Lake George (New York)

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

View of southern end of Lake George.

Lake George, also known as the Queen of American Lakes, 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 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.

[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.

On October 2, 2005, at 2:55 p.m., the Ethan Allen, a 40-foot glass-enclosed tourist boat carrying 49 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 suddenly flipped over in 20 seconds on the lake on a warm sunny day.

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. [1] [2]