of the stories that appear here do not appear in the printed edition, or appear there only in abbreviated form.

About the lake generally

The Hand of Man
Gauging the health of Seneca Lake

Legends of the Lake
Serpents, drums, underground passageways.

Skimming the Surface
The basic facts about Seneca Lake

Pumping Cash Out of Seneca
The economic impact of the lake.

Something about fishing.
There's more to the sport than just filling your creel.

Why Seneca?
How the lake got its name.

Frozen in Time
The Ice Man rarely cometh.

The Lakes Country Rambler
How Arch Merrill documented Seneca.

Counting on the Lake
How the lake affects our souls.

Seneca Lake in the academic life of the Colleges

Limnologically Speaking
How Seneca Lake branded the Colleges offerings in geoscience.

The Bottom of the Lake
The importance of studying lake sediments.

Science Camp
Two programs that bring pre-collegians to Seneca Lake.

Molecules That Matter
Using Seneca Lake to bring introductory chemistry to life.

Professor of Biology
How Ted Odell anticipated our interest in the lake.

Noting a Golden Silence
Scholarly impact outside of the sciences.

Alums of the Lake
Former students whose HWS careers were changed by Seneca.

Other connections to daily life here

Lake? What Lake?
An introduction to the many connections between the Colleges and Seneca Lake.

"Here is the Spot"
Bishop Hobart and the Lake

"A Goodly Spin Down the Lake"
Crew, sailing, and other recreation.

Pushing Off
Reflections on boating.

Down to the Lake
Student fun and traditions along Seneca.

The Coxe and May Tragedy
How these drownings shook the Colleges.

A Certain Condition of Light
Aesthetic implications of the panorama.

Versions of these articles also appear in the Fall '97 issue of The Pulteney St. Survey. To request a copy, e-mail Susan Murad at murad@hws.edu.