Lake George (New York)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other bodies of water of the same name, see Lake George.

Lake George
View from Sabbath Day Point
Location	Adirondack Mountains
Coordinates	43°34′N 73°37′WCoordinates: 43°34′N 73°37′W
Primary outflows	La Chute River
Basin countries	USA
Max length	32 miles (54 km)
Max width	1-3 miles (1.6-5 km)
Surface area	28,160 acres (113 km²)
Max depth	200 feet (61 m)
Surface elevation	319 feet (97 m)
Islands	~170
Settlements	Lake George, NY; Ticonderoga, NY; Bolton Landing, NY

Lake George, also known as the Queen of American Lakes^{[citation needed]}, is a long narrow lake at the southeast base of the Adirondack Mountains, northern New York, USA. The lake extends about 32.2 miles (54 km) on a north-south axis and varies from 1 to 3 miles (1.7 to 5 km) in width.

Lake George drains into Lake Champlain to its north through a short stream (La Chute river) with many falls and rapids, dropping about 230 feet (70 meters) in its 3½-mile (6 km) course. Ultimately the water flows into the St. Lawrence River and then into the Atlantic Ocean. The original name in Iroquois was said to be Andiatarocte, the lake shut in^{[citation needed]} and was named by the French Lac du Saint-Sacrement, (Lake of the Holy Sacrament).

The Village of Lake George is located at the south end of Lake George and the unincorporated village of Ticonderoga is at the northern end. The area is a well-known resort center and summer colony.

Lake George lies on several towns and villages. Lake George village is the farthest south and the busiest. Generally, tourists prefer this area. However, frequenters and residents often scorn this area as a tourist attraction, as it is the largest of the Lake's towns. Next, to the north is Bolton Landing. This is a small town attracting mostly frequent lake visitors, and not "first-timers"; Bolton houses the largest of the Lake's resorts, the Sagamore Hotel. The center of Bolton lies on Bolton Bay, as does Green Island (Sagamore Island). At the north end of the lake are Silver Bay, Hague and Huletts Landing.

1 History
2 Ethan Allen accident
3 Image gallery
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

The first European visitor to the area, Samuel de Champlain, noted the lake in his journal on July 3, 1609, but never named 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, Sir 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 for 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.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Lake George was a common spot sought out by well known artists including E. Charlton Fortune and Frank Vincent DuMond.

[edit] Ethan Allen accident

Main article: Ethan Allen boating accident

On October 2, 2005, at 2:55 p.m., the Ethan Allen, a 40-foot glass-enclosed tourist boat carrying 47 passengers and operated by Shoreline Cruises, capsized on the lake. According to reports from a local newspaper, 20 people (mostly senior citizens) died when the boat capsized during calm weather, possibly due to the wake from passing boats.

Initial reports indicated that the tour group was from Canada, but these reports were later found to be false. It was later determined that the group was from the Trenton, Michigan, area on a weeklong fall trip along the East Coast by bus and rail, organized by Trenton's parks and recreation department and arranged through a Canadian company. Police said they have never seen a disaster of this magnitude on the lake. The captain survived and cooperated with police. [2] [3]

The National Transportation Safety Board investigation of the incident revealed that, although the boat was rated to carry 50 people when it was manufactured in 1966, subsequent alterations to the boats design had greatly reduced its stability. At the time of the accident, the boat should have been rated to carry no more than 14 passengers. On February 5th, 2007, the captain, Richard Paris, and the company that owned the boat, Shoreline Cruises, were indicted for only having one crew member aboard the boat. More serious charged were not filed because neither the captain nor the owners were aware they were violating safety standards.^[1]