Lake
Champlain, Lake George, and Richelieu River
HISTORY
TIMELINE
By James P. Millard
Part VII
(b)-
1814 AND BEYOND:
Peace and Prosperity
1815- 1859
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Spelling and punctuation in quotes are as found in the original. Black text with
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| 1815 1815 |
Peacetime: Maritime history and commerce
"The
Phoenix
was launched... and began regular trips...between Whitehall and St. Johns,
under the command of Captain Sherman. The boat was 146 feet long, 27 feet
wide, 9 1/4 feet deep, and was run by an engine of 45 horsepower. A canvas
awning was stretched over the main deck. Below there were cabins for ladies
and gentlemen, handsomely furnished, and in the charge of Sion E. Howard,
later a prominent business man of Burlington, as steward. The boat was also
provided with a small state room, a sitting room, a smoking room, a barber
shop, a kitchen and a pantry, a captain's office and a baggage room. The
deck was not fitted up for the use of passengers. The fare for the trip from
Whitehall to St. Johns, including meals, was $10." 1
June 28, 1815
" 'At White Hall on Lake Champlain the sloops
President, Montgomery, Preble, Chub, Finch,
and ten gun boats, also, the boats, cutters, etc., belonging to the squadron
on said lake offered by Geo. Beale, Jun. at Public Sale by the authority of
the Honorable, the Secretary of the Navy.' "**
October 1815 "... the first
Vermont had her last break-down near Ash Island and her owners Messrs. James and John Winans took out her engine and her boilers and sold them to the Lake Champlain Steamboat Company. During the War of 1812 the
Vermont had done good service in the transportation of government stores and troops. Her captain, John Winans, lived afterwards at Ticonderoga but was buried at Poughkeepsie."** November 10, 1815 "Vermont granted to John Winans, A.W. Bowman, C.P. Van Ness, and E.D. Woodbridge the sole and exclusive right of building and navigating on the Vermont waters of Lake Champlain 'by the force of steam' for a period of twenty-three years."** November 21 " Col. Stephen Pearl, one of the most striking characters among the early settlers of Burlington died, at his home, where for many years distinguished strangers 'from within or without the state' and the poor and friendless alike had been received with generous hospitality. Col. Pearl was a captain at Bunker Hill, a colonel of the Rutland county militia and present at the "Rutland Shay's Rebellion,' also town clerk of Burlington and sheriff of the county."**
"...a steamer called the
Champlain
was built under the direction of Capt. George Brush, who commanded the
vessel. The engine and boilers of the old
Vermont
were used and the boat was able to make about four miles an hour. About a
year later the engine of the
Phoenix
was transferred to the
Champlain,
which increased her speed to six miles an hour, a new engine being installed
in the Phoenix
which gave her a speed of eight miles an hour." 2 |
| 1816 |
May 7, 1816
The Steamboat
Phoenix
runs between Whitehall, NY and St. Johns, Quebec, leaving Whitehall on
Wednesday afternoons and St. Johns on Saturday mornings.
September 21, 1816
"Funeral Procession.— Lieut. George W. Runk of the (old) 6th U.S. Inf.
