History & Culture · Central New York
Cato's Map Was Shaped by Water Crossings
Cato's official history ties the town to Cross Lake, the Seneca River, ferry crossings, farms, and a railroad bridge story.
Published July 5, 2026 · Last verified July 5, 2026
Cato is a water town before it is a road town.
Its official history puts the town between Lake Ontario and the Finger Lakes, with Cross Lake forming the eastern boundary and the Seneca River forming the southern one. Rolling drumlins, ponds, streams, and shoreline names do a lot of the map work here.
Before the bridges, the Seneca River had to be crossed by ferry. The history names ferry points around today’s Route 34 crossing, Bonta Bridge, and Quimby Bridge. That makes the old map feel less abstract. A bridge is just a convenience until you imagine neighbors waiting for a ferryman with a wagon, animals, or a trip to make before weather changed.
The river kept changing roles. The same Seneca River became part of the Barge Canal story, bringing boats and traffic through the area. Parker Pond, once called Forest Lake, even has an ice-harvesting past from the days before electric refrigeration.
Then the railroad added another layer. The Southern Central Railroad reached Cato in 1872, and later the Lehigh Valley line served the town.
In 1884, the engine Owasco fell into the Seneca River after a bridge failed, and the old bridge abutments can still be seen east of the Route 34 river bridge. Cato’s story is not one landmark. It is water, crossings, farms, rails, and the memory of how people moved.