Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-06-02
LAKE LucERNE; ITS VISITORS
An Object Lesxon for the Residents Of
the Cl4hnpInin valley.

tne tHanpInin NaIcF.
To the Editor of The Free Press
recall that in the letter to the Free
Press. last winter. from Los Angeles,
spoke of the city as deriving a. large part
of the income the citizens had to live up
on from renting rooms" and keeping
boarding house." but this city has Los
Angeles in that direction beaten to n
FRAGILE"
It Is a city Of about the size Of Bur-
lington. and the number Of transients it
entertains In its pensions and hotels is
numbered by actual census at 10000 an
nually.
In location and in attractions for people
who wish to enjoy beautiful scenery and
splendid side trips 1t furnishes n grand
object lesson for burlington. and the
other cities and towns situated on Lake
Champaign.
Lake Lucerne is only q miles long and
at It's widest is only two miles broad--Fron
the balcony in front Of our pension
anchored at the wharfs, have counted
as many as IL steamers Of the grade of
the Chnteaugay.
These steamers circle the different arms
of this little lake, calling at tho small
villages and collections OF villas and pen
sionS three and four times each day.
This vicinity is famous both for its noun
tain scenery and for its historic past,
but apart from the Sigh; advantage II
may have in the height Of It's mountains
neither in scenery nor in historic inter
est do Lake Champlain and Burlington
| suffer in compa rison.
What Burlington and Lake Champlain
| need is public spirit, sufficient to put on
n line of steamers that would aid in the
! increase and development Of summer re-
sorts. such as are already started at
Thompson Point, Starr Farm, Grand
| isle Maquam Bay, Larrabee's Point, etc.
| on an excursion that we took to Fluelin
at tho upper end of Lake I.ucerne We
stopped at Tellsplatte. the place where
William Tell is supposed to have escaped
from Gensler. The little chapel has fou,
frescoes. three of them represent Tells
! exploits, the fourth pictures what was
really the Declaration OF Independence
for Switzerland in the 18th century-mad,
by three In a plain across the lake from
| this chapel.
Last summer 10000 people by actua
count visited this spot, and during the
summer months % eamers stop there
| regularly every day.
Tell" is a legendary character. and hi
exploits are of the class to which thu
story of George Washington and th'
cherry tree" belongs. but the meetins
Of the three men representing three small
cantons bordering Lake LuCerne on tn
plain of Rutley, declaring the iudepend
enCe Of these cantons from Austrian rul
is fact, but meant no more for Switzer
land and humanity than did the takini
of Fort Ticonderoga by Ethan Allen an'
the Green Mountain Boys in May. 1115.
From Fluelin a trolley car took us tw,
miles to Altdorf-here. backed H.. a higl
tower. is Tells monument; his birthplac
was mile up the mountain, above tn
town. Another excursion of ours was oil
the arm of the lake leading into the can
ton Of Interwald. to Stansstadt and from
there another trolley took rs for mile
to Staus Arnold Won Winkelriei's birth
place-here two monuments commem
crate his exploits. one above a fountain
illustrates his death. when nc made
pathway for the Swiss into the Austrian
ranks by gathering o sheaf Of spears Il
; upon the ground.
Winkelried is historic character an
his decd at the battle of Sempach was
real act of self-sacrlhce for the love o
country.
Had Benedict Arnold died at the battl
near Nalcour island his name woul
have been placed by that Of Wlnkcrie
for his bravery and exposing himself t
death in the boat that carried him fror
one ship to the other was on a par wit
that Of the famous Swiss hero.
> Tho battles that have been fought o
and in the vicinity of Lake Champlai
and Lake George-in Significance an
value to the progress of the human rae
toward liberty and equal rights for all
are not excelled ny those that have mad
this lake and its vicinity 80 attractive I
tourists from all over the world.
a century or two more and mankin
will give like credi, and in like mann,
twill he touring the region of the Gree
Mountains and the Adlrondac<s
Let us glance Just for one moment a
the country nearest TO the two regions
= Switzerland and Champaign valley-whic
= are the natural sources Of travel TO ihes
: regions.
4 Before you reach Munich one mu:
= travel POO miles-the cities of norther
4 Italy. Genoa, Florence, Venice an
$ Milan are more than 2Oo miles distan
i while Paris and Berlin are 500 miles ava
+ and more.
= New York and nearby cities with
, popula ton equal to Berlin and Paris CON
= bned. less than 200 miles from the ei
| ba ait
I Montreal. the largest city in Canada,
& but 700 miles from the heart Of the Gree
u Mountains and the Adrondacks, viii
Boston and vicinity with its million and
half population only 200 miles ava
=, These cities represent nation Of trave
l ers, only Just at present and probably Il
their travel Is. and is to be, across II
ocean.
y What is needed to turn the tile of tn
travel in this direction rs the wears s
= by Is for those who appreciate the tru'
OF Ambassador Rryce's statement 9TH
=, Vermont and the Champlain valley Is II
Switzerland OF America" to conduct
campaign, of education for their fello
. Americans, and for the Champlain Tran
, portation company In cooperation WI
IA the cities. towns. villages and SUNNI
:, camps bordering the lake To inaugura
-, summer service of splendidly euuipp'
Il steamers TO ply back and forth aero
n and up and down Lake Champlain az
II Lake George.