Lake Covington

Lake Covington was originally a stop on the Oregon trail where horses and other livestock could take a needed break and pioneers would fill their stores with trout or venison from the surrounding woods. With its serene waters and plentiful forests, some pioneers realized that their new frontier was not at the end of the trail, but in this new place full of promise. Lake Covington had a spell all its own, enticing them to stay and establish roots.

The name Lake Covington is something of a tall tale that the locals like to share. They say that the name came from Percy Covington, an idealist who had been striking out on his own. He had nothing, only what he carried in his knapsack. Along the way, he joined up with the McClellan Family, who were well to do, but had fallen on some hard times and were heading West.

The party made the customary stop near the lake. While these first pioneers were taking care of livestock and preparing supper, Mary McClellan took a stroll down the lake with a warning from her mother to be careful since Mary couldn’t swim. According to local myth, there was a mermaid within the waters of Lake Covington who loved beautiful trinkets of all sorts. As Mary walked along the shore, she twirled a charm bracelet that she’d picked up a few towns back. Its colored glass sent bursts of sparkles along the water.

Just as Mary decided to return to camp, she saw something glinting in the water that she hadn’t before. Curious, she took her shoes off and ventured deeper into the lake to see what it could be. When the water was about up to her waist, she suddenly couldn’t feel the rocks underneath her feet and she struggled to stay afloat. Mary called for help. Despite being close enough to camp for the whole wagon train to come to her aid, only one person heard her screams: Percy. He dove into the water and scooped a drenched Mary into his arms. It was as if a spell had been cast and they were seeing each other for the first time, despite those long weeks together on the dusty trail. After some initial hesitation from Mary’s father, the two were married along the waters of the lake.

It was some time later that Mary started to recount other details from that fateful day. Like, what had caught her attention was the glinting scales of a mermaid tail. How she could have sworn she felt hands pulling her into the water. And how her charm bracelet had mysteriously disappeared from her wrist when it was all over. It was a payment, Mary swore, to this Lady of the Lake, who brought Percy to her by muting her cries for help to everyone but him.

As Percy and Mary’s story grew, the dazzling waters that served as a stop on the Oregon Trail started to be known as Lake Covington—a magical place of love. Whether their story is true or not, the enchantment of the place is undeniable. On certain nights, you can feel the electricity in the air that makes your heart suddenly race. As far as the mermaid, our Lady of the Lake has a following of devoted hopefuls, looking to have a match made for them just like she did with Percy and Mary. It’s not uncommon to find little gifts of combs and jewelry along the shores of Lake Covington to tempt the elusive matchmaker from the depths.