who was wounded at this place on the 7th, and died on the 8th of
September, 1814, was at that time carried over to Hospital Island
[Crab Island], where he was buried. As a testimony of respect to the
memory of a Soldier who died in the service of his country, the officers
at this post caused the body of Lt. Runk to be taken up, and on Monday
last [Sept. 16, 1816] a procession, composed of the Army and a number of
citizens, moved from the cantonment through the village, (the Band
performing a solemn air) to the common burial ground, where the remains
were deposited, with the customary military honors, by the sided of the
American and British officers who fell on the
11th September, 1814." —Plattsburgh Republican
November 1, 1816 Joseph G. Totten, representing the US Government, signs a contract with three Scotsmen to construct a new fort at Island Point, just south of the border in Rouses Point, New York. |
| 1817 1817 |
April 15, 1817 A bill authorizing the construction of the Champlain Canal is passed by the New York Legislature. Construction begins the same year. Whitehall, on Lake Champlain, and Waterford, on the Hudson River will become the terminals on each end. April 19 "In the Republican was offered a reward of $100 for the apprehension of ten deserters from the cantonment, and the commandant of the post gave notice that he would prosecute any person who "may procure or entice any person to desert" and that desertions would thereafter be announced by three discharges of cannon in quick succession from Fort Moreau."**
"...the Champlain
made two trips a week between Whitehall and St. Johns, but early in the
season she was burned to the water's edge while lying at her dock in
Whitehall." 3 July 26, 1817 "At twelve o'clock, President Monroe arrived at Cumberland Head on the steamboat
Phoenix and was conveyed to the wharf in the village in Col. Atkinson's barge. From the wharf he was escorted to Israel Green's Inn, by a company of the U.S. Infantry, under Capt. Newman S. Clark. Capt. Sperry's Company of horse and the Plattsburgh Rifles. At the hotel, Reuben H. Walworth, on behalf of the corporation, delivered an address of welcome. As the President passed into the house, the young ladies from Miss Cook's and Miss Forrence's schools strewed flowers in his path. In the evening, the President attended a party at the home of Capt. Sidney Smith of the Navy."**
|
| 1818 1818 |
"...a new steamboat
called the
Congress was
built at Vergennes by Captain Sherman, Amos W. Barnum, of Vergennes, Guy
Catlin, of Burlington, and Teunis Van Vechten, of Albany. The engine and
boilers of the
Champlain
were used. Capt. Daniel Davis commanded her for about two years, and for
a time the Congress was the only steamboat on the lake." 4
April 9, 1818
"A site adjacent to the Friend's burying ground was deeded to Silas Macomber for ten dollars to Warren Corbin and Seth Griffith for a Friend's meeting house at Grand Isle."**
April 28 The United States Senate ratifies the
Rush-Bagot Agreement.
This remarkable document is one of the briefest treaties/agreements
ever written defining peace and disarmament terms. The Agreement
effectively limits the United States and Great Britain to no more
than one vessel of war on Lake Champlain and Lake Ontario and two
each on the other Great Lakes. In addition, each vessel is
restricted to a maximum weight of 100 tons and may be armed with no
more than one 18-pound cannon. The agreement was revisited in 1946
and remains in effect today. June 19, 1818 "Companies of the Sixth regiment of the U.S. regulars, stationed at Plattsburgh Barracks, detached to work on Fort Montgomery5 [sic] at Island Point, a small sand island between Rouse's Point and Province Point."**
October, 1818 Astronomers carrying out the boundary survey prescribed by the Treaty of Ghent determine that the actual US-Canada boundary line (45th parallel) is some three quarters of a mile to the north. Work immediately stops on the new fort being constructed at Rouses Point since it apparently is being constructed on Canadian soil. |
| 1819 1819 |
Alarmed at the US insistence upon building fortifications at the northern end of Lake Champlain, the Crown begins work on Fort Lennox at Isle aux Noix just down the Richelieu River. September 4, 1819 "On Saturday at 11:00 P.M. the
Phoenix left her dock at Burlington, in command of Capt. Richard W. Sherman, son of Capt. Jehaziel Sherman, the regular captain. It was a clear moonlight evening and the route lay near Rock and Appletree Points, between Colchester reefs, on the west of Stave and Providence Islands and east of Valcour and Crab Islands. Among the passengers were George Burnham, the Custom House Officer, and John Howard, on his way to Montreal with $8,000 as a special messenger of the Bank of Burlington."**
September 5 "About 1 o'clock in the morning the pantry of the
Phoenix was discovered to be on fire by John Howard, occupying an adjoining room. The flames soon reaching the engine in the centre of the boat cut off all communication between the two ends. The starboard boat with 20 passengers made for Providence Island (the nearest land), but the larboard boat, the larger of the two, was cut loose with but 14 passengers leaving 11 to their fate. These sought escape on any floating material. Five found a watery grave, among them Mrs. Wilson of Charlotte, the stewardess, who had remained to save others, and Harvey Blush, a deck hand, whose parents erected a stone to his memory in Elmwood Cemetery, Burlington, to this day a pathetic reminder of the disaster. Captain Sherman was the last to leave the boat and was picked up near Stave Island insensible. He, with John Howard, Harry Thomas and Mrs. Wilson made heroic efforts to save others. Early morning brought help from Burlington, Captains Robert and Lavater White, Dan Lyon and Almas Truman, coming in their sloops."**
|
|
1820 |
"During the winter
of 1819-20 the Champlain Steamboat Company built another boat called the
Phoenix, the engine built for the first Phoenix being
used. Capt. Jehaziel Sherman commanded and it was claimed that the new
Phoenix was the fastest steamboat in the world. The Congress
and the Phoenix made three trips a week between Whitehall and St.
