Lake Champlain is a natural,
freshwaterFresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
lakeA lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
in
North AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, located mainly within the borders of the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(
statesA U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of
VermontVermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
and
New YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
) but partially situated across the Canada—United States border in the
CanadianCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
province of
QuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.
The New York portion of the Champlain Valley includes the eastern portions of
Clinton CountyClinton County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 82,128. Its name is in honor of the first Governor of New York as a state, George Clinton. Its county seat is Plattsburgh.-History:...
and
Essex CountyEssex County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 39,370. Its name is from the English county of Essex. Its county seat is Elizabethtown...
. Most of this area is part of the Adirondack Park. There are recreational opportunities in the park and along the relatively undeveloped coastline of Lake Champlain. The cities of
PlattsburghPlattsburgh is a city in and county seat of Clinton County, New York, United States. The population was 19,989 at the 2010 census. The population of the unincorporated areas within the Town of Plattsburgh was 11,870 as of the 2010 census; making the population for the immediate, urban Plattsburgh,...
and
BurlingtonBurlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
are to the north and the village of
TiconderogaTiconderoga is a town in Essex County, New York, USA. The population was 5,167 at the 2000 census. The name comes from the Mohawk tekontaró:ken, meaning "it is at the junction of two waterways"....
in the southern part of the region. The Quebec portion is located in the regional county municipalities of
Le Haut-RichelieuLe Haut-Richelieu is a Regional County Municipality in southwestern Quebec, Canada in the Montérégie region. Its seat is in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. It is named for the Richelieu River which runs south-north through the RCM.-Communities:...
and Brome–Missisquoi.
Geology
The Champlain Valley is among the northernmost valleys considered part of the
Great Appalachian ValleyThe Great Valley, also called the Great Appalachian Valley or Great Valley Region, is one of the major landform features of eastern North America. It is a gigantic trough — a chain of valley lowlands — and the central feature of the Appalachian Mountain system...
, reaching from Quebec to
AlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. The Champlain Valley is a
physiographic sectionThe physiographic regions of the world are a means of defining the Earth's landforms into distinct regions based upon classic 1916 three-tiered approach defining divisions, provinces, and sections...
of the larger
Saint Lawrence ValleyThe Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
, which in turn is part of the larger
AppalachianThe Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
physiographic division.
It is one of numerous large lakes in an arc from
LabradorLabrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
through the northern United States and into the
Northwest TerritoriesThe Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
of Canada. Although it is smaller than the
Great LakesThe Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
of
OntarioLake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
,
ErieLake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
,
HuronLake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
,
SuperiorLake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
, or
MichiganLake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
, Lake Champlain is a large body of fresh water. Approximately 1269 km² (490 sq mi) in area, the lake is roughly 201 km (124.9 mi) long, and 23 km (14.3 mi) across at its widest point. The maximum depth is approximately 400 feet (121.9 m). The lake varies seasonally from about 95 foot above
mean sea levelMean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
.
Hydrology
Lake Champlain is situated in the Lake Champlain Valley between the Green Mountains of
VermontVermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
and the
Adirondack MountainsThe Adirondack Mountains are a mountain range located in the northeastern part of New York, that runs through Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Saint Lawrence, Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties....
of
New YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, drained northward by the 106 miles (170.6 km) long
Richelieu RiverThe Richelieu River is a river in Quebec, Canada. It flows from the north end of Lake Champlain about north, ending at the confluence with the St. Lawrence River at Sorel-Tracy, Quebec downstream and northeast of Montreal...
into the St. Lawrence River at
Sorel-Tracy, QuebecSorel-Tracy is a city in southwestern Quebec, Canada and the geographical end point of the Lake Champlain Valley at the confluence of the Richelieu River and the St. Lawrence River, on the western edge of Lac Saint-Pierre downstream and east of nearby Montreal. The population as of the Canada 2006...
northeast and downstream of
MontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. It also receives the waters from the 32 miles (51.5 km)-long
Lake GeorgeLake George, nicknamed the Queen of American Lakes, is a long, narrow oligotrophic lake draining northwards into Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River Drainage basin located at the southeast base of the Adirondack Mountains in northern New York, U.S.A.. It lies within the upper region of the...
, so its basin collects waters from the northwestern slopes of the
Green MountainsThe Green Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. state of Vermont. The range extends approximately .-Peaks:The most notable mountains in the range include:*Mount Mansfield, , the highest point in Vermont*Killington Peak, *Mount Ellen,...
of
VermontVermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, the north and west slopes of the Berkshire Hills of
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, and the northern most eastern peaks of the
Adirondack MountainsThe Adirondack Mountains are a mountain range located in the northeastern part of New York, that runs through Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Saint Lawrence, Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties....
of New York State.
The lake drains nearly half of Vermont. About 250,000 people get their drinking water from the lake.
The lake is fed by Otter Creek, the
WinooskiThe Winooski River is a tributary of Lake Champlain, approximately long, in northern Vermont in the United States. Although not Vermont's longest river, it is one of the state's most significant, forming a major valley way from Lake Champlain through the Green Mountains towards the Connecticut...
,
MissisquoiThe Missisquoi River is a tributary of Lake Champlain, approximately 80 mi long, in northern Vermont in the United States and southern Quebec in Canada. It drains a rural area of the northern Green Mountains along the US-Canada border northeast of Lake Champlain, and an area of Quebec's Eastern...
, and
LamoilleThe Lamoille River is a river which runs through northern Vermont and drains into Lake Champlain. It is about in length, and has a drainage area of around . The river generally flows southwest, and then northwest, from the water divide of the Green Mountains, and is the namesake of Lamoille...
