mileage
84.5 PORT KENT station, Highway 373 and back Road. Elevation approximately
90. This is a small summer resort town, and the AMTRAK stop is seasonal. ferries to Burlington, VT depart just a couple
blocks away from the AMTRAK station. The town was named after New York State Chancellor James Kent.
85 Trembleau Mountain looms over the railroad here on the right (southbound). We are now in the Adirondack Mountains, which consist
of a large domed area of very old Precambrian-aged igneous and metamorphic rocks, which were uplifted during the Late Precambrian Grenville
Orogeny. This orogeny pre-dated the Taconian Orogeny (see MP47 above) by several million years. The Adirondacks are noted
for their occurrence of anorthosite, a plagioclase-rich igneous rock which formed at extremely great temperatures and depths, maybe
as much as 15 miles. Other Precambrian rocks in the Adirondacks are granite, syenite, and many metamorphic gneisses.
After the Grenville Orogeny, the area was worn down by erosion for many millions of years, and the Cambrian and Ordovician sedimentary
rocks, which we have already discussed, were deposited on top of the harder more resistant Precambrian rocks. During the Ordovician
Period, the ancestral Adirondacks were again uplifted during the Taconian Orogeny, and erosion of the softer less resistant sedimentary
rocks continued. The Adirondacks eventually were uplifted into a dome structure with a core of very old, highly metamorphosed
igneous and sedimentary rocks, and flanked by younger sedimentary rocks which now dip away from the central dome of the Adirondacks. Uplift of the Adirondack Dome is continuing today at a rate of possibly 3 mm per year!
86.5 According to Van Diver (1985), there is a thrust fault between here and offshore Schuyler Island, visible on the left (southbound).This
fault is not the Champlain Thrust Fault, but is related to it. Rocks visible on the island are faulted metamorphosed Cambrian
and Ordovician rocks.
Between here and Willsboro,
the railroad will pass through many rocks cuts in the Cambrian- and Ordovician-aged Potsdam Sandstone, as well as in Precambrian
rocks from the Adirondack assemblages.
92 Willsboro Bay separates
the mainland here from Willsboro Point (visible across the bay). Between here and Willsboro Point is the same thrust fault which
occurs at Schuyler Island (see MP 86.5 above).. Rocks on Wllsboro Point consists of block-faulted sedimentary rocks of the Ordovician
Beekmantown, Chazy, and Black River Groups. Hatch Point, at the northern tip of the peninsula, is composed of Mississippian-aged
Canajoharie Shale, which lies unconformably above the older rocks.
Willsboro Bay is likely a graben structure. Rocks along the railroad are Precambrian marbles and anorthosites (see MP 85 above).
98 Along the tracks is a wollastanite ore processing facility. Wollastanite is used in the manufacture of ceramics, china, and
paint.
98.5 Cross Bouquet River. The town of Willsboro is visible to the left
(southbound). Willsboro was named after William Gilliland (the “boro” is an old English term for a town). Willsboro is
also the site of British General John Burgoyne’s June 20-25, 1777, encampment, where he stayed prior to the capture of Fort Ticonderoga
(see MP 139.5 below)
102 Essex Station. The town of Essex is 2 miles east
of the railroad, on the lake. The name of the town is the same as the name of the county. The entire town of Essex is
on the National Register of Historic Places, due to its numerous pre-Civil War structures. The Lake Champlain Ferry runs from
Essex across the lake to Charlotte, Vermont.
105 Whallonsburg. This town
was named after the Whallon family, the founders of the town. In Whallonsburg, we cross the Bouquet River again. The hills to
the right (southbound) are composed of Potsdam Sandstone (?).
108 Coon Mountain,
on the left (southbound), is composed of block-faulted Ordovician-aged Beekmantown and Chazy Limestones. Approximately 0.5 mile
west of the railroad is the town of Wadhams
110 The hills on either side of the
railroad are now composed of Precambrian-aged anorthosite and metamorphic rocks of the Adirondack Mountains.