Johns, the fare one way being $6. As the Otter Creek was closed by ice
early in the season, it was determined... to remove the shipyards of the
Champlain Steamboat Company from
Vergennes to Shelburne harbor, where several acres of land were
purchased, and wharves, shops, ways, storehouses, and mills were built."
6 |
|
1821 |
"...a charter was granted to Charles McNeil, of Charlotte, and H. H.
Ross, of Essex, N.Y., for a ferry between those towns, the distance
being about three miles. At first the ferry was operated by means of an
endless cable, six horses furnishing the motive power." 7 |
1823 |
The Canal Boat
Era begins October 8, 1823 The
46 mile Champlain Canal is opened for traffic. The "Gleaner" built in St. Albans, and captained by William Burton, is the first boat to pass through the canal. Her cargo is potash and wheat.8 |
1825 |
March 29, 1825
"Died:—
Judge Henry Delord, aged 61 years. He was a native of Nismes, France, and
came from the island of Martinique to Peru where he kept a store and was
post-master. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Joseph and Phebe Ketchum, and
in 1810, removed to Plattsburgh purchasing from James Kent, the house on
Bellevue (Cumberland) avenue, built by Nathan Averill, Sr., the hospitality
of which became proverbial."**
The United States Congress authorizes the first federal lighthouse for Lake Champlain, to be constructed at Juniper Island July 1825 The
Champlain Ferry Company launches the Steamer General Greene; 160 tons, Daniel Lyon, Captain. The Steamer is put into service on the new Burlington-Port Kent-Plattsburgh route. Advertised fares (1830) Burlington/Port Kent were: Four-wheel pleasure carriage on springs, drawn by two horses, including driver- $2.00 Same as above, one horse- $1.50 Wagon, Cart or Sleigh, drawn by one horse- $1.25 Each additional person, horse or ox- .50 Cattle in droves, each- .25 Sheep and hogs in droves, each- .06
|
| 1826 1826 |
The
Champlain Transportation Company is established in Burlington. The company, now known as the Lake Champlain Transportation Company continues in operation today.
May 11, 1826 The first lighthouse on Lake Champlain is established on Juniper Island, guiding navigation into busy and prosperous Burlington harbor.
May 26 "Congress passed a resolution of thanks to Midshipman Silas Duncan
of the
Saratoga,
for his gallant conduct under the severe fire of the enemy (then
marching along the beach near Dead Creek). Duncan went alone in a
gig to order the return of the galleys, lying in Cumberland Bay.
Congress the same month, also authorized the President to cause to be delivered to the members of the company of "Aiken's Volunteers," the rifle promised each by Gen. Macomb, for their patriotic services during siege of Plattsburgh. The members of this company, mere boys, none of them old enough for military service, were:--Martin J. Aiken, Azariah C. Flagg, Ira A. Wood, Gustavus A. Bird, James Trowbridge, Hazen Mooers, Henry K. Averill, St. John B.L. Skinner, Frederick P. Allen, Hiram Walworth, Ethan Everest, Amos Soper, James Patten, Bartemus Brooks, Smith Bateman, Melancton W. Travis, and Flavius Williams. The presentation was made the next year by Gen. Mooers, then living in the house to which these boys marched, to tender their services to Gen. Macomb."**
October 26
"Organization by charter of the
Champlain
Transportation Company.
Its first steamer, the
Franklin,
was landed at St. Alban's Bay and made her first trip, Oct. 10th of the
next year. The first captain of the new company, Jehaziel Sherman, was
her captain."** |
|
1828 |
July 26, 1828
"Captain Daniel
Wilcox the first boat-builder on the lake, died at the age of 64 years.
He came, in 1788, with Benjamin Boardman from Connecticut, where he had
built the first boat, a sloop of 30 tons, after the Revolutionary war.
