飘尘永魂2010-05-27 04:40:19回复悄悄话
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lake George, nicknamed the Queen of American Lakes,[1] is a long, narrow oligotrophic lake draining northwards into Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River Drainage basin located at the southeast base of the Adirondack Mountains in northern New York, U.S.A. and lies within the upper region of the Great Appalachian Valley. The lake is situated along the historical natural (Amerindian) path between the valley of the Hudson and that of the St. Lawrence, so lies on the direct land route between Albany, NY and Montreal. The lake extends about 32.2 miles (54 km) on a north-south axis, is quite deep, and varies from 1 to 3 miles (1.7 to 5 km) in width, so presents a significant barrier to east-west travel. Although the year-round population of the Lake George region is relatively small, the summertime population can swell to over 50,000 residents, especially in the Lake George village region on the south end of the lake.
Lake George drains into Lake Champlain to its north through a short stream, the La Chute River, with many falls and rapids, dropping about 230 feet (70 m) in its 3½-mile (6 km) course — virtually all of which is within the lands of Ticonderoga, New York and near the site of the famous Fort Ticonderoga. Ultimately the waters flowing via the 106 miles (171 km) long Richelieu River empty into the St. Lawrence River downstream and northeast of Montreal and then into the North Atlantic Ocean above Nova Scotia.
Lake George is located in the The park of the Adirondacks with the great out doors and mountain range. Notable landforms include Anthony's Nose, Deer's Leap, Roger's Rock, the Indian Kettles, Diver's Rock (a 15 ft (4.6 m) jump into the lake), and Double-Diver's (a 30 ft (9.1 m) jump). Some of the mountains include Tongue Mountain, Sugarloaf Mountain, Prospect Mountain, Shelving Rock, Pilot Knob, and Black Mountain. Some of the more famous bays are Silver Bay, Kattskill Bay, Northwest Bay, Basin Bay, and Oneida Bay. The lake is distinguished by "The Narrows," an island-filled narrow section (approximately five miles long) that is bordered on the west by Tongue Mountain and the east by Black Mountain. In all, Lake George is home to 165 islands and 230 satellite islands (exactly 395 total) , most of them state-owned. They range from the car-sized Skipper's Jib to larger Vicar's and Long Island. Camping permits are attainable for the larger portion of islands. The lake's deepest point is 200 feet (61 m), found between Dome Island and Buck Mountain in the southern quarter of the lake and all of its attractions.
The lake was originally named the Andia-ta-roc-te, by local Native Americans, but was called the Horican in James Fenimore Cooper's narrative Last of the Mohicans because he felt the original name was to hard to pronounce.
The first European visitor to the area, Samuel de Champlain, noted the lake in his journal on July 3, 1609, but did not name it. In 1646, the missionary Isaac Jogues named it Lac du Saint-Sacrement, and the exit stream as the river La Chute (the fall).
On August 28, 1755, William Johnson led British colonial forces to occupy the area in the French and Indian War. He renamed the lake as Lake George for King George II and built a protecting fortification at its southern end. The fort was named Fort William Henry after the King's grandson Prince William Henry, a younger brother of the later King George III. On September 8, 1755 the Battle of Lake George was fought between the forces of Britain and France.
In September, the French responded by beginning construction of Fort Carillon, later called Fort Ticonderoga, on a point where La Chute enters Lake Champlain. These fortifications controlled the easy water route between Canada and colonial New York.
On March 13, 1758, an attempted attack on that fort by irregular forces lead by Robert Rogers was one of the most daring raids of that war. The unorthodox (to Europeans) tactics of Rogers' Rangers are seen as the inspiring the later creation of similar special forces in later conflicts — including the United States Army Rangers.
Lake George’s key position on the Montreal-New York water route made possession of the forts at either end — particularly Ticonderoga — strategically crucial during the American Revolution.
Later in the war, British General John Burgoyne’s decision to bypass the easy water route to the Hudson River that Lake George offered and, instead, attempt to reach the Hudson though the marshes and forests at the southern end of Lake Champlain, led to the British defeat at Saratoga.
On May 31, 1791, Thomas Jefferson wrote in a letter to his daughter, "Lake George is without comparison, the most beautiful water I ever saw; formed by a contour of mountains into a basin... finely interspersed with islands, its water limpid as crystal, and the mountain sides covered with rich groves... down to the water-edge: here and there precipices of rock to checker the scene and save it from monotony."
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Lake George was a common spot sought out by well known artists, including Martin Johnson Heade, John F. Kensett, E. Charlton Fortune and Frank Vincent DuMond.