Rivers in Vermont, and the Ausable,
ChazyChazy River is the name of two tributaries of Lake Champlain in Clinton County, New York in the United States.The more northerly river is the Great Chazy River, which empties into Lake Champlain at King Bay in the Town of Champlain....
,
BoquetWillsboro is a town in Essex County, New York, in the United States, and lies thirty miles south of the city of Plattsburgh. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 1,903...
, and
SaranacSaranac River is an river in the U.S. state of New York. In its upper reaches is a region of mostly flat water and lakes. The river has more than three dozen source lakes and ponds north of Upper Saranac Lake; the highest is Mountain Pond on Long Pond Mountain...
rivers in New York. Lake Champlain also receives water from
Lake GeorgeLake George, nicknamed the Queen of American Lakes, is a long, narrow oligotrophic lake draining northwards into Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River Drainage basin located at the southeast base of the Adirondack Mountains in northern New York, U.S.A.. It lies within the upper region of the...
via the
La Chute RiverThe La Chute River is a short, fast-moving river, near the Vermont-New York State border, now almost wholly contained within the municipality of Ticonderoga, New York, connecting the northern end and outlet of the long Lake George and the southern end of Lake Champlain through many falls and...
.
It is connected to the
Hudson RiverThe Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
by the
Champlain CanalThe Champlain Canal is a canal that connects the south end of Lake Champlain to the Hudson River in New York. It was simultaneously constructed with the Erie Canal and is now part of the New York State Canal System and the Lakes to Locks Passage....
.
Chazy Reef
The
Chazy ReefThe Chazy Reef Formation is a mid-Ordovician limestone deposit that consists of some of the oldest reef systems built by a community of organisms rather than the deposit of a limited range of similar organisms, such as Stromatolite mounds deposited by ancient cyanobacteria...
is an extensive
OrdovicianThe Ordovician is a geologic period and system, the second of six of the Paleozoic Era, and covers the time between 488.3±1.7 to 443.7±1.5 million years ago . It follows the Cambrian Period and is followed by the Silurian Period...
carbonate rockCarbonate rocks are a class of sedimentary rocks composed primarily of carbonate minerals. The two major types are limestone, which is composed of calcite or aragonite and dolostone, which is composed of the mineral dolomite .Calcite can be either dissolved by groundwater or precipitated by...
formation which extends from
TennesseeTennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
to
QuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and
NewfoundlandNewfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
. It occurs in prominent
outcropAn outcrop is a visible exposure of bedrock or ancient superficial deposits on the surface of the Earth. -Features:Outcrops do not cover the majority of the Earth's land surface because in most places the bedrock or superficial deposits are covered by a mantle of soil and vegetation and cannot be...
ping at Goodsell Ridge, Isle La Motte, the northernmost island in Lake Champlain.
The oldest reefs are around "The Head" of the south end of the island; slightly younger reefs are found at the Fisk Quarry; and the youngest (the famous coral reefs) are located in fields to the north. Together, these three sites provide a unique narrative of events which took place over 450 million years ago in the ocean in the Southern Hemisphere, long before the emergence of Lake Champlain 20 thousand years ago.
History
The lake was named for the
FrenchThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
explorerExploration is the act of searching or traveling around a terrain for the purpose of discovery of resources or information. Exploration occurs in all non-sessile animal species, including humans...
Samuel de ChamplainSamuel de Champlain , "The Father of New France", was a French navigator, cartographer, draughtsman, soldier, explorer, geographer, ethnologist, diplomat, and chronicler. He founded New France and Quebec City on July 3, 1608....
, who encountered it in 1609. While the ports of
Burlington, VermontBurlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
;
Port Henry, New YorkPort Henry is a village in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 1,152 at the 2000 census.The Village of Port Henry lies on the east side of the Town of Moriah and is approximately one hour's drive south of Plattsburgh...
; and
Plattsburgh, New YorkPlattsburgh is a city in and county seat of Clinton County, New York, United States. The population was 19,989 at the 2010 census. The population of the unincorporated areas within the Town of Plattsburgh was 11,870 as of the 2010 census; making the population for the immediate, urban Plattsburgh,...
are little used nowadays except by small craft, ferries and lake cruise ships, they had substantial commercial and military importance in the 18th and 19th centuries.
There is conflicting information on Native American names for the lake. Many historical works give
Caniaderi Guarunte as the
IroquoisThe Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
name for the lake (meaning: mouth or door of the country), because the waterway was an important northern gateway to their lands. A number of other sources give
Petonbowk (meaning the lake in between) as the
AlgonquianThe Algonquian languages also Algonkian) are a subfamily of Native American languages which includes most of the languages in the Algic language family. The name of the Algonquian language family is distinguished from the orthographically similar Algonquin dialect of the Ojibwe language, which is a...
AbenakiThe Abenaki language is a dialect continuum within the Eastern Algonquian languages, originally spoken in what is now Vermont, New Hampshire, northern Massachusetts and Maine...
name for the lake. The St. Francis/Sokoki Abenaki Band, who make their home along the
Masipskiwibi (Missisquoi, "Crooked River") River in northwestern Vermont call the lake
Bitawbagok, the same meaning as
Petonbowk. Some recent articles appeared during the Champlain Quadricentennial (2009) claiming
Ondakina as the “local” native name for the lake, but none cites a verifiable source.
Colonial America and the Revolutionary War
In
colonialThe Thirteen Colonies were English and later British colonies established on the Atlantic coast of North America between 1607 and 1733. They declared their independence in the American Revolution and formed the United States of America...
times, Lake Champlain provided an easily traversed water (or, in winter, ice) passage between the
Saint LawrenceThe Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
and the
HudsonThe Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
Valleys. Travelers preferred to use boats and sledges on the lake rather than go by the unpaved and frequently mud-bound roads of the time. The northern tip of the lake at Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu,
QuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
(St. John in colonial times) is a short distance from
MontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. The southern tip at
WhitehallWhitehall is a town in Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 4,035 at the 2000 census.The Town of Whitehall contains a village also named Whitehall.- History :...