Like the Boardmans, Joseph, Henry, Elisha and Samuel, he settled on
Grand Isle, where he made the brick and built the house known as the
D. Wilcox Inn on the Wilcox farm,
South Hero. He also ran the first ferry from his place to the Ransom
Landing "under the swinging branches of elms and quivering shadows of
Lombardy poplars."** |
| 1830 |
March 19, 1830 "Resolved, That the Secretary of War be requested to inquire into the expediency of causing to be selected, a suitable site for building fortifications on some point or island in Lake Champlain, near the line which divides the United States from Lower Canada, and of causing correct surveys, plans and estimates, to be made, for building fortifications on such site, and to make report to this House, at the next Session of Congress, of what has been done under this resolution..." |
1831 |
Construction begins on the Chambly Canal. This important waterway will allow navigation around the infamous rapids at Chambly on the Richelieu River. Work is suspended in 1835, resumed in 1840, and finally completed in 1843. The canal is completed much to the consternation of British and Canadian military planners, who fear the canal would significantly aid any invasion attempt from the United States. The opening of the canal dramatically increases the importance of Fort Lennox to the south.9 |
| 1832 |
The North country, and
Lake Champlain region in particular, is hit hard with a recurrence of the
dreaded Cholera. |
| 1833 |
February 22, 1833
"The Champlain
Transportation Company became owner of the real estate at Shelburn [sic]
Harbor, together with both the old "Champlain Steamboat Company's" boats,
the "Phoenix"
and the "Congress."**
September 10
At the Phoenix Hotel, Whitehall, a meeting of delegates from Clinton, Essex,
and Washington counties was held for the purpose of "deliberating upon the
propriety of petitioning the Legislature for aid in opening a road (not a
railroad) on the western margin of Lake Champlain, leading from Whitehall to
the Canada line." It was resolved to petition the Legislature."** |
| 1834 |
March 17,
1834
"The steam ferry (Winooski,
Capt. Daniel Lyon) commenced her trips between Plattsburgh, Port Kent
and Burlington."**
Major Hartman Bache,
Topographical Engineers, surveys the harbors of Plattsburgh, Burlington,
and Port Kent on Lake Champlain. His report will be instrumental in the
future construction of breakwaters at these locations.10 |
| 1836 |
"...in 1836, a move was made to fortify both Stony and Windmill Points; the fort on Stony Point to include the higher land known as Steele's Garden. Accordingly, in that year, the U.S. Engineer, Captain Canfield, examined and surveyed the two points named with such design."10
July 4, 1836
Congress appropriated
$10,000 for construction of the Plattsburgh, NY breakwater.12
August 2, 1836
"Death came suddenly
to Judge Matthew Saxe while at work in the hay field and the spot where
he fell was, for many years, marked by a post painted red. Matthew Saxe
with two of his brothers, came to Chazy in 1808 from Highgate. He built
a wharf a few rods south of the rude wharf of William Lawrence, and a
stone store-house, still standing. Soon a thriving business sprang up at
Saxe's Landing and continued for many years until the building of the
railroads diverted the shipping interests from the lake and all the lake
ports fell into a state of decadence."** |
| 1837 |
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Work is begun on a new breakwater for the increasingly prosperous town of Burlington, Vermont.
November 22
"On the Chambly road near Longueuil, the first blood was shed in the
"Great Insurrection." This event followed the arrest by a troop of horse
of Demaray, a notary, and Dr. D'Avignon, both from St. John's and
sympathizers in the cause."**
November 23
"The battle of St. Denis, the opening combat of the "Great Insurrection"
in Canada, was fought. This uprising was soon put down by regular
troops."** |
| 1838 |
February 20, 1838
"At his home, corner of
Peru and Bridge Streets [Plattsburgh], died Gen. Benjamin Mooers, a soldier
of the Revolution and early settler of Clinton County of which he was the
first sheriff and, for 42 consecutive years, from 1788-1830, county
treasurer, besides holding many other important offices"**
June
Plattsburgh
Barracks is established alongside Lake Champlain near the
site of important War of 1812 fortifications just south of the
Saranac River.
June 15, 1838
"The date of the completion by contract of the Cumberland Head lighthouse,
built by Peter Comstock according to his bid of $3,325. The old building was
separated from the
dwelling and stood nearer the shore. The first keeper of the new light was
"Deacon" Samuel Emery whose posey-loving housekeeper turned the government
grounds into one vast flower garden."**
The first lighthouse at Split Rock in Essex, New York is constructed.
