Subscribe to our Email
Waterways to War:
Historic Sites Near Fort Ticonderoga
Military Heritage of the Southern Lake Champlain Valley
For centuries before Europeans came to the continent native peoples were living, traveling and trading along the waterway now known as Lake Champlain. Beginning in 1609 with Samuel de Champlain white explorers discovered the abundance of fur and timber and tension grew over ownership the lake, its tributaries and the surrounding lands. Lake Champlain became a busy highway that played a critical role in the cultural and political formation of North America.
Europeans began claiming the northeast and their military sites along Lake Champlain and the Hudson River played pivotal roles in America’s founding. Today, you and your family can enjoy these beautiful and inspiring sites and the stories that link them together in just a few day-trips. It’s a small area with a big history! Explore and enjoy!
Through a generous grant from the Lake Champlain Basin Program these sites have formed a partnership to help residents and visitors to the region understand how important the bodies of water were to our forefathers and remain to this day. They form the basis of the area’s tourism economy and serve as the resource for potable water for the residents. The importance of keeping them healthy cannot be underestimated.
The water from Lake Champlain and all its tributaries flows north out into the Saint Lawrence and ultimately into the Atlantic. The Hudson River and all the rivers and streams that make it the most important river in the eastern United States also end up in the Atlantic Ocean. One could say that whatever we do to the waters here at their source can affect on the world’s population. We are committed to keeping them clean.
Teacher curriculum information: Under construction