(Skenesborough in revolutionary times) is a short distance from
SaratogaSaratoga is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 5,141 at the 2000 census. It is also the commonly used, but not official, name for the neighboring and much more populous city, Saratoga Springs. The major village in the town of Saratoga is Schuylerville which is...
,
Glens FallsGlens Falls is a city in Warren County, New York, United States. Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 14,700 at the 2010 census...
, and
AlbanyAlbany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
,
New YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Forts at
TiconderogaFort Ticonderoga, formerly Fort Carillon, is a large 18th-century fort built by the Canadians and the French at a narrows near the south end of Lake Champlain in upstate New York in the United States...
and
Crown PointCrown Point is a town in Essex County, New York, USA. The population was 2,119 at the 2000 census. The name of the town is a direct translation of the original French name, "Point au Chevalure."...
(
Fort St. FredericFort St. Frédéric was a French fort built on Lake Champlain at Crown Point to secure the region against British colonization and to allow the French to control the use of Lake Champlain....
) controlled passage of the lake in colonial times. Important battles were fought at Ticonderoga in 1758 and 1775. Following a frenetic shipbuilding race through the Spring and Summer of 1776 by the British at the north end of the lake and the Americans at the south end, they fought a significant naval engagement on October 11 at the
Battle of Valcour IslandThe naval Battle of Valcour Island, also known as the Battle of Valcour Bay, took place on October 11, 1776, on Lake Champlain. The main action took place in Valcour Bay, a narrow strait between the New York mainland and Valcour Island...
. While it was a tactical defeat for the Americans and the small fleet led by
Benedict ArnoldBenedict Arnold V was a general during the American Revolutionary War. He began the war in the Continental Army but later defected to the British Army. While a general on the American side, he obtained command of the fort at West Point, New York, and plotted to surrender it to the British forces...
was almost entirely destroyed, the Americans gained a strategic victory. The British invasion was delayed long enough so that the approach of winter prevented the fall of these forts until the following year. In this period, the
Continental ArmyThe Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
gained strength and was victorious at
SaratogaThe Saratoga Campaign was an attempt by Great Britain to gain military control of the strategically important Hudson River valley in 1777 during the American Revolutionary War...
.
War of 1812
The Battle of Lake Champlain, also known as the
Battle of PlattsburghThe Battle of Plattsburgh, also known as the Battle of Lake Champlain, ended the final invasion of the northern states during the War of 1812...
, fought on September 11, 1814, ended the final British invasion of the northern states during the
War of 1812The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. Fought just prior to the signing of the
Treaty of GhentThe Treaty of Ghent , signed on 24 December 1814, in Ghent , was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
, the American victory denied the British any leverage to demand exclusive control over the
Great LakesThe Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
or territorial gains against the
New EnglandNew England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
states.
Three
US Naval shipsThree ships of the United States Navy have been named USS Lake Champlain, after the Battle of Lake Champlain in the War of 1812., was a cargo ship in use during 1918 and 1919 and then sold, was an aircraft carrier in service from 1945 to 1966...
have been named after this battle, including the
USS Lake Champlain (CV-39)USS Lake Champlain was one of 24 s completed during or shortly after World War II for the United States Navy. She was the second US Navy ship to bear the name, and was named for the Battle of Lake Champlain in the War of 1812....
, the
USS Lake Champlain (CG-57)USS Lake Champlain is a Ticonderoga class cruiser in the United States Navy. It is the third ship to be named Lake Champlain, in honor of Battle of Lake Champlain, which took place during the War of 1812.-Ship history:...
, and a cargo ship used during
World War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Following the
War of 1812The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, the US Army began construction on "Fort Blunder", an unnamed fortification built by the Americans at the northernmost end of Lake Champlain to protect against any further attacks from British Canada. Its nickname came from a surveying error: the initial phase of construction on the fort turned out to be taking place on a point 0.75 miles (1.2 km) north of the Canadian border. Once this error was spotted, construction was abandoned. Locals scavenged materials used in the abandoned fort for use in their own homes and public buildings. The signing of the
Webster-Ashburton TreatyThe Webster–Ashburton Treaty, signed August 9, 1842, was a treaty resolving several border issues between the United States and the British North American colonies...
in 1842 later adjusted the U.S. boundary northward to include the strategically important site of "Fort Blunder." Following this in 1844, work was commenced once again, replacing the remains of the 1812 era fort with a massive new Third System masonry fortification known as
Fort MontgomeryFort Montgomery on Lake Champlain refers to the second of two American forts built at the northernmost point on the lake: a first, unnamed fort built on the same site in 1816 and Fort Montgomery built in 1844....
. Portions of this fort are still standing.
Modern history
In the early 19th century, the construction of the
Champlain CanalThe Champlain Canal is a canal that connects the south end of Lake Champlain to the Hudson River in New York. It was simultaneously constructed with the Erie Canal and is now part of the New York State Canal System and the Lakes to Locks Passage....
connected Lake Champlain to the
Hudson RiverThe Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
system, allowing north-south commerce by water from New York City to Montreal and
Atlantic CanadaAtlantic Canada is the region of Canada comprising the four provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec: the three Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia – and Newfoundland and Labrador...
.
In 1909, 65,000 people celebrated the 300th anniversary of the discovery of the lake. Attending dignitaries included President
William Howard TaftWilliam Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
, along with representatives from France, Canada and the United Kingdom.
