[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 103 (Thursday, July 22, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S8714]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. LEAHY (for himself and Mr. Jeffords):
  S. 2738. A bill to establish a Commission to commemorate the 400th 
anniversary of the arrival of Samuel de Champlain in the Champlain 
Valley, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I submit today a bill that will assist the 
States of Vermont and New York in commemorating the extraordinary 
cultural; historical, and recreational heritage of one of Vermont's 
greatest natural treasures, Lake Champlain.
  Nearly 400 years ago, in 1609, Samuel de Champlain entered a green 
valley where he arrived at the lake that today carries his name. Lake 
Champlain stretches nearly 120 miles from Whitehall, NY, to the 
Richelieu River in Quebec and is nestled between the dramatic peaks of 
the New York's Adirondacks and Vermont's picturesque Green Mountains.
  The Samuel de Champlain 400th Commemoration Commission Act of 2004 
will authorize the National Park Service to fund a Commemoration 
Committee established with the Governors of Vermont and New York in 
order to plan national events for 2009 that celebrate the arrival of 
Samuel de Champlain and the rich heritage of the lake--which includes 
all people present when Champlain arrived in the valley and the 
communities that exist today.
  We Vermonters sometimes affectionately refer to Lake Champlain as the 
``Sixth Great Lake,'' and I have many fond memories of this wonderful 
lake. As a boy I spent time fishing and boating in its waters and over 
the years have taken my family on many enjoyable ferry rides across the 
lake. More recently I have become an avid scuba diver, and my own 
explorations of shipwreck sites in the lake have inspired me to educate 
others about its history and work to help preserve its unique heritage.
  Just as in my own family's history, Lake Champlain's history links 
together Vermont and our Nation's storied histories.
  Shortly after Champlain entered the region, what is now known as Lake 
Champlain was quickly recognized as the vital transportation route for 
the Northeast which had been used by Native peoples for centuries. 
Early settlers used the lake to explore unknown lands and create new 
settlements in the wilderness of Colonial North America.

  Lake Champlain is awash in a rich maritime history. The chain of 
lakes that includes Lake Champlain has been called the ``The Great 
Warpath'' because of its use by early Colonial armies and flotillas. It 
played a critical role in the birth of the United States Navy through 
early military and naval struggles played out along its shores and in 
its bays.
  The most famous naval battle on Lake Champlain occurred in 1776, 
during the American Revolutionary War, when Benedict Arnold managed to 
successfully delay a British invasion of the rebelling colonies at the 
Battle of Valcour Island.
  Lake Champlain holds one of the largest and best preserved 
collections of historic naval and other shipwrecks. As an avid scuba 
diver, I have viewed many of the shipwrecks first hand and am always 
awed by how well they have been preserved.
  The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, Lake Champlain Basin Program, and 
many other Vermonters and New Yorkers have worked hard to preserve our 
fabulous maritime archaeological heritage so that other intrepid 
adventurers can dive in and explore a part of Vermont's past that 
helped shape the direction of our developing Nation.
  Over the years as my family and I explored the lake's maritime 
history we also learned about its role in the growing economy of our 
young Nation. As the United States became more settled and stable, Lake 
Champlain became a center of flourishing commerce in the Northeast and 
a critical conduit for getting goods up and down the eastern seaboard.
  In fact, historians call the 19th nineteenth century Lake Champlain's 
``Golden Era'' of waterborne commerce. During that time the lake's 
peaceful waters were churning with the wakes of hundreds of steamboats, 
canal boats, ferries, merchant sloops and schooners--all plying their 
trade to markets in the Northeast and abroad.
  Today, the storied waters of Lake Champlain are treasured by 
Vermonters and New Yorkers and millions more as an outstanding natural, 
cultural, and recreational resource. Activities such as boating, 
fishing, and tourism help Lake Champlain support a regional economy of 
more than $9 billion dollars. No other inland body of water has played 
such a decisive role in the history of the United States as has Lake 
Champlain.
  The arrival of Samuel de Champlain had profound influence on our 
Nation's history that goes far beyond the simple naming of a lake--this 
event lead to a multitude of great historic, cultural, and economic 
achievements that to this day continue to influence life throughout the 
United States.
  This legislation will help our country and the many small towns and 
groups around Lake Champlain properly celebrate our common heritage.
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