Because the Erie people were defeated in the Beaver Wars before a comprehensive study of their language could be made, its meaning remains unknown and a source of speculation, with two longstanding folk translations being “bag tied in the middle” and “place where fish are taken out,”[1] the latter having some support based on similar words in other Iroquoian languages.

The drainage divide was spanned by Pierre-Joseph Céloron de Blainville in his 1749 Ohio River expedition that started from Montreal, and the town of Celoron at the southern end of the lake is named for him.

There are many other settlements located on the lake, including Fluvanna, Greenhurst, Dewittville, Stow, and Ashville Bay.

Unlike most large bodies of water in New York which are administratively divided up among the surrounding towns, villages, and cities, Chautauqua Lake is demarcated by the USGS and U.S. Census Bureau as a nonfunctioning political division of its own.

The majority of tourists flock to the Chautauqua Institution, which contains a wide variety of stores and restaurants and is home to live music entertainment and many public lectures during the summer months.

The cost of the ferry ride is free, though donations are accepted, and it is operated by the Sea Lion Project Ltd.

Prior to 2018, a popular tourist location was the Bemus Point restaurant, The Italian Fisherman, since renamed "The Fish."

Prior to its change in name and ownership, the Italian Fisherman boasted a popular floating stage that hosted an annual summertime concert series.

Bemus Point offers The Village Casino, a restaurant and bar that can easily be reached by boat.

It is also the origin and namesake of the Chautauqua adult education movement, which was heavily referenced in the novel Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig.