Ethan allen was one of vermonts founding fathers. He was the first colonel commandant of the original Green Mountain boys, and the Green Mountain boys were at one time the Largest Paramilitary Force in north america, if not for the actions of ethan allen, and the other Green Mountain boys, vermont may very well have looked different than it does today. Announcer welcome to burlington, vermont on American History tv. Located on Lake Champlain, about 45 minutes south of the canadian border. It is home to the university of vermont, and it is the states most popular city with about 42,000 residents. Our comcastp of cable partners, over the next 75 minutes, we will explore the city and region. We begin on the waters of Lake Champlain. To hear how important it was to the citys origins. Welcome to Lake Champlain. We are out here today on the spirit of ethan allen interiors. Great opportunity to tip to talk about americas first great lake when it comes to historic significance. Lake champlain is a 120 mile long water superhighway that cuts between the Green Mountains of vermont and the adirondacks of new york. The lake itself covers 490 square miles. Theall of Human History in champlain valley, it has served as a corridor for commerce, conflict, and today it is really a great place for recreation. The lake is called Lake Champlain because a french a french because of explorer. Here been invited on a tour from his native American Allies from the florence river valley. Upon their journey south along this 120 mile long lake, they encountered the iroquois. The iroquois and champlains allies were rivals for the control of this trade route and a skirmish broke out. Champlain and a couple of his fellow frenchman had firearms, and as a result, the french and their allies from the north won the skirmish. Champlain modified the lake after himself. A new region of new france and what is now called the champlain valley and set off a protected period of conflict between the british who were moving north up from the atlantic seaboard and the french who were expanding their territory outward from the st. Lawrence river. In the lowerch champlain valley, this began to set off alarm bells with the british. It set off a protracted period of conflict or colonial wars between new france and new england that would ultimately culminate with the french and indian war. British french and the would build some of their most expensive fortifications in the champlain valley during this time. And during the American Revolution, Lake Champlain would become a key point in the northern part of a war, starting in may of 1775 when ethan allen, benedict arnold, and the Green Mountain boys would capture the british fortress of ticonderoga. Ofs, depriving Great Britain its dues of Lake Champlain as a communication, resupply, and reinforcement corridor between new york city and their Northern Capital at quebec city. The capture of ticonderoga set arms race between the british and the American Forces as of the british and the American Forces built naval fleets. The americans built theirs at whitehall, new york. The british built theirs up on the richelieu river, the river that Lake Champlain flows into into the north. Ultimately, these two fleets would clash at the battle of alcor island on the pretense of 1776. Where Benedict Arnolds u. S. Navy fleet gave the british all they could handle on that first day of what would turn out to be a threeday running gunbattle down the leak the lake. Ultimately, arnolds fleet would either be sunk, surrender, or scuttled as he made his way back down toward the protection of the guns at crown port point in ticonderoga. The spirit of the mission was successful as the commander of towardce got ticonderoga, took a look at the american defenses there, and decided being so late in the season in the northeast with winter coming on coming he did not want to get involved in a protracted siege of ticonderoga. So he turned his invasion force around and return to canada. This would result in him being replaced with the flamboyant gentleman johnny burgoyne, the british general who would come back down Lake Champlain in the summer of 1777, ultimately pressed through the american defenses at mount independence, and for tech on a rocha, and reach of the lake where his soldiers began the long march to saratoga. Into anoga, they ran ever growing American Army who had been roused to action by the invasion of this large british invasion force. Almost a year to the day after the battle of al gore in the year of 1777, the invasion force surrendered to American General for ratio gates. Even though at the battle of saratoga, it was arnold, the same guy who had help capturing ticonderoga, the same guy who led the Naval Defense of Lake Champlain, a was his heroic on the battlefield that turned the tide for the American Forces. Of battle of sarah coat saratoga is important because that is the battle they gave the french confidence to back the americans in their bid for independence. The invasion of Lake Champlain marked the last major action on the lake during the American Revolution when the revolution to expandmerce began in the champlain valley. All of that commerce going north into british canada. Lake