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RECLUSE ISLAND,
LAKE GEORGE, NEW YORK
A small island
in Lake George that legend has attributed a fascinating
 history
to. Some say a Jesuit missionary- Père St. Bernard, spent
a year on the island hiding from Indians who were formerly
his captors. Supposedly, there are signs of fortifications
built by Abercromby still visible on the islands north and
west sides.1
SPLIT ROCK
(Le Rocher Pendu), LAKE CHAMPLAIN, NEW YORK
Situated between
Essex and Westport, NY is Split Rock or Split
Rock Mountain. This
 enormous
rocky outcropping has stood as a silent sentinel while the
vessels of humans traversed the narrow passage between the
rock and the eastern shore. Given various names by native
tribes, it was called Roche Regio and known to the
Abenaki as Tobapsqua or "the pass through the
rock,3" the rock was often recognized in treaties
as a dividing line between warring factions. Russell Bellico
quotes Seneca Ray Stoddard as writing "...this rock marked
the boundry [sic] line between the tribes of the St. Lawrence
and those of
 the
Mohawk Valley.4" The Treaty of Utrecht, ending
Queen Anne's War in 1713,
established Split Rock as the boundary between New France
and New England. Unfortunately, this border was never fully
accepted by the French.5 It was in the vicinity
of Split Rock that the mighty British fleet finally caught
up to Arnold's navy as they fled to Crown Point after the
Battle
of Valcour. Here started the "running battle"
that culminated at
Ferris'
Bay.
THE PORTAGE, LAKE
CHAMPLAIN/LAKE GEORGE, NEW YORK
Lakes Champlain and George are separated
by a large mountain ridge, the northern end of which (Mt.
Defiance) drops off sharply onto
 a
short river valley traversed by the LaChute River. Unfortunately
for early travelers upon the waterways "the Chute"
is not navigable for most of its distance, dropping several
hundred feet as it winds through the present day village of
Ticonderoga with a series of cascades and waterfalls. This
necessitated a Portage or Carry across the
land bridge from the northern reaches of Lake George, under
the base of Mt. Defiance to the base of the lower falls on
the LaChute. The Portage was to figure prominently in the
many military expeditions upon the lakes. For the full story
of the portage, complete with many photos, click
HERE.
- VALCOUR ISLAND
(Isle Valeur on the earliest maps), LAKE CHAMPLAIN, NEW
YORK
On October 11, 1776, a small naval force under the
command of Benedict Arnold (yes, the same one), waited for
the arrival of a far superior British fleet. Shortly
after 8:00 a.m. they were discovered by the British
fleet- drawn up in battle line between the island and the
mainland. The furious naval battle that followed, fought
at very close quarters by a force
 described by Arnold
himself as a "wretched motley crew" -was to
change the course of the war. For more information about
the Battle of Lake Champlain at Valcour Island, click
HERE .
For more information about the island itself, along with its beautiful and
historic lighthouse,
click HERE.
VERGENNES, VERMONT ON OTTER CREEK
 Though
not directly situated upon Lake Champlain, we include Vergennes
because it is the only inland city situated on a navigable river
on the lake. Located some 7 miles up Otter Creek (la rivière
aux Loutres to the French, also known as The Indian Road),
it played a vital role in the history of Lake Champlain, particularly
during the War of 1812. Here Thomas Macdonough built the fleet
that met and defeated the British at Plattsburg in September
1814. The British sent a force to block the mouth of the river,
effectively sealing in the American fleet, but they were repulsed
by the American battery at Fort Cassin. Otter Creek, because
of its unusual character and navigability was an important travel
route for natives, warriors and settlers through the surrounding
wilderness. A prosperous and important settlement was established
at the falls here. For more information about Vergennes and
the shipyard there, click
HERE.
WEED'S BAY, LAKE GEORGE, NEW YORK
On the morning of July 22, 1759, one of the largest military forces ever
to sail Lake George went ashore here in this bay just south of Black Point.
The mighty army of General Jeffrey Amherst, some 12,000 strong, first came ashore here before
traversing The Portage to Lake Champlain and Fort Carillon.
WINDMILL POINT,
LAKE CHAMPLAIN, VERMONT
 We know of three locations on Lake Champlain that have been referred to
as Windmill Point. The main one, and the one that still carries the name, is a
small peninsula jutting south into the lake on the western shore of
present-day Alburgh, Vermont. First settled by the French in the 1740's as
part of the seigniory of François Foucault, Peter Kalm made note of the
settlement during his trip up the lake in July 1749. The point takes its name
from an impressive stone windmill built by the French. Benedict Arnold
anchored his fleet off the point prior to the
Battle
of Valcour, and it was off Windmill Point that the Radeau Thunderer
sunk in 1777, while carrying wounded from the defeat at Saratoga.
There is a
lighthouse
on Windmill Point that is privately owned.
Lt. James Hadden writes of Windmill Point in his 1777 Journals of the
Burgoyne campaign. He refers to Wind-Mill Point on at least two occasions,
once referring to a "rebel work" there6,
and later writing of "the Germans, now encamped on Windmill Point7".
In both instances he was referring to the point of land immediately south of
the old French works at Crown Point. Here at one time stood an old windmill.
The
Champlain memorial lighthouse now stands on this location.
At
least one very early English map refers to Colchester Point as Windmill Point
also.8
- WINOOSKI,
VERMONT
Located deep in an intervale close to the mouth of the
Onion river, called Winooskeek by the native peoples,
this important village had been inhabited for generations
by the Abenaki people. A rich and fertile place, the
native people prospered here, farming and enjoying the
phenomenal Salmon runs that would occur yearly. As
happened everywhere in the land to become known as
America, these native people would have their lives
forever changed by the arrival of the white man. For more
information about the Abenaki people click
HERE.
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Back to Exploring the historic lakes Part I
Sources/Notes:
1 Frank Leonbruno, "LAKE
GEORGE REFLECTIONS- ISLAND HISTORY AND LORE." (Purple Mountain Press, Fleischmanns, NY,
1998) 59,60
2 Leonbruno, 41
3 Ralph Nading Hill, "Lake Champlain, Key to Liberty." (Countryman
Press, Woodstock, Vermont, 1976, 1995) 16
4 Russell P. Bellico, "Chronicles of Lake Champlain, Journeys
in War and Peace." (Purple Mountain Press, Fleischmanns, NY, 1999) 418
5 Russell P. Bellico,
"SAILS AND STEAM IN THE MOUNTAINS- A
Maritime and Military History of Lake George and Lake Champlain." (Purple
Mountain Press, Fleischmanns, NY, 1992) 18
6 James Hadden. Hadden's Journal and Orderly
Books: A Journal Kept in Canada and Upon Burgoyne's Campaign in 1776 and 1777,
by Lieut. James M. Hadden, Roy. Art. Edited by Horatio Rogers. (Albany: Joel
Munsell's Sons, 1884) 33
7 Ibid., 79
8 Guy Omeron Coolidge. The French
Occupation of the Champlain Valley from 1609 to 1759. Reprint of second edition (1989), with
biographical indexes. Fleischmanns, New York: Purple Mountain
Press, Ltd. 169
* Sarah N. Randolph, "The
Domestic Life of Thomas Jefferson" (Harper & Brothers Publishers,
New York, 1871) 201
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