In 1929, then-New York Governor Franklin Roosevelt and Vermont Governor
John WeeksJohn Eliakim Weeks was an American politician from Vermont. He served as the 61st Governor of Vermont from 1927 to 1931. He served as a Vermont state court judge from 1884 to 1886, and 1902 to 1904...
, dedicated the first bridge to span the lake, from Chimney Point to Chimney Point. This bridge lasted until December of 2009.
On February 19, 1932, boats were able to sail on Lake Champlain. No living person could remember the lake being free of ice during the winter up until then.
Lake Champlain briefly became the nation's sixth
Great LakeThe Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
on March 6, 1998, when
President ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
signed Senate Bill 927. This bill, which reauthorized the National Sea Grant Program, contained a line declaring Lake Champlain to be a Great Lake. Not coincidentally, this status allows neighboring states to apply for additional federal research and education funds allocated to these national resources. Following a small uproar, the Great Lake status was rescinded on March 24 (although Vermont universities continue to receive funds to monitor and study the lake).
"Champ", Lake Champlain monster
In 1609 Samuel de Champlain wrote that he saw saw a lake monster five feet (1.5 m) long, as thick as a man's thigh, with silver-gray scales a dagger could not penetrate. The alleged monster had two-and-a-half foot jaws with sharp and dangerous teeth. Indians claimed to have seen similar monsters eight to ten feet long (around 2.7 m). This mysterious creature is likely the original Lake Champlain monster. The monster still receives considerable attention, as indicated by the name (
Vermont Lake MonstersThe Vermont Lake Monsters are a minor league baseball team in the Short-Season A classification New York - Penn League, affiliated with the Oakland Athletics. The team plays its home games at Centennial Field on the University of Vermont campus in Burlington, Vermont...
) and mascot (Champ) of the state's minor league
baseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
team and a Vermont Historical Society publication, which also offers several mundane explanations for the so-called monster: "floating logs, schools of large sturgeons diving in a row, or flocks of black birds flying
close to the water."
Ecology
A pollution prevention, control, and restoration plan for Lake Champlain was first endorsed in October 1996 by the governors of New York and Vermont and the regional administrators of the EPA (
United States Environmental Protection AgencyThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
). In April 2003, the plan was updated and Quebec signed onto it. The plan is being implemented by the
Lake Champlain Basin ProgramThe Lake Champlain Basin Program is a program to restore and protect Lake Champlain and its surrounding watershed or drainage basin for future generations...
and its partners at the state, provincial, federal and local level. It is renowned as a model for interstate and international cooperation. It primary goals are to reduce
phosphorusPhosphorus is the chemical element that has the symbol P and atomic number 15. A multivalent nonmetal of the nitrogen group, phosphorus as a mineral is almost always present in its maximally oxidized state, as inorganic phosphate rocks...
inputs to Lake Champlain; reduce toxic contamination; minimize the risks to humans from water-related health hazards; and control the introduction, spread, and impact of non-native nuisance species to preserve the integrity of the Lake Champlain ecosystem.
Agricultural and urban runoff from the watershed or
drainage basinA drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
is the primary source of excess phosphorus, which exacerbates algae blooms in Lake Champlain. The most problematic blooms have been
cyanobacteria, commonly called blue-green algae, in the northeastern part of the Lake, primarily Missisquoi Bay.
To reduce phosphorus inputs to this part of the Lake, Vermont and Quebec agreed to reduce their inputs by 60% and 40%, respectively, by an agreement signed in 2002. While agricultural sources (manure and fertilizers) are the primary sources of phosphorus (about 70%) in the Missisquoi basin, runoff from developed land and suburbs is estimated to contribute about 46% of the phosphorus runoff basin-wide to Lake Champlain, and agricultural lands contributed about 38%.
In 2002, the cleanup plan noted that the lake had the capacity to absorb 110 metric tons (108.3 LT) of phosphorus each year. In 2009, a judge noted that 218 metric tons (214.6 LT) were still flowing in annually. Sixty municipal and industrial sewage plants discharge processed waste from the Vermont side
In 2008, the EPA expressed concerns to the State of Vermont that the Lake's cleanup was not progressing fast enough to meet the original cleanup goal of 2016. The State, however, cites its Clean and Clear Action Plan as a model that will see positive results for Lake Champlain.
In 2007, phosphates were banned for dishwasher use in Vermont starting in 2010. This will save an estimated 2-3 ST from flowing into the lake. While this represents 0.6% of the phosphate pollution, it took $1.9 million to remove this from treated wastewater, an EPA requirement.
Although there are pollution issues, Lake Champlain is safe for swimming, fishing, and boating. It is considered a world-class fishery for salmonid species (
Lake troutLake trout is a freshwater char living mainly in lakes in northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, lake char , touladi, togue, and grey trout. In Lake Superior, they can also be variously known as siscowet, paperbellies and leans...
and
Atlantic salmonThe Atlantic salmon is a species of fish in the family Salmonidae, which is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into the north Atlantic and the north Pacific....
) and bass. About 81 fish species live in the Lake, and more than 300 bird species rely on it for habitat and as a resource during migrations.
By 2008 there were at least six institutions monitoring lake water health: 1) In 2002 the
Conservation Law FoundationConservation Law Foundation is an environmental advocacy organization based in New England. Since 1966, CLF's mission has been to advocate on behalf of the region's environment and its communities. CLF's advocacy work takes place in four program areas: Clean Energy & Climate Change, Clean Water &...
appointed a "lakekeeper" who criticizes the state's pollution controls, 2) Friends of Missisquoi Bay was formed in 2003, 3) the Lake Champlain Committee, 4) Vermont Water Resources Board hired a water quality expert in 2008 to write water quality standards and create wetland protection rules, 5) In 2007 the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources appoints a "Lake czar" to oversee pollution control. Clean and Clear, an agency of the Vermont state government established in 2004 and 6) the Nature Conservancy which focuses on biodiversity and ecosystem health.
