45 Million Views: Geo Rutherford’s Water Mysteries Return

Geo Rutherford is back for her seventh annual run of spooky water content.

The Milwaukee-based artist and former high school art teacher produces 31 daily videos for October, a period she calls Spooky Lake Month. Last year, the series garnered approximately 45 million views across Instagram and TikTok. Her content focuses on what she terms haunted hydrology, exploring phenomena such as caustic brines in Tanzania, shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, and the soapy coating known as adipocere that forms on bodies in cold freshwater.

Rutherford, who grew up in Colorado and Michigan, cites a family background in earth science as a primary influence. Her mother, Sandra, holds a PhD in geology. Rutherford attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she earned a Master of Fine Arts in Printmaking and Book Arts from the Peck School of the Arts. During her graduate studies, she created a thesis project about Lake Michigan after visiting Bradford Beach for 90 days to collect debris. That project evolved into an artist book containing test tubes with items like crinoid fossils and zebra mussels. She credited her mentor Max Yela, a former head of Special Collections at UWM Libraries, for encouraging her to challenge the definition of a book.

The initial viral success of a TikTok video showcasing that book, which received over one million views, launched her digital career. Rutherford now lives on Fish Lake in Sauk City, Wisconsin, a location that inspired recent videos of her kayaking over submerged homes. She records and edits most videos on the day they are posted to maintain a specific pacing. This rapid workflow, which she describes as an ADHD-fueled marathon, allows her to avoid second-guessing her choices before the 7 p.m. release time.

The series has led to two illustrated books for middle-grade readers. Spooky Lakes: 25 Strange and Mysterious Lakes That Dot Our Planet was followed by Spooky Rivers: 25 Strange and Mysterious Lakes That Snake Around Our Planet, which arrived in bookstores in September. Rutherford notes that the name Spooky Lake Month is a misnomer because the content focuses on natural phenomena rather than ghosts. She aims to educate viewers on earth science while maintaining a creepy aesthetic through music and limited visual framing, often showing only her forehead.

The 2026 season concludes this week with the final video of 31 daily posts. Rutherford will post the season closer on November 1, depicting her descending back into the lake until the following fall. The series has gained a loyal following, with some fans naming their children Geo in her honor. Her work continues to blend her artistic background with scientific curiosity, turning obscure hydrological facts into mainstream social media entertainment.