Who Is Banging Those Drums?

Have you ever walked beside the lake on a clear, crisp Autumn day, enjoying the gentle lap of water along the pebbly shore? Have you ever noticed a persistent, barely perceptible drum beat at the edge of your consciousness? Perhaps you’ve heard the Cayuga Lake Drums.

Explanations ranging from the scientific to the eerie have provided fodder for the legend of the Lake Drums for generations. For some, the subtle drumming is merely the release of gases built up in sediments over the course of the summer. For others, the explanation is more fantastic — the echo of long past cannon fire, or perhaps the drumming of a local lad who died in battle. Even the Native American residents of our watershed are said to have claimed the drums to be the work of an ancient chief, calling his people to war.

We’d like to know how many of our members have heard the Lake Drums. Please let us know, either via Email to Bill Foster, at educator@cayugalake.org, or otherwise. If you have an explanation to offer, perhaps we’ll include it in a future issue. If you’ve never heard the drums, either end of the lake is said to be a good place to hear this mysterious phenomenon… if you can find a quiet time to listen.