The US Army Corps of Engineers begins
construction of the Plattsburgh, NY breakwater.13 |
| 1839 |
August 23, 1839
"President Martin Van Buren arrived at Port
Kent and was met there by Judge Fisk of Keeseville, accompanied by
Richard Keese, in the former's grand carriage with hinged steps that let
down like those of the famous coach of Washington. In the evening the
President's visit was celebrated by a torchlight procession and
illumination."**
August 24
"The townspeople of Keeseville were invited to meet the President at
Judge Fisk's great, square-roofed house, (present site of Daniel
Dodge's). Mrs. Fisk, being a staunch Whig, would not shake hands with
the President, but remained in her room. Sought out by some of her
friends, she said, "Been shaking hands with the President, eh: Shook
hands like any other man, didn't he?"—Old Keeseville Tales. From
Keeseville the Presidential party went to Plattsburgh by carriage."** |
| 1840 |
Plans are drawn up by Army Engineer Montgomery C. Meigs for a new fort to be constructed at Stony Point, just south of Rouses Point on Lake Champlain. This fort would be dramatically different from the old work built to the north. |
|
1841 |
"Owing to the delay in
the shipment of dairy products and other goods, due in part to
trans-shipments at
Whitehall and Troy, Messrs. Follett and Bradley, of Burlington...
established the Merchants' line of high grade canal boats, sloop rigged, and
able to stand high seas. At Whitehall the rigging of these boats was taken
out to enable them to pass through the canal, and they were towed down the
Hudson to New York. Three or four days were saved by shippers by this line.
A large patronage was secured and twenty or more boats were employed."
14 |
| 1842 |
"...Charles Dickens,
while making his American tour, passed through Lake Champlain...his
praise of Captain Sherman and the steamboat
Burlington
was expressed in a wealth of superlatives. In his "American Notes" the
famous novelist said: "There is one American boat — the vessel which
carried us on Lake Champlain from St. Johns to Whitehall— which I praise
very highly, but no more than it deserves, when I say that it is
superior even to that on which we went from Queenston to Toronto or to
that on which we travelled from the latter place to Kingston, or I have
no doubt I may add, to any other place in the world. This steamboat,
which is called the
Burlington,
is a perfectly exquisite achievement of neatness, elegance, and order.
The decks are drawing rooms; the cabins are boudoirs, choicely furnished
and adorned with prints, pictures, and musical instruments; every nook
and corner of the vessel is a perfect curiosity of graceful comfort and
beautiful contrivance. Captain Sherman, her commander, to whose
ingenuity and excellent taste these results are solely attributable, has
bravely and worthily distinguished himself on more than one trying
occasion; not least among them in having the moral courage to carry
British troops at a time (during the Canadian rebellion) when no other
conveyance was open to them. He and his vessel are held in universal
respect, both by his own countrymen and ours; and no man ever enjoyed
the popular esteem , who, in his sphere of action, won and wore it
better than this gentleman...By means of this floating palace we were
soon in the United States again, and called that evening at Burlington,
a pretty town, where we lay an hour or son. We reached Whitehall, where
we were to disembark, at six next morning; and might have done so
earlier, but that these steamboats lie by for some hours in the night,
in consequence of the lake becoming very narrow at that part of the
journey, and difficult of navigation in the dark. Its width is so
contracted at one point, indeed, that they are obliged to warp round by
means of a rope." 15
August 9, 1842 The
Webster-Ashburton Treaty adjusts the US-Canada border. This change effectively returns the disputed property at Island Point, together with the fort there, to US control. Plans for fortifications at Stony Point and Windmill Point are abandoned in favor of the old site closer to the border.
September 13
"At Keeseville, under the weight and measured tread of a company of soldiers
attending a "general muster" of a battalion of the State militia, the new
suspension bridge, nearly finished, gave way precipitating spectators and
soldiers into the raging waters beneath. Nine persons lost their lives,
among them two little friends, eight-year old sons of Martin Pope and
Richard Peabody. the bodies were found the next spring near the lake and
were laid in one grave."** |
| 1843 |
March 22, 1843
"Died at Chazy Landing Benjamin Graves, one of the early settlers of Clinton
county, residing in the towns of Plattsburgh, Altona, Champlain and Chazy.
In the Revolution he served for over three years as a body servant of Gen.
Washington and was in the battles of Trenton, Princeton, Elizabethtown,
Conn., and Yorktown."**
The Chambly Canal is completed. This 12-mile canal with a series of 9 locks effectively bypasses the infamous Chambly rapids, long an obstacle to navigation between the St. Lawrence and the Hudson Rivers along the Richelieu/Lake Champlain corridor.
