Lake Champlain (French: lac Champlain ) is a natural, freshwater lake in North America, located mainly within the borders of the United States (states of Vermont and New York) but partially situated across the Canada – United States border in the Canadian province of Quebec.
The New York portion of the Champlain Valley includes the eastern portions of Clinton County and Essex County. Most of this area is part of the Adirondack Park, offering tremendous views of the High Peaks region and many recreational opportunities in the park and along the relatively undeveloped coastline of Lake Champlain. The city of Plattsburgh is to the north and the historic village of Ticonderoga in the southern part of the region.
Geology and physiography
The Champlain Valley is among the northernmost valleys considered part of the Great Appalachian Valley reaching from Quebec to Alabama. The Champlain Valley is a physiographic section of the larger Saint Lawrence Valley, which in turn is part of the larger Appalachian physiographic division.
Hydrology
Lake Champlain is situated in the Lake Champlain Valley between the Green Mountains of Vermont and the Adirondack Mountains of New York, drained northward by the 106 miles (171 km) long Richelieu River into the St. Lawrence River at Sorel-Tracy, Quebec northeast and downstream of Montreal. It also receives the waters from the 32 miles (51 km) long Lake George so its basin collects waters from the northwestern slopes of the Green Mountains of Vermont, the north and west slopes of the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts and the northern most eastern peaks of the Adirondack Mountains of New York State.
The lake is fed by Otter Creek, the Winooski, Missisquoi, and Lamoille Rivers in Vermont, and the Ausable, Chazy, Boquet, and Saranac Rivers in New York. Lake Champlain also receives water from Lake George via the La Chute River.
It is connected to the Hudson River by the Champlain Canal.
Geology
Lake Champlain is one of a large number of large lakes spread in an arc from Labrador through the northern United States and into the Northwest Territories of Canada. Although it is smaller than the Great Lakes of Ontario, Erie, Huron, Superior, or Michigan, Lake Champlain is a large body of fresh water. Approximately 1130 km² (435 square miles) in area, the lake is roughly 180 km (110 miles) long, and 19 km (12 miles) across at its widest point. The maximum depth is approximately 400 feet. The lake varies seasonally from about 95 to 100 feet above mean sea level.
Natural history
Coral
The Chazy Reef, which has been called the oldest reef in the world, is huge, but most easily studied on Isle La Motte, a Vermont island on Lake Champlain. However, there are two even older reefs on the island, which are the subject of study by scientists.
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 ocean in the Southern Hemisphere, long before the emergence of Lake Champlain - 20 thousand years ago.
History
The lake was named for the French explorer Samuel de Champlain, who encountered it in 1609. While the ports of Burlington, Vermont, Port Henry, New York, and Plattsburgh, New York 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. The local native name for this lake was Ondakina, meaning : The lake in between. (Source: A 2008-2009 VPT-PBS program on this subject.)
Colonial America and the Revolutionary War
In colonial times, Lake Champlain provided an easily traversed water (or, in winter, ice) passage between the Saint Lawrence and the Hudson Valleys. Boats and sledges were usually preferable to the unpaved and frequently mud-bound roads of the time. The northern tip of the lake at Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec (St. John in colonial times) is a short distance from Montreal. The southern tip at Whitehall (Skenesborough in colonial times) is a short distance from Saratoga, Glens Falls, and Albany, New York.
Forts at Ticonderoga and Crown Point (Fort St. Frederic) 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, a significant naval engagement was fought on October 11 at the Battle of Valcour Island, which saw the destruction of the first US Navy vessel to carry the name Enterprise. While the battle was a tactical defeat for the Americans and the small fleet led by Benedict Arnold was almost entirely destroyed, it was 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, allowing the Continental Army to grow stronger and enabling the later victory at Saratoga.
War of 1812
The Battle of Lake Champlain, also known as the Battle of Plattsburgh, fought on September 11, 1814, ended the final invasion of the northern states during the War of 1812. Fought just prior to the signing of the Treaty of Ghent, the American victory denied the British any leverage to demand exclusive control over the Great Lakes and any territorial gains against the New England states.
Three US Naval ships have been named after this battle including the USS Lake Champlain (CV-39), the USS Lake Champain (CG-57), and a cargo ship used during World War I.
Following the War of 1812, construction was begun 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 .75 miles (1.21 km) north of the Canadian border. Once this error was spotted, construction was abandoned and many of the materials used in the aborted fort were scavenged by locals for use in their own homes and public buildings. The signing of the Webster-Ashburton Treaty 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 Montgomery, portions of which still remain today.
Modern history
In the early 19th century, the construction of the Champlain Canal connected Lake Champlain to the Hudson River system, allowing north-south commerce by water from New York City to Montreal and Atlantic Canada.
In 1909, 65,000 people celebrated the 300th anniversary of the discovery of the lake. Attending dignitaries included President William Howard Taft, along with representatives from France, Canada and the United Kingdom.
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 Lake on March 6, 1998, when President Clinton 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).
One of the more enduring mysteries surrounding Lake Champlain is the legend of Champ. Reminiscent of the Loch Ness monster, Ogopogo and other phenomena of cryptozoology, Champ is purportedly a giant aquatic animal that makes the lake its home. Sightings have been sporadic over time. Regardless, locals and tourists have developed something of a fondness for the creature and its legend and representations of Champ can now be found on tee shirts, coffee mugs, and many other tourist souvenirs. The Vermont Lake Monsters, a minor-league baseball team, have a cartoonish version of Champ as their mascot.
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 Agency). In April 2003, the plan was updated and Quebec signed onto it. The plan is being implemented by the Lake Champlain Basin Program and its partners at the state, provincial, federal and local level. It is r
Lake Champlain Transportation
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Lake Champlain Ferries
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The Ticonderoga Ferry - Your Lake Champlain Crossing between New York ...
The Ticonderoga Ferry runs during the summer between Ticonderoga, New York and Shoreham, Vermont. Come ride on the oldest of the Lake Champlain Ferries!
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Lake Champlain Transportation
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YouTube - Lake Champlain Ferry
On our past Summer Trip to the Adirondacks and beyond we had the chance to cross Lake Champlain by Ferry. We liked it so much that we did it a few more times just for the heck of ...
Vermont Ferries Lake Champlain Ferry Service VT Boat Service Lake ...
Ferry Services in Vermont, Lake Champlain Transportation Company, Lake Champlain Ferries information from Vermont Living Magazine.
Lake Champlain Transportation Company - Wikipedia, the free ...
The Lake Champlain Transportation Company (LCTC or just LCT) provides car and passenger ferry service at three points on Lake Champlain in the United States.
Lake Champlain Ferries Burlington Vermont
Scenic cruises conveying cars and passengers across Lake Champlain are offered via three crossings: Burlington to Port Kent, New York, Charlotte to Essex, New York and Grand Isle ...
Ferry Views on Lake Champlain pictures from history photos on webshots
Ferry Views on Lake Champlain pictures published by Dunott ... Glad you like the photos. That's the reason our society is putting them on line - to use them for family histories.