In 2001, it was believed that farming contributed 38% of the phosphorus runoff. By 2010, it had become clear that there was no way to clearly determine that environmentally-conscious farming practices, enforced by law, had made any positive contribution to lake cleanliness. A federally funded study was started to analyze this problem and to arrive at a solution.
Biologists have been trying to control
lampreyLampreys are a family of jawless fish, whose adults are characterized by a toothed, funnel-like sucking mouth. Translated from an admixture of Latin and Greek, lamprey means stone lickers...
s in the lake since 1985 or earlier. Lampreys are native to the area but expanded until they were wounding nearly all Lake trout in 2006 and 70-80% of salmon. The use of pesticides against the lamprey reduced their casualties of in other fish to 35% of salmon were affected and 31% of lake trout. The goal was 15% of salmon and 25% of lake trout.
The federal and state governments originally budgeted $18 million for lake programs for 2010. This was later supplemented by an additional $6.5 million from the federal government.
Railroad
There were four significant railroad crossings of the lake. As of 2011, only one remains.
- The "floating" rail trestle from Larabees Point, Vermont to Ticonderoga, New York
Ticonderoga is a town in Essex County, New York, USA. The population was 5,167 at the 2000 census. The name comes from the Mohawk tekontaró:ken, meaning "it is at the junction of two waterways"....
was operated by the Addison Branch of the Rutland RailroadThe Rutland Railway was a small railroad in the northeastern United States, primarily in the state of Vermont but extending into the state of New York. The earliest ancestor of the Rutland, the Rutland & Burlington Railroad, was chartered in 1843 by the state of Vermont to build between Rutland...
. It was abandoned in 1918 due to a number of accidents which resulted in locomotives and rail cars falling into the lake.
- The Island Line Causeway
In modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated, usually across a broad body of water or wetland.- Etymology :When first used, the word appeared in a form such as “causey way” making clear its derivation from the earlier form “causey”. This word seems to have come from the same source by...
. This marble rock-landfill causeway stretched from Colchester, VermontColchester is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. The population was 17,067 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth-largest municipality and second-largest town in Vermont by population.-Geography:...
(on the mainland) three miles (5 km) north and west to South Hero, VermontSouth Hero is a town in Grand Isle County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,696 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 47.5 square miles , of which 15.1 square miles is land and 32.4 square miles is...
. Two breaks in the causeway were spanned by a fixed iron trestleA trestle is a rigid frame used as a support, especially referring to a bridge composed of a number of short spans supported by such frames. In the context of trestle bridges, each supporting frame is generally referred to as a bent...
and a swing bridgeA swing bridge is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its centre of gravity, about which the turning span can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration to the right...
that could be opened to allow boats to pass. Rutland Railroad (later Rutland Railway) operated trains over this causeway from 1901-1961. The Railway was officially abandoned in 1963, with tracks and trestles removed over the course of the ten years that followed. The marble causeway still remains, as does the fixed iron trestle that bridges the lesser of the two gaps. The swing bridge over the navigation channel was removed sometime in the early 1970s. Now called Colchester Park, the main three-mile (5 km) causeway is a recreation area for cyclists, runners, and anglers. Two smaller marble rock-landfill causeways were also erected as part of this line that connected Grand IsleGrand Isle is a town in Grand Isle County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,955 at the 2000 census.A landing for the Lake Champlain Transportation Company's ferry to Plattsburgh, New York at Cumberland Head is located on the western shore of Grand Isle at Gordon's...
to North Hero, Vermont and from North Hero to Alburgh.
- The Alburgh, Vermont - Rouses Point, New York
Rouses Point is a village in Clinton County, New York, United States, along the 45th parallel. The population was 2,209 at the 2010 census. The village is named after Jacques Rouse, an early settler....
rail trestle. From sometime in the late 19th century until 1964, this wooden trestle carried two railroads (the Rutland Railroad and the Central Vermont Railroad) over the lake just south of the US 2 vehicular bridge. The iron swing bridge at the center (over the navigation channel) has been removed, but most of the wooden pilings remain and can easily be seen looking south from the US 2 bridge. Part of the trestle on the Rouses Point side has been converted for use as an access pierA pier is a raised structure, including bridge and building supports and walkways, over water, typically supported by widely spread piles or pillars...
associated with the local marinaA marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
.
- The Swanton - Alburgh, Vermont rail trestle. Built in the same manner as at Rouses Point, crossing the lake just south of Missisquoi Bay and the Canadian border, within yards south of the Vermont Route 78 bridge. It is still in use by the New England Central Railroad
The New England Central Railroad is a subsidiary of RailAmerica that began operations in 1995. It runs from New London, Connecticut, to Alburgh, Vermont, a distance of .-History:...
.
Natural history
In 2010, the estimate of
cormorantThe bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed.- Names :...
population, considered a nuisance, ranged from 14,000 to 16,000. A Fish and Wildlife commissioner said that the ideal population would be 3,300 or about 3 per 1 square kilometre (0.386102158592535 sq mi). Cormorants had disappeared from the lake (and all northern lakes) due to the use of
DDTDDT is one of the most well-known synthetic insecticides. It is a chemical with a long, unique, and controversial history....
in the 1940s and 1950s.
