We all know about Bunker Hill, Valley Forge, and Yorktown, but few know of the battles between the British and the Americans in the great North Woods Country which were Eastern New York and Vermont. It was there that Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys took Fort Ticonderoga "In the name of Jehova and The Continental Congress!" from a sleepy garrison of British Regulars. It was there that Benedict Arnold built his little fleet of lake warships and whipped the British at the Battle of Valcour Island. Only later did Arnold turn on his country.

The American War of Independence is only one episode in Ralph Nading Hill's sweeping review of the history of Lake Champlain, the critical gateway from Quebec to Lower New York. His retelling of the history of steam navigation on the Lake, and the Corporations which were founded to further its development, are at times hilarious, and are reminiscent of the story of the development of the railroads.

He also details the development of the Champlain Canal, which provided a direct water link between Quebec, Lake Champlain and the Hudson River, and thence to New York City, in the early 1800s. He shows the importance of the Canal, and later the railroads, in opening the markets of the Eastern Seaboard to Vermont lumber, milled from timber felled in Quebec and floated to saw mills in Vermont. Few realize that a substantial part of the housing in Boston and New York during the mid to late 19th Century, including the famous New York Brownstones, were built with Vermont lumber.

This is an easy, engrossing, and informative read by a master storyteller who made the telling of the North Woods History his life's work.

How many Americans Know that the birth of the American Navy really began on a lake. That the sea monster inhabiting lake champlain,was recorded by samuel champlain and native Americans as early as the 1600's, centuries before pt barnum offered a reward for it's body so he could display it with his travelling show. Lake Champlain is rich with beauty and history and this is a definative history of the region. It makes a great read too!