September 11
"The Anniversary of the battle of Plattsburgh was celebrated in an
appropriate manner by the Clinton County Military Association and the
citizens of Plattsburgh and vicinity. General Wool and suite, with others
who were in the Battle were present by special invitation. At 10 o'clock the
procession formed at Fouquet's hotel with Gen. C. Halsey, as Chief Marshal,
assisted by Messrs. C.S. Mooers, G.W. Palmer, and R.G. Stone, escorted by
the U.S. Troops, then at
this post, under
the command of Capt. C.A. Waite, and moved to the Park in front of the Court
House, where Col. A.C. Moore delivered a patriotic address.
At the cemetery, the Troops and Military Association formed a square around
the unmarked graves of those who fell in the battle. After prayer by Dr.
Witherspoon and an address by Gen. Skinner, Col. McNeil, the president of
the day, introduced in turn Gen. Wool, Judge Wm. Haile, Colonels Miller and
Manly, Maj. Gen. Skinner, and Platt. R. Halstead and Springer, both late
lieutenants of the U.S. Army, each of whom erected at the graves assigned to
them, the marble monuments provided by the Association. Dr. Witherspoon
dismissed the assembly with a benediction and the procession returned to the
hotel, where dinner was served, followed by speeches and toasts."**
"'Brig.-general Wool, U.S. Army,—The Hero of
Beekmantown as well as Queenstown—"His laurels are green, though his locks
are grey."
Toast offered by General Skinner' "** |
| 1844 |
February 19, 1844
"Died in the house on
Water Street [now Battery Street], built by him in 1796, the first of
brick in Burlington, Dr. John Pomeroy, aged nearly 79 years. For forty
years he had been a leading physician and surgeon, occupying at first a
log cabin which stood in what is now Pearl Street. At sixteen he was a
soldier in the patriot army but afterwards studied Physic."**
December 11
"The Hon. Heman Allen (formerly of Milton) died at his home in
Burlington from an illness brought on by exposure early in the year in
making a journey to Lamoille County during the coldest day of the
winter..."**
The first 850 feet of the Plattsburgh, NY
breakwater has been constructed.16 |
|
1847 |
November 28, 1847
"Death of Judge John
S. Larrabee, who settled in Shoreham in 1783 and from whom Larrabee's
Point takes its name. He was one of the early surveyors, established the
first regular ferry at the Point and became Judge of Probate and the
County Court."** |
|
1848 |
June 6, 1848
"William Gilliland,
Jr. (born in 1768) died at Port Gilliland, originally named Janesboro.
It was he who secured the paper giving information to the enemy, dropped
by Col. Murray
during his raid, while Col. Durand and Mr. Gilliland were
interceding for the protection of the private property of citizens."** |
| 1849 |
August 10, 1849
"A disastrous fire in
four hours reduced to ashes the entire business portion of the village
of Plattsburgh to ashes."**
The
Arrival of the Railroads
December 1849
An event that was to
have significant consequences for canal and steamboat shipping interests
on Lake Champlain occurs with the arrival of the railroads in
Burlington. Two rival lines, the Rutland & Burlington and the Vermont
Central, each run their first trains into the city; the trains
terminating within view of the old docks on the waterfront. |
|
1854 |
The first section of the Burlington Breakwater is completed by the US
Army Corps of Engineers.17 |
|
1855 |
December 15, 1855
"Five wolves from a
pack that had been harassing the farmers of Ellenburgh, Clinton and
Chateaugay, were killed in a swamp near Beekmantown Corners during a
hunt organized for the purpose. The wolves driven by hunger, had moved
along the old Military Turnpike, killing sheep in Chazy, Beekmantown and
Plattsburgh, as far as the lake shore. At the same time another pack was
invading sheepfolds in the northern part of the country."** |
|
1857 |
July 17, 1857
"Until this date vast
numbers of wild pigeons, millions of which, since early April had been
nesting in the forests on the heights west of Plattsburgh continued to
be baited and taken by old pigeon catchers attracted from different
parts of the country by news of their location. Four companies are known
to have shipped to southern markets 150,000 dozen (1,800,000) birds.
A week later not a bird was to be seen, the surviving immense flock
having taken an north-easterly direction through Henryville, Canada, to
the forests of Maine. This yearly visitation occurred in the forties and
fifties, the numbers being so great as to almost obscure the sun and
miles of forest trees being bent under the weight of the old birds and
their progeny. Nothing like it has been seen in Champlain Valley in
recent years."** |
|
1858 |
New lighthouses are
constructed on Lake Champlain at Windmill Point and Isle La Motte,
Vermont and Point Au Roche, and Crown Point, New York.18
|
|
1859 |
December 5, 1859
"Arrival, late on
Monday, at Westport, of Mrs. Brown and her party with the remains of her
husband, John Brown [the abolitionist], executed on December 2 at
Charlestown. The party, consisting of the widow, Mrs. Mary A. Brown, Mr.