Ring-billed gullThe Ring-billed Gull is a medium-sized gull.Adults are length and with a wingspan. The head, neck and underparts are white; the relatively short bill is yellow with a dark ring; the back and wings are silver gray; and the legs are yellow. The eyes are yellow with red rims...
s are also considered a nuisance. Measures have been taken to reduce their population. Authorities are attempting to encourage the return of black crowned night herons,
cattle egretThe Cattle Egret is a cosmopolitan species of heron found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Bubulcus, although some authorities regard its two subspecies as full species, the Western Cattle Egret and the Eastern Cattle Egret...
s,
great blue heronThe Great Blue Heron is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America as well as the West Indies and the Galápagos Islands. It is a rare vagrant to Europe, with records from Spain, the Azores and England...
s, which disappeared during the time DDT was being used.
Lake crossings
The Alburgh Peninsula (also known as the Alburgh Tongue), extending south from the Quebec shore of the lake into Vermont, shares with
Point Roberts, WashingtonPoint Roberts is an unincorporated community in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. It has a post office, with the ZIP code of 98281, whose ZIP Code Tabulation Area had a population of 1,314 at the 2010 census.A geopolitical oddity, Point Roberts is a part of the United States that is not...
, and the
Northwest AngleThe Northwest Angle, known simply as the Angle by locals, and coextensive with Angle Township, is a part of northern Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota, and is the only place in the United States outside Alaska that is north of the 49th parallel...
in
MinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
as well as Province Point (see below) the distinction of being reachable by land from the rest of its state only via
CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. However, unlike the other three cases, this is no longer of practical significance since highway bridges across the lake do provide access to the peninsula within the United States (from three directions, in fact).
Province Point, Vermont
A few kilometres to the northeast of the town of East Alburgh, Vermont, Province Point is the southernmost tip of a small promontory approximately in size 45.013351°N 73.193257°W. The promontory is cut through by the US-Canadian border as such the area is a practical
exclaveIn political geography, an enclave is a territory whose geographical boundaries lie entirely within the boundaries of another territory.An exclave, on the other hand, is a territory legally or politically attached to another territory with which it is not physically contiguous.These are two...
of the United States contiguous with Canada.
Mainland
There are two roadways across the lake, but only one is open as of October 2009. The
Champlain BridgeThe Champlain Bridge was a long vehicular bridge in the United States that traversed Lake Champlain between Crown Point, New York and Chimney Point, Vermont. It was opened to traffic in 1929 as a toll bridge; the tolls were removed in 1987...
across the southern part of the lake, connecting
Chimney PointChimney Point is an unincorporated community in the town of Addison in Addison County, Vermont, United States. It lies across Lake Champlain from Crown Point, New York. French settlers established the community of Hocquart near modern-day Chimney Point in 1730. This first settlement in Vermont...
in Vermont with
Crown Point, New YorkCrown Point is a town in Essex County, New York, USA. The population was 2,119 at the 2000 census. The name of the town is a direct translation of the original French name, "Point au Chevalure."...
, was closed indefinitely due to structural problems that could have led to a collapse. In 2009, the bridge was used by 3,400 drivers per day, and driving around the southern end of the lake adds two hours to the trip. The bridge was determined to be beyond repair, and both states agreed to work on a replacement as quickly as possible. On December 28, 2009, the bridge was destroyed in a
controlled demolitionControlled demolition refers to:* Demolition, the tearing-down of buildings and other structures* Controlled Demolition, Inc., Phoenix, Maryland firm that specializes in the use of explosives to create a controlled demolition of a structure...
, making way for a new bridge which opened on November 7, 2011.
To the north, US 2 runs from
Rouses Point, New YorkRouses Point is a village in Clinton County, New York, United States, along the 45th parallel. The population was 2,209 at the 2010 census. The village is named after Jacques Rouse, an early settler....
to
Grand Isle County, VermontGrand Isle County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of 2010, the population was 6,970. Its shire town is North Hero.Grand Isle County is part of the Burlington-South Burlington, VT Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
in the town of Alburgh, before continuing south along a chain of islands towards Burlington. To the east,
Vermont Route 78Vermont Route 78 is an east–west state highway in northwestern Vermont, United States. It begins at U.S. Route 2 in Alburgh near the New York and Canadian borders, and runs southeast to VT 105 in Sheldon...
runs from an intersection with US 2 in Alburgh through East Alburgh to Swanton. The US 2-VT 78 route technically runs from the New York mainland to an extension of the mainland between two arms of the lake and then to the Vermont mainland, but it provides a direct route across the two main arms of the northern part of the lake.
Ferry
North of
Ticonderoga, New YorkTiconderoga is a town in Essex County, New York, USA. The population was 5,167 at the 2000 census. The name comes from the Mohawk tekontaró:ken, meaning "it is at the junction of two waterways"....
, the lake widens appreciably; ferry service is operated by the
Lake Champlain Transportation CompanyThe Lake Champlain Transportation Company provides car and passenger ferry service at four points on Lake Champlain in the United States. From 1976 to 2003, it was owned by Burlington, Vermont, businessman Raymond C. Pecor, Jr. who is Chairman of the company's board...
at:
- Charlotte, Vermont
Charlotte is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. The town was named for Sofia Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, youngest daughter of Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.The population was 3,569 at the 2000 census....
to Essex, New YorkEssex is a town in Essex County, New York, United States overlooking Lake Champlain. The population was 713 at the 2000 census. The town is named after locations in England.The Town of Essex is on the eastern edge of the county...
(may not travel when the lake is frozen)
- Burlington, Vermont
Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
to Port Kent, New YorkPort Kent, New York is a community in Essex County, New York, on Lake Champlain. Ferry service to Vermont is provided by the Lake Champlain Transportation Company; the community also has an Amtrak railroad stop....
