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Retracing The Footsteps Of History Along The Southern End Northeast PassageBy Habeeb Salloum
The lakes and rivers forming this passageway have seen, for centuries, mighty armies and grand flotillas negotiate their waters. Before being discovered by Samuel de Champlain, the Iroquois Indians used the waterways as a pathway for trade and war. After the British and French colonization of eastern North America, it became an important pathway for traders as well as a roadway of invasions and counter invasions by the British, French and, later, the Americans. Above all, until the advent of the railway, it was the route by which the riches of the continent were conveyed to the Atlantic coast.
Further south, we followed for a while the 97 km (60 mi) long Champlain Canal - the human dug channel that made possible the sailing from New York to Montreal on the famous Northeast Waterway. The Canal connecting the Hudson River and Lake Champlain has a rich trade and military history but today is a pathway for visitors who travel its waters to enjoy nature’s beauty and relive some of its historic past.
Here we ended our journey of exploring the historic remains along the edges of the last part of the first ‘North American Super Highway’. Were the stories of victories and defeats that we heard from guides along the Northeast Passageway or read in history books really true? No one will know. The conquerors or victors always write their own versions of history. In any case, we had enjoyed these stories and at the same time explored some of the most scenic landscapes in North America while being welcomed and hosted and by friendly people. It was a fulfilling journey. If You GoFacts About the Northeast Passageway:
For Further information, Contact: Lake Champlain Visitors Center, 94 Montcalm Street, Suite 1, Ticonderoga, NY 12883. Tel: Toll free - 1.866.The Lake. E-mail: info@lakechamplainregion.com Website: www.lakechamplainregion.com Lake George Region: Hague to Glens Falls, Warren County
Tourism Department Champlain Canal Region: Whitehall to Waterford, Washington
County Tourism Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, 28 Clinton Street,
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. Tel: 518.584.3255. E-mail:
info@saratoga.org Website:
www.saratoga.org |
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For
a day we had slowly followed the shoes of Lake Champlain southward from the
Canadian border re-tracing the footsteps of history along the historic Northeast
Passage waterway, linking Canada’s St-Lawrence River with New York. Unlike in
the past when it was one of the great routes for both trade and war, it was for
us a pathway for exploring history while we enjoyed the tourist sites.
After
a day of discovery and excitement, at the southern end of Lake Champlain, we
reached Ticonderoga, noted for its 18th century reconstructed Fort on whose
grounds occurred the greatest French victory in the ‘Seven Years War’, and the
first American victory during the ‘American War of Independence’.
A
few miles to the south in Silver Bay, we had at a restful sleep at a hundred
year century-old YMCA conference and training center, located on the western
shore of Lake George in the bosom of the Adirondack Mountains. This put us in a
good mood to begin our next day’s journey. “It looks like it will be a fine day.
I am excited! If it’s like yesterday, the wonders of nature are unending”, my
colleague remarked as we headed for Lake George Village, the hub of a resort
area on the shores of one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.
Surrounded
by majestic mountains and nestled along the shore of the clear blue waters of
Lake George, dotted with 245 islands, the resort area is edged by magnificent
parks. Called by Thomas Jefferson the ‘Queen of Lakes’, the 32 miles long, 3
miles wide and 60 m (200 ft) deep clear lake, located in the foothills of the
Adirondacks, is formed by springs gushing from fissures at its bottom - no
rivers flow in or out of the lake. A good part of its shoreline is unsettled
with only a few small communities dotting the lakeshore. Of these, Lake George
village with its restaurants, shops and nightlife, is the main tourist
destination.
After
touring the village, we drove to the top of the edging Prospect Mountain for a
breathtaking view of the town and the lake beyond, seemingly covered with boats.
“It’s truly a postcard picture!” I thought to myself as we stepped into the bus
on our way to Fort Edward - once the third largest "city" in colonial North
America and one of the largest British military forts in the colonies.
Our
goal in this town enshrined in history was the Rogers Island Visitors Center.
Here, we examined for an hour exhibits telling the story of the Fort Edward
area, from the earliest Native Americans to past the Revolutionary War. Well
organized, the museum/centre also serves for six weeks each summer as a base of
operations for the Adirondack Community College Archaeological Field School.
Conscious and proud of their work, the members of the staff made us feel
welcome. “We want to make history interesting to our visitors”, one of the
pleasant guides said when I complimented her on their fine Center.
Driving a short distance from the canal, we were soon in
Saratoga National Historical Park standing by the Saratoga Monument, which
commemorates the American victory here over the British in 1777. The battle at
this historic spot was the turning point of the Revolution and was one of the
decisive battles in world history. It is the spot where the British suffered
their major defeat at the hands of the rebelling colonists, later to become
known as 'Americans’.