# Mosquito covering Old School House?



## Popspastime (Apr 1, 2014)

Was speaking to someone today that used to live in Mecca and Mosquito was brought up. It was mentioned that the lake covered an old school house by the young lady and I asked where it might be?? She texted a friend and that friend said her dad said there was besides a bit of a town that surrounded it because he worked on it. Ok so here it is.. I've covered most of that lake since I was 20 years old and think I know it pretty good but I've never heard that before or ever ran over it with the graph or side scan stuff. I know that Mosquito is a home lake for many of you and some live very close in the area. Is this true or is it folklore If it's true, where is it?


----------



## Snakecharmer (Apr 9, 2008)

Popspastime said:


> Was speaking to someone today that used to live in Mecca and Mosquito was brought up. It was mentioned that the lake covered an old school house by the young lady and I asked where it might be?? She texted a friend and that friend said her dad said there was besides a bit of a town that surrounded it because he worked on it. Ok so here it is.. I've covered most of that lake since I was 20 years old and think I know it pretty good but I've never heard that before or ever ran over it with the graph or side scan stuff. I know that Mosquito is a home lake for many of you and some live very close in the area. Is this true or is it folklore If it's true, where is it?


It's a good spot if you want to catch a "SCHOOL" of fish........


----------



## bountyhunter (Apr 28, 2004)

I,d like to know too. everybody knows about the bridge , an grave yard. red barn , never heard of a school. wonder if linda left the map in the bait shop?


----------



## Harvest Time (Sep 29, 2015)

My dad always told me there was a school house under there. Don’t know where it is.


----------



## Popspastime (Apr 1, 2014)

Snakecharmer said:


> It's a good spot if you want to catch a "SCHOOL" of fish........


Or if you want to play "Hooky"


----------



## SPURCHASERX (May 23, 2008)

It’s an old school house foundation Mostly just a pile of stones
Can’t give numbers but it’s up near the causeway west side on south end
There are several old foundations scattered around in mosquito


----------



## louisvillefisherman (Jun 9, 2012)

If there were an old school house, these two maps would be the place to find it:

From 1899:
http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/63783/

From 1940:
http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/69184/


----------



## johnboy111711 (Apr 7, 2004)

I can count off the top of my head at least 11 foundations of various sizes that sit in anywhere from 2ft of water out to 15ft. In all honesty, having fished them all, the weeds usually produce better. the old bridges and culverts are better, too. There are a number in the lake...


----------



## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

SPURCHASERX said:


> It’s an old school house foundation Mostly just a pile of stones
> Can’t give numbers but it’s up near the causeway west side on south end
> There are several old foundations scattered around in mosquito


dingdingding we have a winner. when the water is low you can see the foundation stones. right now its probably in about 6' fow. its about 1/4 of the way between where the causeway fishing sidewalk ends and the west shoreline.

I had a photo of it when the water was really low a few years ago, but I cant find it, it's more of a broken square outline of a one room school house, it's made out of foundation stones and they are less than a foot high.


----------



## wetlander (Jul 12, 2012)

Google is your friend


----------



## bountyhunter (Apr 28, 2004)

thats cool thanks,


----------



## bulafisherman (Apr 11, 2004)

wetlander said:


> View attachment 282303
> Google is your friend


 all I can think is The Creepy Line


----------



## louisvillefisherman (Jun 9, 2012)

In my humble opinion that is an anomaly in the Google maps image.

The reason I say that is the causeway was built up and graded before the lake was flooded. I cant imagine that such a defined structure within the engineered slope of the causeway would not have been completely erased during the reconstruction of RT 88. That is not the natural elevation at that point. The whole causeway was built up to grade and that requires both sides to be engineered many yards to the north and south the entire length of the causeway.

One other note, the size of that structure would be enormous. Compare it the size of the car parked on the causeway. Way too big for a "one room schoolhouse".

It appears {to me) that the "structure" in the photo sits on land that was not original to the area before the dam was built and is simply an illusion.

Just my 1 cent.


----------



## johnboy111711 (Apr 7, 2004)

lville, there is some old foundation blocks in the area, but they are in the loose shape of a foundation. I think some may have been taken out before the lake was flooded. that being said, there are much more defined structures on the lake that have similar foundations, usually 12"-18" rises from the bottom In the loose square/rectangle shape. I have also seen drinking water wells out there as well.


----------



## johnboy111711 (Apr 7, 2004)

side note, the history of the old farmsteads below berlin, west branch, and mogadore and the industrial history of the portage lakes chain is way more interesting and productive when fishing.


----------



## wetlander (Jul 12, 2012)

Well I have lived in the area since 1970 and have seen the school house several times during low water. It is there. There are quite a few foundations in the lake especially along Durst Colebrook road which was covered by the lake. Check it yourself. Durst Colebrook stops at the refuge and starts again at the spillway. The lake usually is lowest in the fall / winter so unless you hunt ducks you probably aren't on the lake to see them. There was a 3 map topo of the lake from 1945 when the lake was built, that shows roads and buildings, the school house included .


----------



## meats52 (Jul 23, 2014)

A good friend of mine grew up in Cortland and he told me about the old school house quite a few years ago. We drive across the old road, that wetlander is talking about, to get to the stump field that we fish on the southwest side of the causeway. If you watch your depth finder you can find the road pretty easy. I'm not sure which side of the road the old school house was on but if you go north or south along the side of the old road you should be able to find it if there's any of it left. I've never really looked for it. The state sunk some stacks of pallets in the same general area as the stump field some years ago too.


----------



## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

In reference to the Google image. It is not an anomaly. I don't know that it's the old school house being talked about, but it is a large area of hard bottom. Pretty much rock and gravel, with some larger foundation type stones that appear to be sandstone, strewn about. And its edges are as defined as in the photo.


----------