Lake George, nicknamed the Queen of American Lakes,[1] is a long, narrow oligotrophic lake draining northwards into Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River Drainage basin located at the southeast base of the Adirondack Mountains in northern New York, U.S.A. and lies within the upper region of the Great Appalachian Valley. The lake is situated along the historical natural (Amerindian) path between the valley of the Hudson and that of the St. Lawrence, so lies on the direct land route between Albany, NY and Montreal. The lake extends about 32.2 miles (54 km) on a north-south axis, is quite deep, and varies from 1 to 3 miles (1.7 to 5 km) in width, so presents a significant barrier to east-west travel. Although the year-round population of the Lake George region is relatively small, the summertime population can swell to over 50,000 residents, especially in the Lake George village region on the south end of the lake.
Lake George drains into Lake Champlain to its north through a short stream, the La Chute River, with many falls and rapids, dropping about 230 feet (70 m) in its 3½-mile (6 km) course — virtually all of which is within the lands of Ticonderoga, New York and near the site of the famous Fort Ticonderoga. Ultimately the waters flowing via the 106 miles (171 km) long Richelieu River empty into the St. Lawrence River downstream and northeast of Montreal and then into the North Atlantic Ocean above Nova Scotia.
Lake George is located in the The park of the Adirondacks with the great out doors and mountain range. Notable landforms include Anthony's Nose, Deer's Leap, Roger's Rock, the Indian Kettles, Diver's Rock (a 15 ft (4.6 m) jump into the lake), and Double-Diver's (a 30 ft (9.1 m) jump). Some of the mountains include Tongue Mountain, Sugarloaf Mountain, Prospect Mountain, Shelving Rock, Pilot Knob, and Black Mountain. Some of the more famous bays are Silver Bay, Kattskill Bay, Northwest Bay, Basin Bay, and Oneida Bay. The lake is distinguished by "The Narrows," an island-filled narrow section (approximately five miles long) that is bordered on the west by Tongue Mountain and the east by Black Mountain. In all, Lake George is home to 165 islands and 230 satellite islands (exactly 395 total) , most of them state-owned. They range from the car-sized Skipper's Jib to larger Vicar's and Long Island. Camping permits are attainable for the larger portion of islands. The lake's deepest point is 200 feet (61 m), found between Dome Island and Buck Mountain in the southern quarter of the lake and all of its attractions.
The lake was originally named the Andia-ta-roc-te, by local Native Americans, but was called the Horican in James Fenimore Cooper's narrative Last of the Mohicans because he felt the original name was to hard to pronounce.
The first European visitor to the area, Samuel de Champlain, noted the lake in his journal on July 3, 1609, but did not name it. In 1646, the missionary Isaac Jogues named it Lac du Saint-Sacrement, and the exit stream as the river La Chute (the fall).
On August 28, 1755, William Johnson led British colonial forces to occupy the area in the French and Indian War. He renamed the lake as Lake George for King George II and built a protecting fortification at its southern end. The fort was named Fort William Henry after the King's grandson Prince William Henry, a younger brother of the later King George III. On September 8, 1755 the Battle of Lake George was fought between the forces of Britain and France.
In September, the French responded by beginning construction of Fort Carillon, later called Fort Ticonderoga, on a point where La Chute enters Lake Champlain. These fortifications controlled the easy water route between Canada and colonial New York.
On March 13, 1758, an attempted attack on that fort by irregular forces lead by Robert Rogers was one of the most daring raids of that war. The unorthodox (to Europeans) tactics of Rogers' Rangers are seen as the inspiring the later creation of similar special forces in later conflicts — including the United States Army Rangers.
Lake George’s key position on the Montreal-New York water route made possession of the forts at either end — particularly Ticonderoga — strategically crucial during the American Revolution.
Later in the war, British General John Burgoyne’s decision to bypass the easy water route to the Hudson River that Lake George offered and, instead, attempt to reach the Hudson though the marshes and forests at the southern end of Lake Champlain, led to the British defeat at Saratoga.
On May 31, 1791, Thomas Jefferson wrote in a letter to his daughter, "Lake George is without comparison, the most beautiful water I ever saw; formed by a contour of mountains into a basin... finely interspersed with islands, its water limpid as crystal, and the mountain sides covered with rich groves... down to the water-edge: here and there precipices of rock to checker the scene and save it from monotony."
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Lake George was a common spot sought out by well known artists, including Martin Johnson Heade, John F. Kensett, E. Charlton Fortune and Frank Vincent DuMond.