champlain flows into the wish leo, which flows into the st. Lawrence, giving markets from the champlain valley easy access to those large markets of montreal and quebec city and access to foreign goods coming in through the port at quebec. In the case of the war of 1812, the british early on secured control of the lake as a result order to protect the town of burlington. The United States army under the command of lieutenant Sylvester Churchill built a gun battery on the bluffs overlooking burlington harbor. The british navy had free reign on the lake, october 2 of 1813. They came into Burlington Bay with the intent of burning the city to the ground. Or the town as it was at that point. And were repelled by the american guns of the battery in gunboats thatore have been built for the defense of the lake. Done there was an established industrial area. It was not until late in the summer of 1814 at the American Fleet was ready to sail. When it was ready, it went immediately north on the lake to engage with a british invasion force that was being assembled on the richly a river. River. Lieu unlike the battle of alcorn which took place on the north on the new york side, the battle of Lake Champlain took place north of alcorn in cumberland day. The American Fleet got there first. Commodore Thomas Mcdonough and, the american commander, was able to arrange his ships in a line of battle and awaited the arrival of the british invasion oh invasion fleet. On september 11 of 1814 and tax into Cumberland Bay and engaged the american line. The battle was her rent a sleep bloody was horrendously bloody. Won thehe americans who day. This was in part due to mcdonough ends practices where he was able to rotate his boats by using their anchors, where he could bring a fresh side of guns to bear on a battered british fleet. The british flagship, the compliance with strike their colors, indicating the british fleet had surrendered. It is important to remember a british army was launching a land defensive against the American Land forces in flux bird. When the british commander on naval partner strike their colors, he, too, ordered a withdrawal. This battle of plattsburgh, the battle of like champagne, was was theatll flat last battle fought that would end the war of 1812. With hostilities ended in the champlain valley, people began to return to thoughts of commerce. As a result, commerce began to explode along the shores of Lake Champlain. Stating down here on the burlington waterfront, we are really at the epicenter of burlingtons commercial history. When lieutenant sylvester ,hurchill held the top battery he was looking over an expansive bay but very little land below him. As commerce grew in perth in burlington, as did the waterfront. Essentially incubator spaces for as the accesses here to the lake verrilli was access to the outside world. This was the place to be if you were someone who was looking to develop any kind of new industry. Burlingtons waterfront industrial sites blossomed throughout the 1800s. One of the biggest generators of Economic Growth in burlington was lumbar. By 1873, burlington was the thirdlargest timber pour in the United States. Much of that timber being floated down from british canada and being milled here in burlington. Or made into anything from blinds to boxes. All of that would be loaded onto canal boats and head somewhere else. To beld be remiss standing here and not talk about the steamships of Lake Champlain. The second steamships for commercial service in the United States was built just south of where we are standing now. The steamer vermont was launched in 1809. After the first boat claremont on the hudson to maintain a regular commercial service for passengers traveling from the south end of Lake Champlain to st. John in key back on a weekly in quebec on a weekly trip. You had boats the size of ticonderoga down at the museum bringing passengers and freight from one place to another. The workforces of the commercial era were the canal boats. Whether they were the sailing canal boats, up through the mid1860s, or the standard canal boats or barges that would be towed around by steam tags from one end of the lake to the other. Ultimately, it was the arrival of the railroad in the 1850s , or would create the end the beginning of the end, for the commercial shipping industry on Lake Champlain. One of the greatest Cultural Resources that Lake Champlain has to offer in terms of maritime history are the shipwrecks on the bottom of the lake to we have over 300 documented shipwrecks on the bottom of Lake Champlain. Lakeall of the eras of champlain history. Native american times, this era of conflict between the french and british, the americans in the british, but the bulk of the shipwrecks are commercial vessels. Andr the war of 1812 ended, commerce exploded, it was fueled by commercial shipping on the lake. The Champlain Canal opened, connecting the south end of Lake Champlain with the hudson river. Two years later, the erie canal opened, opening the floodgates to commerce using these inland commercial waterways. The real work force of Lake Champlain commerce were canal boats. During the early canal era, Lake Champlain had really interesting canal boats that we