Wendell Phillips, Frank B. Sanborn and others, had come by way of the
Hudson, by rail to Vergennes thence by teams to Adams' Ferry and then
across to Barber's Point. That night was passed at Person's Hotel,
Westport."**
December 6
"A steady, icy down-pour" of rain all day. The sad funeral cortege of
John Brown arrived at Elizabethtown about six o'clock. At Wadhams, Mr.
Daniel Braman and young Dr. George T. Stevens joined the company. The
body of John Brown was placed in the court room of the old Court House
and guarded during the long December night by four young men—Richard L.
Hand, A.C.H. Livingston, Orlando Kellogg and Henry J. Adams. At the
hotel, then kept by Elisha A. Adams, sheriff of Essex county, the people
of Elizabethtown gathered to meet Wendell Phillips and other members of
the sad-hearted company."** |
Sources/Notes:
1 Walter Hill Crockett, A HISTORY OF LAKE CHAMPLAIN- THE RECORD OF
THREE CENTURIES, 1609-1909. (Burlington, Vermont: Hobart J. Shanley & Co.1909)
263
2 Ibid., 264
3 Ibid., 264
4 Ibid., 264
5 This is incorrect, although it is a very common mistake. The first fort at Island Point, later determined to have been constructed on Canadian soil, was not named Fort Montgomery. Work on Fort Montgomery, shown in the photo, was not begun until 1844, two years after the Webster-Ashburton Treaty moved the border north, effectively placing Island Point back in the United States. [jpm]
6 Walter Hill Crockett, A HISTORY OF LAKE CHAMPLAIN- THE RECORD OF
THREE CENTURIES, 1609-1909. (Burlington, Vermont: Hobart J. Shanley & Co.1909)
264-265
7 Ibid., 268
8 Ibid.
9 André Charbonneau, The Fortifications of Île Aux Noix. (Parks Canada. 1994) 256-258
10
New York District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Plattsburgh Breakwater,
City of Plattsburgh, New York. <http://www.nan.usace.army.mil/business/prjlinks/culture/plattsbg/index.htm>
(Accessed Dec. 30, 2005)
11 Daniel T. Taylor, The Shores of Champlain. 1979. Champlain, NY: Moorsfield Press. Originally appeared in the Champlain Counselor [1892]. Reprinted c. 1937 in the North Countryman.
12 New York District,
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Plattsburgh Breakwater, City of
Plattsburgh, New York. <http://www.nan.usace.army.mil/business/prjlinks/culture/plattsbg/index.htm>
(Accessed Dec. 30, 2005)
13 Ibid.
14 Walter Hill Crockett, A HISTORY OF LAKE CHAMPLAIN- THE RECORD OF
THREE CENTURIES, 1609-1909. (Burlington, Vermont: Hobart J. Shanley & Co.1909)
267-268
15 Ibid. 271-272
16 New York District,
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Plattsburgh Breakwater, City of
Plattsburgh, New York. <http://www.nan.usace.army.mil/business/prjlinks/culture/plattsbg/index.htm>
(Accessed Dec. 30, 2005)
17 New York District,
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Burlington Breakwater - City of Burlington,
Vermont. <http://www.nan.usace.army.mil/project/vermont/burweb/>
(Accessed Dec. 30, 2005)
10
George Clifford, Lake Champlain Lighthouses. Plattsburgh, New York:
Clinton County Historical Association. 2002)
** THREE CENTURIES IN THE CHAMPLAIN VALLEY: A COLLECTION OF HISTORICAL FACTS AND INCIDENTS- TERCENTENARY EDITION. 1909: Compiled and Edited by Mrs. George Fuller Tuttle. Saranac Chapter, D.A.R. Plattsburgh, NY.
Steamboat illustrations: Warwick Stevens Carpenter. The Summer Paradise in History. Albany: General Passenger Department, The Delaware and Hudson Company. 1914. Courtesy of John and Barbara Gallagher.
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This is the conclusion of Part VII (b): 1814 AND BEYOND... Peace and Prosperity 1815- 1859

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