LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk 50 "Such esoteric research is tedious and exhausting, just the way it should be," writes author Erik Schlim- mer in the introduction of his newest and aptly named book Deep History: Place Names of Lake Champlain, which was released in late 2023. Schlimmer set out to identify and research every topographical interest, from bay to rock, in and around both the New York and Vermont sides of Lake Champlain. The project took over two years to complete. While the research and writing may have been tedious and exhausting, the reading of it is not. Not only is the information painstakingly researched, it is organized in a way that will please any lover of lists and/or alphabetical order. Yet within the order lie absolute gems of humor and playfulness, ie: "Rock Harbor: it's a rocky harbor," and anecdotal history which makes for an entertaining read. Schlimmer admits he grew up close to the shores of Lake Champlain (which is the 9th largest freshwa- ter lake in the United States) without knowing much about it other than "it was big and long and wide and deep." He has gone far beyond that in this, his newest work. I began reading Deep History to simply gain some more knowledge of local history. While I did come away from this book with a wealth of new informa- tion, I decided to go back a second time and approach the book differently. I believe this work can and should be used as a local guidebook, whether it be for histori- cal or topographical purposes, or a guide for a pleasure trip. Just a few of the interesting geographic spots to explore are Boquet River Point, which boasts the "smallest river with the largest mouth," Craig (or Crag) Harbor which is of course craggy, Or Thompson Reef which is only 4 feet below the surface of the water. There are a number of historical places worth exploring, as well. There is Barn Rock, where the fossil of a fifty-foot "sea-serpent" was found and later sold to PT Barnum. Or Brown Point, which earns its name from the first settlers. There is Cole Bay, where residents were said to wash their sheep. Or Putts Point, home of the hero of Bunker Hill, Israel Putt, who is credited for saying, "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes." Most interesting to this particular reader are the sites of tragedy, mystery, and beauty. Crab Island was home to a hospital in 1814 that treated both American and British soldiers for typhus and dysentery. It is said that 148 men are buried on this island. Devil's Den is also most intriguing. It is where a woman was said to be held captive by a rival of her fiance. She is said to have climbed the steep cliff and jumped to her death instead of accepting her fate. Later, when her betrothed found her body while rowing in the area, he too made the fatal jump. The idyllic sounding Spoon Bay was where in 1894, New Hampshire residents George Eastman and his daughter visited Lake Chaplain for the first time and enjoyed a picnic. They were reported as finding "it like a dream of fairyland and are quite in love with the lake." It's clear that Schlimmer, through his labor of love in researching and writing this book, would not disagree with this estimation. t Erik Schlimmer's Deep History: Place Names of Lake Champlain A Book Review by Ashley Treska

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