Three
impetuous rivers, the Saranac, the Salmon and the Ausable, flow down
from the cool, clear lakes, hidden away in the wildwood, and, breaking
through this barrier at and in the vicinity of Plattsburgh, contribute
not only to the lucid waters of Lake Champlain but greatly to the
picturesque variety of the region.
* * *
There lie broad acres laced with rills
And gemmed with lake and pond
Behind a wave of wooded hills
And mountain peaks beyond.
_Benjamin F. Leggett._
* * *
=Plattsburgh=, 168 miles from Albany, at the mouth of the Saranac, is
a delightful threshold to the Adirondacks. The northern part of Lake
Champlain offers special attractions to camping parties. The shores
and islands abound in excellent sites. Lake Champlain is also replete
with interest to the historian. The ruins of Fort St. Anne are still
seen on the north end of the Isle La Mott, built by the French in
1660. Valcour Strait, where one of the battles of '76 was fought;
Valcour's Island, where lovers came from far and near, built air
castles, wandered through these shady groves for a season or two, and
then vanished from sight, bankrupt in everything but mutual affection;
Cumberland Bay, with its victory, September, 1814, when the British
were driven back to Canada; and many other points which can be visited
by steamer or yacht.
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