Adirondack Coast: The Champlain Memorial Lighthouse near the Crown Point State Historic Site and Bridge
There is something special about having alone time with my
daughter. It gets even better now that she branches out beyond the princess
-themed play to climb, fish, or catch something. This time we explore searching
for new lands.
We may not discover uncharted territory in our Adirondack Coast
tour, but we will tread on the lands discovered over 400 years ago by Samuel de
Champlain.
The Champlain Memorial Lighthouse sits on the edge of what
is now the Crown Point Public Campground. It overlooks Vermont and sits
surrounded by land that witnessed battles and forts. Originally constructed in
1858, the Champlain Memorial Lighthouse is a statement to the States of New
York and Vermont and the Province of Quebec who worked together to reconstruct
this monument as a testament to explorer Samuel de Champlain.
I wish to see the bronze bust “LaFrance” by Auguste Rodin
(best know for sculptures “The Thinker” and “The Kiss”) that is part of the
Champlain Memorial Lighthouse and my daughter is an explorer in search of
treasure. She is really searching for ice cream, but she is pretty much game for
anything.
In 2009, the Lake Champlain Quadricentennial celebrated the
400th anniversary of Champlain’s 1609 sighting of the surrounding
waters that host his name. According to the New York Department of Conservation
(DEC,) Champlain is the first European to have recorded his exploration of Lake
Champlain and the surrounding region.
The campground is easily found as we follow cars on the way
to take the Crown Point Bridge to Vermont. There is a day use fee to enter the campground but it is
not applicable after Labor Day. Another option is to park outside the grounds
at the Lake Champlain Visitor’s Center near the ferry entrance and just walk.
The ranger at the gate points us to the lighthouse. We bypass the structure to walk toward the water and down the steps to the Crown Point pier. A family is fishing. I have my daughter’s pole but she is more interested in seeing what the other kids get than catching her own.
I nudge her attention back to the lighthouse that looms behind us. The Rodin is a small bas-relief profile of a woman believed to be Camille Claudel (sculptress in her own right). It is dwarfed by the Carl Heber sculpture of Samuel de Champlain with a crouching Huron guide and a French Voyageur on either side. During the “Fur Trade” era the Voyageurs were hired to paddle canoes and carry bundles of pelts weighing as much as 90 lbs. This may be why these three men are situated just above a stone sculpture of the bow of a canoe filled with furs.
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We decide to count the stairs as we climb to the top of the lighthouse. We each get a different number on the ascent and descent. My daughter wants a recount but we settle on a compromise of 62 steps. The day is clear and we can truly see Vermont from here.
My child is a born politician and tells me she needs no other treat than to be with me though chocolate ice cream wouldn’t be so bad either. It is time to find her treasure so we head to Frenchy's Ice Cream in Crown Point.
© Diane Chase is the author of the Adirondack Family Time™ guidebook series. Adirondack Family Time™guidebooks have easy, short Adirondack family hikes for ADK kids, parents, retired, seniors, dog-owners, Adirondack swimming holes, Lake Placid Olympic activities, Adirondack trivia, Adirondack horseback rides, Adirondack snowshoe family trails and more. Look for the Adirondack family guidebooks online or bookstores/museums/sporting good stores. Diane is currently working on the next Adirondack Family Activities™ guide.
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