Home > Lake Champlain

The lake is named after the French explorer Samuel de Champlain, who killed several Iroquois there in 1608 while exploring the area.

The lake varies from 100 to 95 feet above mean sea level. In the early 19th century, Lake Champlain was connected to the Hudson RiverThe Hudson River called Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk in Mahican, is a river running mainly through New York State but partly forming the boundary between the states of New York and New Jersey. It is named for Henry Hudson, an Englishman sailing for the Netherlands, system by the New York Barge CanalThe New York Barge Canal as of 1903, is a successor to the Erie Canal and other canals within New York. Currently, the New York Barge Canal is composed of the Erie Canal, the Oswego Canal, the Cayuga-Seneca Canal, and the Champlain Canal. Other canal syst. The ports of Burlington, VermontBurlington is a city in Chittenden County, Vermont of which it is the county seat. As of the 2000 census, Burlington has the largest population of any city in Vermont. The city is the core of one of the nation's smaller metropolitan areas. The urbanized a, Port Henry, New YorkPort Henry is a village located in Essex County, New York. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 1,152. The Village of Port Henry was incorporated in 1869 and lies inside the Town of Moriah. Geography Port Henry is located at 44°2'4, and Plattsburgh, New YorkPlattsburgh, New York refers to two locations in Clinton County, New York: City of Plattsburgh Town of Plattsburgh. are little used nowadays except by small crafts, ferries and lake cruise ships, but they had substantial commercial importance at one time.

Lake Champlain is one of a large number of large lakes spread in an arc from LabradorThis article is about the region in Canada. For other meanings of Labrador : For the federal electoral district, see Labrador (electoral district). For the dog breed, see Labrador Retriever. Labrador is a region on the easternmost coast of Canada. It form through the Northern United States and into the Northwest TerritoriesA former territory in the United States is called Northwest Territory . Northwest Territories Territoires du Nord-Ouest ( In Detail) ( In Detail) Motto: None Capital Yellowknife Official Languages Chipewyan, Cree, Dogrib or Tli Cho, English, French, Gwich of Canada. Although it cannot be compared with OntarioWolcott, New York Lake Ontario bounded on the north by Ontario and on the south by Ontario's Niagara Peninsula and by New York State, is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. The name of the lake is an Iroquois word meaning either "beautiful lake", 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.

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 Sea Grant Program , contained a line penned by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) 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 nation resources. Following a small uproar (and several New York Times articles), the Great Lake status was rescinded (although Vermont universities continue to receive funds to monitor and study the lake.)

One of the more enduring myths surrounding Lake Champlain is that of Champie (or Champ). Reminiscent of the Loch Ness monster, Ogopogo and other phenomena of cryptozoology, Champie is purportedly a giant aquatic animal that makes the lake its home. Sightings have been few and far between (and come from sources of questionable veracity). Regardless, locals and tourists have developed something of a fondness for the creature and its legend.

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 (Skeenesboro in colonial times) is a short distance from Saratoga, New York, Glens Falls, New York 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 1777. Significant naval battles were fought in 1776 at Valcour Island and in 1814 at Plattsburgh.

The Alburg Peninsula , extending south from the Quebec shore of the lake into Vermont, shares with Point Roberts, Washington, and the Northwest Angle in Minnesota the distinction of being reachable by land from the rest of its state only via Canada. However, unlike the other two 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).