111.5 WESTPORT station, U.S. 9 North and Ledge Hill Road. Elevation approximately 260. This town was so named after its location
on the western shore of Lake Champlain. This is a resort town on Lake Champlain, and is well known for its annual bass fishing
tournaments, as well as being the “ice fishing capital of Essex County.”. The town was founded by William Gilliland, who also
founded the town of Willsboro (see MP 98.5 above). Gilliland originally wanted to name the community “Bessboro,” after his wife. The town was established in 1815 as part of Elizabethtown.
Westport is also known as the birthplace of the “Adirondack chair,” and is the home of Nathan Myrick, who founded the city of LaCrosse,
Wisconsin. Westport is the home of the Depot Theatre, a summer stock theatre which is located in an old freight depot.
112.5 Smith Hill, visible to the west (right if southbound), is composed of Precambrian anorthosite and metamorphic rocks.
115 The railroad is more-or-less following one of the major Precambrian-Paleozoic fault traces in this area, with Precambrian rocks being
visible to the west (right if southbound), and eroded Paleozoic (Cambrian-Ordovician age) sedimentary rocks and metasedimentary rocks
on the east (left if southbound).
118 As we round the bend here, note the abundance
of summer homes on Lake Champlain on the right (southbound). We are continuing to follow the fault trace which separates the
Precambrian-aged Adirondack Mountains rocks on the west from the Cambrian and Ordovician-aged sedimentary rocks on the east.
120 Precambrian metamorphic rocks make up the cliffs in the railroad cuts on the right (southbound) here.
121 The railroad cuts to the right (southbound) expose Precambrian-aged metagabbro overlain by gneiss. Magnetite has been mined
from one of the thin lenses within the gneiss.
As your train crosses the fill over Craig Harbor, one of the many block-fault scarps characteristic of this area can be seen. Above this fault, ion the upthrown side, is the Precambrian strata mentioned above. The rocks at the south end of the
causeway consist of the Whitehall Dolostone, a member of the Ordovician Beekmantown group, which we have seen previously. This
formation overlies the Cambrian-Ordovician Potsdam Sandstone, which we have also seen previously.
121.5 At this location, according to McHone (1987), another of the many block faults in the area is exposed on the right (southbound). This fault separates the Whitehall Dolostone from the Cambrian Ticonderoga Dolostone, a Cambrian formation which also overlies the
Potsdam Sandstone.
122.5 PORT HENRY station, 20 Park Place. Elevation approximately 110. Port Henry is located within the Adirondack State Park. Note the likeness of “Champ,” the local equivalent of the Loch Ness
Monster, adorning the weathervane in the park adjacent to the station. Port Henry was incorporated in 1869, and named after
Henry Dalliba, the son of James Dalliba. The elder Dalliba was responsible for establishing the port on Lake Champlain here. Originally, the area was set aside as a tract of land for veterans of the 1754-1763 French and Indian War.
By the close of the 19th Century, Port Henry was an important smelt fishing area. It is also known for its good ice fishing
in the winter.
125.5 The southern end of Bulwagga Bay, which separates the Crown Point Peninsula
from the mainland, is visible on the left (southbound).
128 We have crossed the
end of the Crown Point Peninsula. The flat topography between the railroad and the hills to the west (right if southbound) is
underlain by glacial lake sediments from glacial Lake Vermont.
130 Crown Point. This town was established in 1786, and its modern settlement began around 1800, with many settlers from Vermont. In 1776, after
the failed American invasion of Canada during the Revolutionary War, Crown Point was the northernmost city under American control. In 1777, British General John Burgoyne organized a supply convoy here for his July 6, 1777, capture of Fort Ticonderoga (see MP 138
below).
During the American Revolution,
nearby Forts St. Frederic and Crown Point were built by the French and the British
132 The mountains to the west (right if southbound) are located on the eastern edge of yet another upthrown fault block, and consist of
Precambrian gneisses, marbles, and metamorphosed rocks.
134 Your train has again
curved away from the fault scarp marking the boundary between the Precambrian and Cambrian-Ordovician aged sedimentary rocks, and
we are now traversing mostly glacial deposits laid down in glacial Lake Vermont.