(seasonal)
- Grand Isle, Vermont
Grand Isle is a town in Grand Isle County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,955 at the 2000 census.A landing for the Lake Champlain Transportation Company's ferry to Plattsburgh, New York at Cumberland Head is located on the western shore of Grand Isle at Gordon's...
to Cumberland Head, part of Plattsburgh, New York (year-round icebreaking service)
While the old bridge was being demolished and the new one constructed, Lake Champlain Transportation
Company operated a free, 24 hour ferry from just south of the bridge to Chimney
Point in Vermont at the expense of the states of New York and Vermont at a cost to the states of about $10 per car.
The most southerly crossing is the
Fort TiconderogaFort Ticonderoga, formerly Fort Carillon, is a large 18th-century fort built by the Canadians and the French at a narrows near the south end of Lake Champlain in upstate New York in the United States...
Ferry, connecting Ticonderoga, New York with
Shoreham, VermontShoreham is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,222 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 46.3 square miles , of which 43.5 square miles is land and 2.8 square miles is...
just north of the historic fort.
Waterways
Lake Champlain has been connected to the
Erie CanalThe Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
via the
Champlain CanalThe Champlain Canal is a canal that connects the south end of Lake Champlain to the Hudson River in New York. It was simultaneously constructed with the Erie Canal and is now part of the New York State Canal System and the Lakes to Locks Passage....
since the canal's official opening September 9, 1823, the same day as the opening of the Erie Canal from
RochesterRochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
on
Lake OntarioLake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
to
AlbanyAlbany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
. It connects to the St. Lawrence River via the
Richelieu RiverThe Richelieu River is a river in Quebec, Canada. It flows from the north end of Lake Champlain about north, ending at the confluence with the St. Lawrence River at Sorel-Tracy, Quebec downstream and northeast of Montreal...
, with the
Chambly CanalThe Chambly Canal is a National Historic Site of Canada in the Province of Quebec, running along the Richelieu River past Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Carignan, and Chambly. Building commenced in 1831 and the canal opened in 1843. It served as a major commercial route during a time of heightened trade...
bypassing rapids on the river since 1843. Together with these waterways the lake is part of the
Lakes to Locks PassageThe New York State byway known as Lakes to Locks Passage unifies the interconnected waterway of the upper Hudson River, Champlain Canal, Lake George, and Lake Champlain; this waterway is the core of North America’s first “super-highway” between upstate New York, USA and the Province of Quebec, Canada...
. The
Lake Champlain SeawayThe Lake Champlain Seaway was a canal project proposed in the late 19th century and considered as late as the 1960s to connect New York State's Hudson River and Canada's St. Lawrence River with a deep-water canal...
, a project to use the lake to bring ocean-going ships from New York City to Montreal, was proposed in the late 19th century and considered as late as the 1960s, but rejected for various reasons.
Major cities
Burlington, VermontBurlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
(pop. 42,217, 2010 Census) is by far the largest city on the lake, having a larger population than the 2nd and 3rd most populated cities/towns (Plattsburgh, New York, and
Colchester, VermontColchester is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. The population was 17,067 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth-largest municipality and second-largest town in Vermont by population.-Geography:...
, respectively) combined. The fourth-largest community is the Burlington suburban city of
South Burlington-Economy:CommutAir, a regional airline, is headquartered in the city, by the airport. The Magic Hat Brewing Company, one of the United States's larger craft breweries, is located here.One measure of economic activity is retail sales...
.
Islands
Lake Champlain contains roughly 80 islands, three of which comprise four entire
VermontVermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
towns (most of
Grand Isle CountyGrand Isle County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of 2010, the population was 6,970. Its shire town is North Hero.Grand Isle County is part of the Burlington-South Burlington, VT Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
). The largest islands:
- South Hero Island, the largest, containing the towns of Grand Isle, Vermont
Grand Isle is a town in Grand Isle County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,955 at the 2000 census.A landing for the Lake Champlain Transportation Company's ferry to Plattsburgh, New York at Cumberland Head is located on the western shore of Grand Isle at Gordon's...
and South Hero, VermontSouth Hero is a town in Grand Isle County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,696 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 47.5 square miles , of which 15.1 square miles is land and 32.4 square miles is...
- North Hero Island, containing the town of North Hero, Vermont
North Hero is a town in and the shire town of Grand Isle County, Vermont, United States. The population was 810 at the 2000 census.-Government:...
- Isle La Motte, containing the town of Isle La Motte, Vermont
-Notable events:Around 480 Million Years ago when the Chazy Formation was flourishing, Strematoporoid colonies were among the most common builders of the reef.In 1609, Samuel de Champlain debarked on Isle La Motte July 9....
- Valcour Island
Valcour Island is an island in Lake Champlain in Clinton County, New York, USA. The island is mostly in the Town of Peru and partly in the Town of Plattsburgh, southeast of the City of Plattsburgh....
, New York
- Juniper Island (Lake Champlain)
Juniper Island is a island in Lake Champlain, approximately southwest of Burlington, Vermont's King Street Ferry Dock. The island is home to the Juniper Island Lighthouse...
- Three Sisters
- Four Brothers
- Savage Island
- Burton Island (State Park)
- Cloak Island
- Garden Island
- Crab Island
Crab Island is a roughly limestone island situated just outside Plattsburgh Bay in the town of Plattsburgh in Clinton County in upstate New York's Lake Champlain. During the War of 1812, the island was utilized as a military field hospital for convalescent soldiers as well as both British and...
, New York
- Dameas Island
- Hen Island
- Carleton's Prize
Carleton's Prize is a small rock island in the Vermont waters of Lake Champlain, in Crescent Bay off the southwestern tip of South Hero.Rising from water's edge to a plateau, situated between Stave and Providence Islands, it has been called Carleton's Prize since the American Revolutionary War...
