Champlain Canal Lock 12 Wall
Today’s journey took us through farmland, mountains and marshes…the lake narrowed to a small meandering river and we had to begin to watch our depth again. It was a beautiful area, but different from the rest of Lake Champlain. We are officially out of Lake Champlain and in the Champlain Canal.
The Champlain Canal connects the Hudson River to Lake Champlain, a total distance of 64 miles from Troy on the Hudson to Whitehall on Lake Champlain, with twelve locks. The Champlain Canal, which begins where the Erie Canal leaves the Hudson is composed of eleven locks. From Troy north it follows the Hudson for 40 miles to Fort Edward, with locks, dams, and dug channels to bypass falls and rapids in the river. At Fort Edward the canal leaves the Hudson and follows a dug channel for an additional 24 miles to Whitehall, at the bottom of Lake Champlain. We went through the first lock today and then tied up to the wall near the Skenesboro Park in Whitehall. The town provides water and electricity at no charge.
The Champlain Canal connects the Hudson River to Lake Champlain, a total distance of 64 miles from Troy on the Hudson to Whitehall on Lake Champlain, with twelve locks. The Champlain Canal, which begins where the Erie Canal leaves the Hudson is composed of eleven locks. From Troy north it follows the Hudson for 40 miles to Fort Edward, with locks, dams, and dug channels to bypass falls and rapids in the river. At Fort Edward the canal leaves the Hudson and follows a dug channel for an additional 24 miles to Whitehall, at the bottom of Lake Champlain. We went through the first lock today and then tied up to the wall near the Skenesboro Park in Whitehall. The town provides water and electricity at no charge.
Whitehall was settled in 1759 at the southern end of Lake Champlain. It was originally known as Skenesboro, it became the first settlement on the lake and was a center of maritime trade. During the Revolutionary War Benedict Arnold built his fleet here. Because of this action and the significance of the battles that took place afterwards, the New York State Legislature, in 1960, declared Whitehall as the Birthplace of the United States Navy. The Whitehall harbor also produced ships used for service by the U.S. Navy during the War of 1812.
We spent the afternoon riding our bikes around the old section of town and doing a little grocery shopping at the Dollar Store. This evening we had dinner at Lucia’s…wonderful 1/2 priced pizzas on Mondays. We then walked over the canal and looked around. We ended up visiting with a few very nice ladies that shared a little of their local knowledge of the area. Tomorrow’s weather doesn’t look the greatest, so we don’t know whether we'll move on in the rain or stay put.
The canal in Whitehall
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