Island was only half an acre in size. Its southern shore was marshy, but the northern end of the island (toward Richfield Springs) had trees and vegetation. In 1816..."the year without a summer", there was an early spring thaw and the streams that feed Canadarago were running high. Their water flow covered the lake ice. A north wind blew the ice pack into the southern portion of the lake. Not long after that, there was a hard freeze and the winds shifted from out of the south. The ice pack, larger than before, was sent back in the opposite direction. The saw effect took off the surface soil of the island and took down the trees and vegetation. It has been under water ever since. In 1872, a small steamboat was launched on the lake as a pleasure craft. The remaining island on Canadarago was called Deowongo Island (De-O-Won-Go) by the Oneida Indians who lived in the area. The name is said to mean, "Place of Hearing", and was given to the island because of the echo that was noticeable from that body of land. The island was purchased from the State of New York by Daniel Wormer in 1850. Then in 2012 the island was donated by the Schoenlein family to the Otsego Land Trust making it accessible by the public. In 1902, the Southern New York Railroad, an electric railroad, was opened south of Herkimer and Mohawk to Jordanville, Richfield Springs, Canadarago Lake, Cooperstown and Oneonta. There were two stops along the lake including Canadarago Park and The Lake House. Canadarago Park was located on the east shore about a mile south of The Lake House. June 2006 saw massive flooding of its banks after record rainfall. Legislation to create a Canadarago Lake District was approved by the New York State Legislature in 2007 but was subsequently vetoed by Governor Eliot Spitzer. Geology It is geologically related to the Finger Lakes, as they were both carved by glaciers, but is not counted among them. One difference is that Canadarago Lake is situated at a higher elevation () than the Finger Lakes (approximately ). Another difference is the Finger Lakes are part of the Lake Ontario watershed, and Otsego is part of the Susquehanna River watershed. Canadarago Lake is a dimictic lake surviving a previous glacial period. The lake is also eutrophic. Watershed Ocquionis Creek and Mink Creek feed