- Young Island, also known as "Bird Island" due to the birds that have overrun the island
- Providence Island
- Stave Island
Lighthouses
- There is a historic stone lighthouse
Cumberland Head Light is a lighthouse on Lake Champlain's Cumberland Bay in New York state.The lighthouse was established in 1838 and the tower was first lit in 1868. The lighthouse was deactivated in 1934. The foundation of the lighthouse is concrete and limestone and the lighthouse itself is...
located on Cumberland Head, which is privately owned.
- The privately owned Isle La Motte lighthouse on the northern end of the island was originally red, but it faded to pink over time.
- The privately owned cast iron Juniper Island Light
The Juniper Island Light on Juniper Island in Vermont is the oldest light station on Lake Champlain and the oldest surviving cast iron lighthouse in the United States.-History:...
dates from 1846. In 1954 it was deactivated and replaced by a steel tower.
- On Point Au Roche, part of Beekmantown, New York
Beekmantown is a town in Clinton County, New York, United States. The population was 5,545 at the 2010 census. The town name is that of William Beekman, an original landowner....
, there is a privately owned, historic lighthouse.
- Valcour Island
Valcour Island is an island in Lake Champlain in Clinton County, New York, USA. The island is mostly in the Town of Peru and partly in the Town of Plattsburgh, southeast of the City of Plattsburgh....
, near the New YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
shore is home to Bluff Point Lighthouse, built in 1871. It was manned by a full time lightkeeper until 1930, making it one of the last lighthouses to be manned on the Lake. The Cumberland Head LightCumberland Head Light is a lighthouse on Lake Champlain's Cumberland Bay in New York state.The lighthouse was established in 1838 and the tower was first lit in 1868. The lighthouse was deactivated in 1934. The foundation of the lighthouse is concrete and limestone and the lighthouse itself is...
operated until 1934.
- Split Rock Lighthouse, NY south of Essex, NY, near a natural boundary of the territory between the Mohawk and Algonquin tribes.
Aids to navigation
All active navigational aids on the American portion of the lake are maintained by
USCG BurlingtonCoast Guard Station Burlington, Vermont is a Coast Guard station established in 1948 as a four-man light attendant station on Juniper Island. Currently the Station is located on the waterfront of Burlington, Vermont, in a facility built in 1993...
station, along with those on international
Lake MemphremagogLake Memphremagog is a fresh water glacial lake located between Newport, Vermont, United States and Magog, Quebec, Canada. The lake is long with 73 percent of the lake's surface area in Quebec, where it drains into the Magog River. However, three-quarters of its watershed, , is in Vermont. The...
to the east.
Aids to navigation on the Canadian portion of the lake are maintained by the
Canadian Coast GuardThe Canadian Coast Guard is the coast guard of Canada. It is a federal agency responsible for providing maritime search and rescue , aids to navigation, marine pollution response, marine radio, and icebreaking...
.
Parks
There are a number of parks in the Lake Champlain region of both
VermontVermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
and
New YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Two on the New York side of the lake include
Point Au Roche State ParkPoint Au Roche State Park is a state park in Clinton County in the State of New York in the USA. The park is in the east part of the Town of Beekmantown on the shore of Lake Champlain. It was started by former Town Supervisor Florence Corron with a grant.It has a playground,biking paths, walking...
, which have hiking and cross country skiing trails. A public beach is located on park grounds, and the Ausable Point State Park. The
Cumberland Bay State ParkCumberland Bay State Park is located in the Town of Plattsburgh in Clinton County, New York, on the Cumberland Head peninsula. The park is adjacent to Lake Champlain....
is located on Cumberland Head, with a campground, city beach, and sports fields.
There are various parks along the lake on the Vermont side, including Sand Bar State Park in
MiltonMilton is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. The population was 10,352 at the 2010 census. According to local legend, the town was named for the English poet John Milton, but the name most likely originated from William FitzWilliam, 4th Earl FitzWilliam, who held the title...
, featuring a 2000 feet (609.6 m) natural sand beach, swimming,canoe and kayak rentals, food concession, picnic grounds and a play area. At 226 acres (91.5 ha), Grand Isle State Park contains camping facilities, a sand volleyball court, a nature walk trail, a
horseshoeHorseshoes is an outdoor game played between two people using four horseshoes and two throwing targets set in a sandbox area. The game is played by the players alternating turns tossing horseshoes at stakes in the ground, which are traditionally placed 40 feet apart...
pit and a play area.
Burlington'sBurlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
Waterfront Park is a revitalized industrial area.
Public safety
Coast Guard Station Burlington provides "Search and Rescue, Law Enforcement and Ice Rescue services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year." Services are also provided by local and state governments bordering on the lake, including Vermont State Police,
New York State PoliceThe New York State Police is the state police force of over 4,600 sworn Troopers for the state of New York. It was established on April 11, 1917 by the New York Legislature, in response to the 1913 murder of a construction foreman named Sam Howell in Westchester County, which at that time did not...
Marine Detail, and Vermont Fish and Wildlife wardens.
See also
- Champlain Sea
The Champlain Sea was a temporary inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, a paratropical subsea or epeiric sea created by the retreating glaciers during the close of the last ice age...
, post-glacial predecessor to Lake Champlain
- Île aux Noix
Île aux Noix is an island on the Richelieu River in Quebec, close to Lake Champlain. The island is the site of Fort Lennox National Historic Site. Politically, it is part of Saint-Paul-de-l'Île-aux-Noix.-Background:...
- List of New York rivers
- Burlington, Vermont
Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
- Plattsburgh, New York
- Cumberland Head, New York
Cumberland Head is a census-designated place and region of the Town of Plattsburgh in Clinton County, New York, United States. The population was 1,627 at the 2010 census....
External links