Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-08-17
WHO DISCOVERED LAKE GEORGE!

WHO DISCOVERED LAKE GEORGE!
To the Editor of the Pree Press.
An article in the Ticonderoga Sentinel,
recently republshed in the Free Press, re-
wives the old claim that Champlain, after
the battle at Crown Point when he made
his first and only voyage to this part of
the lake to which he then gave his name,
pursued the defeated 1roquois southwark
as far as the outlet to Lake George This
claim is sometimes extended so far as to
include the discovery of Lake George by
Chnmplain ON the same occasion.
This claim ought to be set at rest finally
and forever. 1t Is as nearly demonstra-
bic as n fact of history ordinarily can be
that Champlain Never saw the outlet of
Lake George and never was any nearer
to 1t than the immediate vicinity OF
Crown Polnt-a distance of at least ten
miles The clrcumstantiai account of the
battle given by Champlain himself, in the
edition of his voyages published only four
years afterwards, leaves no room for a
doubt on this point. His description places
the battle at Crown Point. 1t began in
the early morning and must have occu-
pied an hour or more of time. Immediate
~ after the fight was over Champlains
party gathered up the provisions, weap-
ons and spells of their defeated enemies,
and with their prisoners crossed to the
eastern shore, where they burned one Of
the latter at the stake with the customary
crueltes, which are fully described by
Champain. They then returned to Cam
ada.
II is altogether improbable that Cham
/ plains party would have pursued their
enemies southwark and directly toward
the Iroquois villages.
! And there is another fact which ] re-
gard as conclusive. Not only does Cham
plain omit all mention of Lake George or
its outlet, but neither is mentioned by any
one for more than sixteen years after
wards. Champain was the most accurate
and reliable of all the early French ex-
plcrers. He describes with perfect ac-
curacy all the important natural objects
which he discovered He had heard. as
he writes in his Voyages" from au In
dian interpreter. description of the route
up river through another lake and a
short distance by land to a large river
which ran in the opposite or southwark
direction. Now If Champlain had seen
Lake George or its outlet he would have
mentioned and described both, and not
have contented himself with the imper-
feet account of an Indian who may have
described it from hearsay.
l therefore state the following as facts
of history. upon the authority of the ac-
count given by Champain himself, in
his Voyages, published in Paris in 1913.
viz The battle with the Iroquois was
on the north end of Crown Point I'm
mediately after it Champain and his
party returned down the lake with their
spoils and prisoners. Champlain never
saw Lake George or it's outlet and was
never afterwards on this part of the lake
he did discover and to which he gave his
name.
There Is no authentic account of the dis
covery of Lake George. Its name, Saint
Sacrament, which first appears in the
Jesuit Relation" for the year 1927 plain
ly indicates its Jesuit origin. The Jes-
uts were as faithful missionaries as ever
carried the Cross to the heather and sew
eral of them suffered martyrdom in this
locality. They are entitled to the credit
of the discovery of Lake George.
There is no portion of our country which
which has a more interesting history than
that within circuit of fifty miles from
Ticonderoga. The facts of that history
should be correctly recorded. The claim
OF the extension of Champlain's discovery
to the southwark of Crown Point should
be sent to the region of fiction to which
1t belongs.
l.. Il. CHITTENDEN.
Burlington, VT, Aug. 10th. 1899.