call today sailing canal schooners. Burlington harbor has two shipwrecks that are well preserved. The wreck of the oj walker and the general butler. During the late 1800s, during their last voyage, they were both carrying very heavy cargo. Lake champlains underwater preserve system, we have the to open these shipwrecks up for scuba divers. Scuba divers can tie onto the yellow marker buoy, and follow the guidelines down to the concrete block and follow a line to the wreck where they can get a sense of the size of the vessel and to their design. They started a multiyear fullsize create a replica of one of the sailing canals scooters. It is schooners. The oj walker which is sunk out in the middle of Burlington Bay. Exhaustive study by the Maritime Museum archaeologists and historians and ship rates the schooner which is now an ambassador of Lake Champlain history, traveling each summer along the inland trade route that lake boat from Lake Champlain would have trouble during the commercial era. Burlington really mirrors this change over time that you can see from the air, from the lake, from the land. Is constantly repurpose inc. In the mid1800s, they were adding land to create Economic Growth. The railroads came in the burlington waterfront transitioned from docs to rail yards. During the 1980s, the burlington waterfront from railroad to recreational areas. Thanks do to then burlington mayor Bernie Sanders who was instrumental in reclaiming what was an industrial Railroad Yard and creating what is now burlingtons Waterfront Park which hosts festivals throughout the year. Then there is the burlington bikeway, that takes the Old CommercialRailroad Line and it has been completely renovated to bring worldclass lakeside cycling for tourists and residents. The story of burlington can be told by looking at the burlington waterfront. Burlington is unique is as unique as vermont. Is reallycity that attractive to young people. What we are seeing is this is the center of the vermont economy. What has happened recently is a lot of new businesses have come in, ben jerrys, we have artisan cheeses who have a big present presence. We have some of the finest craft brewery. Has a bright future. But is so important to us in vermont because our state is largely world. Rural. Argely Rural America is a challenge. The strength we have in burlington helps us in vermont to build our rural communities. Two major parts of ferment history to affect the whole state and burlington are our agricultural tradition and town meetings. There has been an enormous sense of citizen participation and activism ever since the founding of the republic of vermont. Had the agricultural tradition, where our farmers have had the view that if we take care of the land, the land will take care of us. Even though far even though the farms are in decline, it is not like it used to be. That ethics of being an environmental steward that we has been important to the state of vermont. And our tradition of town meeting where we talk about everything from weather to get a new school bus or firetruck to sometimes having a Nuclear Freeze initiatives on the ballot. That citizen participation has been very important to vermont. Vermont has always had two things. One, there has been a fiscal conservatism here. We pay our bills. With our state, we do not have a balanced Budget Amendment but we always have a balanced budget. That has been true whether we have had democratic or republican governors. There has always been a sense of social liberalism. It is your business how you lead your life. To some extent, that has to do with this engagement we have a town meeting where people who have chosen to live it lit a different kind of life you live, you get to know them. Your kids are on the soccer team that you coach. Or they are on the Volunteer Fire Department with you. Ofy spent a mutual response respect and an acceptance that people make their own decisions on how they want to live their life. We have seen that with vermont passing civil unions in the legislature, and then the legislature passing marriage equality. Other states, it was often a court decision. We have seen it with a very inclusive approach to life in our community. The history of burlington, vermont is tied directly to Lake Champlain, lumber, textiles, and politics. We speak with local historian about the history of burlington and its role in vermont. We are standing above what in the 1790s was referred to as Burlington Bay on Lake Champlain. Of course, the fact that it is on Lake Champlain is part of the reasons why we have the city here today. Europeans, the new englanders who came up here, including iraq island, saw the potential of Burlington Bay as a port city. Lake champlain flows north and it flows into the racial you river into the richelieu river. Which gives burlington and inlandly enough place, access to the atlantic ocean. Early settlers saw that and became interested. ,he area did not take off despite the attempts by ira importantake this an place to put the university here, making it the shire town of two tinton county with the courts. It did not take off until 1823. In 1823, the Champlain Canal was finished which connected the southern end of Lake Champlain