Sunday Aft. July 17

Sorry, I got my order mixed up a little. On Sunday afternoon we went down to the southern part of Lake Champlain, to the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. Liz and I continue to marvel that we're not running into any crowds. We're not sure if that is because we're where there aren't any vacationers or if it's just that our tastes are different. Regardless, it is very pleasant. This museum was again sparsely attended, but very well done. It was miles from the main highway which probably accounts for the attendance.
We started off with a demonstration of the original 1 or 2 horsepower ferry. This staffer is standing on a turntable that goes underneath the deck of the boat. They would have one or a pair of horses walk on the turning table. Needless to say it was quickly replaced by the steamboat.
They had a benefactor who was really into Ice Boating. He found this 1902 ice boat in shambles somewhere, restored it, and started taking it out on the lake in the winter. He rejuvenated ice boating, and sailed her for a number of years, before donating her to the museum. The museum created a building especially for her, and surrounded her with over 90 small craft, from dug out canoes to modern Kevlar kayaks.

We continued our education on the role that Lake Champlain played in our Independence. We had already heard the story of how Benedict Arnold, cornered in the northern part of the lake, by the British, was destined to be be captured with all of our nations lake boats. He hatched a plan to silently paddle his boats around the British boats in the dead of night. He made it almost down to Ft. Ticonderoga, when the British caught up. Arnold landed and escaped with his crew, burning his boats, behind him. He left a small group of soldiers, with orders to fabricate a bridge across the lake during the winter. This they did by assembling caissons out of 25 ft long timbers then filling them with boulders. The guy in charge only kept some records so there is no history as to how this was accomplished. They theorize the men took everything out on the ice, stacked it up and then sunk it section by section. They admit it doesn't make much sense, but that is all they can think of. When spring came, Arnold and his troops were back, and they successfully fought the British, and due to this bridge they defeated them with very little in the way of marine strength. The bridge footings are all still there, save one which was destroyed for commercial travel. This timber floated to the surface, and was recovered.

We had heard the stories of the gunboats that Arnold constructed and used during his battles on the lake. I imagined them to be large sailing ships, but they were not. They were built quickly and very simply. They were little more than a floating barge under sail with a large contingent of cannon on board. The museum recreated the gunboat Philadelphia, pictured here. Besides the two cannon your can see here, there were 4 other, 2  on each side. There were also 44 men on board. Nothing below for quarters, simply open deck to sleep on. Not exactly a cruise! they have found another under the surface and they are raising funds to raise her!