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History at Bluff Point
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History at Bluff Point
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Bluff Points recorded history dates to the Spring of 1609, when the French explorer and soldier Samuel De Champlain discovered the great lake which commemorates his name. This discovery established a gateway between what would become French Canada and the English Colonies during the earliest days of the European settlement of the New World.
During the long French and Indian War, England and France contended for strongholds along Lake Champlain's shores as a means to control the shipping lane between the Hudson River and the lower St. Lawrence, an area which would be known as the "Warpath of Nations" for almost a century. As the highest point overlooking the Lake's Northwestern shore, Bluff Point provided a natural roost for observers to watch ships passing between Canada and the French outposts at the strategic points of Crown Point and Ticonderoga. Later, military strategists of both the Revolutionary War and the war of 1812 regarded the view at the Bluff Point area as an important element in their reconnaissance efforts to help keep track of enemy ships approaching their encampments.
The first battle engagement on the North American continent between the then newly formed American naval force and a British fleet took place nearby Bluff Point on October 11-13, 1776, under the command of Benedict Arnold. This event, named the Battle of Valcour, is considered by historians to be a turning point of the Revolutionary War in favor of the colonists.
A brilliant display of naval tactics occurred just north of the Bluff Point area when American Naval Commander Commodore McDonough defeated a superior British force on September 13, 1814, during the war of 1812. The defeat of the British squadron saved Plattsburgh from an assault by a large British Land force. It also contributed to improvement of national morale and unification in the war effort, and impressed upon the British that nothing was to be gained by continued warfare.
Crab Island, only a short distance from the Bluff Point beach, served as a hiding place and as a medical treatment center for wounded American soldiers during the War of 1812. Many of the soldiers who died of their wounds on Crab Island were buried there, the graves remaining to this day. The obelisk monument erected to the memory of American veterans of the war of 1812 is easily seen from the northeast side of the present Bluff Point structure.
An interesting though little known connection with Bluff Point's significant history lies in the area of natural history. Valcour Island which provides part of the panorama seen from the Bluff Point elevation, is the site of one of the oldest heron rookeries in North America. For over 200 years, heron families have nested and raised their offspring on the southeast corner of the island to the delight of area naturalists.
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At Clinton Community College: Send feedback to Roland Schmidt at schmidr@mail.clintoncc.suny.edu |
Copyright ©: 1997 Clinton Community
College
Last modified: 13 Nov 1997
