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Lake Champlain (French: lac Champlain) is a large lake in North America, mostly within the borders of the United States (states of Vermont and New York) but partially situated across the US-Canada border in the province of Quebec. The lake was named for the French explorer Samuel de Champlain, who encountered it in 1609. It is the sixth-largest natural, freshwater lake in the contiguous United States, situated in the Champlain Valley between the Green Mountains of Vermont and the Adirondack Mountains of New York, drained northward by the Richelieu River into the St. Lawrence River near Montreal and 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. The lake varies seasonally from about 95 to 100 feet above mean sea level. While the ports of Burlington, Vermont, Port Henry, New York, and Plattsburgh, New York are little used nowadays except by small crafts, ferries and lake cruise ships, they had substantial commercial and military importance in the 18th and 19th Century.
A region of large freshwater lakes 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 cannot be compared with 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. It contains roughly 80 islands including an entire county in Vermont. Colonial America and the Revolutionary War
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. (See: Battle of Plattsburgh) Fort Blunder (more properly known as Fort Montgomery) was built by the Americans on an arm of Lake Champlain after the War of 1812, to protect against attacks from British Canada. Its name comes from a surveying error: the initial phase of construction on the fort turned out to be taking place three quarters of a mile north of the border. Once this error was spotted, construction stopped and resumed at the current location, safely on U.S. soil. The materials used in the aborted fort were scavenged by locals for use in their own homes and public buildings. 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. Modern history
Mainland The lake can be crossed by road at only one southerly point, the Champlain Bridge, connecting Chimney Point in Vermont with Crown Point, New York. To the north, Grand Isle County, Vermont connects to the New York mainland via U.S. Route 2 to Rouses Point, NY adjacent to the Canadian border. Ferry North of Ticonderoga, NY, the lake widens appreciably; ferry service is provided by the Lake Champlain Transportation Company at: The most southerly crossing is the Fort Ticonderoga Ferry, connecting Ticonderoga, New York with Shoreham, Vermont just north of the historic fort. Railroad Through history there were four significant railroad crossings over the lake. Currently, only one such crossing remains. See also | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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