135 Ticonderoga Airport is visible to the west (right if southbound).
137.5 TICONDEROGA station, Highway
74 and Sandy Redoubt. Elevation approximately 113. The town of Ticonderoga is located approximately 1.5 miles west of
the station, on Highway 74. A short distance east of the station, one an catch a ferry to Larrabees Point, Vermont, across the
now quite narrow Lake Champlain. The name Ticonderoga is derived from the Indian word “chigonderoga,” which means “between lakes,”
and refers to the location of the settlement between Lake Champlain on the east and Lake George on the west. See MP 138, immediately
below, for a description of Fort Ticonderoga.
138 Just southeast of the railroad
is the restored Fort Ticonderoga, which was a very important location during the American Revolution. It was built by the French
in 1755 and originally named Fort Carillon. In 1758, it was successfully defended against the British, but recaptured by the
British in 1759. It was then taken by the Americans under the command of Benedict Arnold, Ethan Allen, and the Green Mountain
Boys in a bloodless battle against the British, but was yet again captured by the British in 1777 under General John Burgoyne. The fort was later abandoned and burned in the same year, and general Burgoyne headed south to the more decisive Battle of Saratoga
(see MP 201.5 below). The fort has since been restored to the original French specifications, in modern times. The Fort
Ticonderoga Museum now contains collections of utensils and other memorabilia from the Colonial and Revolutionary War Periods, as
well as uniformed interpreters. Cruises on Lake Champlain are available from the fort on the MV Carillon.
138.5 Cross the LaChute River (also called Ticonderoga Creek), the only outlet for 33-mile long Lake George, which is located a few miles
inland. Lake George is another graben (see MP 92 above), which is bounded by block faults which developed during the Taconic
Orogeny.
139.5 The looming mass of rock on the right (southbound) is Mount Defiance, from where,
in 1777, British cannon fire forced the surrender of Fort Ticonderoga from the Americans to the British (see MP 138 above).
The northern end of Mount Defiance is marked by a 700-ft block fault scarp which separates the Precambrian gneisses and other metamorphic
rocks of Mount Defiance from the Ordovician-aged Chazy, Beekmantown, and Black River-Trenton Groups of sedimentary rocks, which are
exposed between the mountain and the town of Ticonderoga.
141 Enter WASHINGTON
County, which was established in 1772 and named after George Washington. The county seat is Hudson Falls.
144 The mountains to the east (left if southbound, in Vermont at this location) mark the northern end of the Taconic klippe, a very complex
geologic structure which we will be traversing for much of the rest of the route into New York City. The Taconic klippe contains
very strongly deformed metamorphic rocks which have been moved from their original location, to the east, to a location further west. The rocks of the Taconic klippe have moved this way through a complex series of thrust faults (see MP 47 above), during the Ordovician
Taconian (Taconic) orogeny (see MP 47 above), and are often known collectively as the Taconic Mountains.
145 Hutton Hill, to the west (right if southbound) is composed of Potsdam Sandstone (?) and overlying Ordovician sedimentary rocks (?).
:147 Pass through Putnam Station, named after Revolutionary War hero Israel Putnam, who fought at both Lexington and Concord. The
small town of Putnam is located approximately 1.5 miles northwest of the railroad. Exposures of flat-lying Potsdam Sandstone should
be visible in this area.
150 The railroad and adjacent Highway 22 are still following
the general trend of the Champlain Thrust Fault, which separates the Precambrian metamorphic rocks on the west (right if southbound)
from the flat-lying Cambrian-Ordovician aged Potsdam Sandstone on the east (left if southbound)
152 Pass through Dresden. Lake Champlain is not much more than a river at this point, and across the “lake” is the State of Vermont.
155 Across Lake Champlain, in Vermont, strongly deformed metamorphosed rocks of the Taconic klippe are seen overlying Ordovician Beekmantown
Limestone and associated formations.
158.5 Cross South Bay, which is another downfaulted graben
structure. We are now following the water feature known as “Head of Lake Champlain.” Austin Hill, on the left (southbound)
across the lake, is composed of Potsdam Sandstone and Ordovician-aged Beekmantown Limestone (?).
160 On the left (southbound), the water body known as East Bay flows into the Head of Lake Champlain. The New York-Vermont state
line follows this body of water away from the railroad.
161 WHITEHALL station,
Main and Saunders Streets. Elevation approximately 125. The town was named after Revolutionary War officers Colonel White
and Major Hall, reportedly. The town was established in 1759 by Captain Philip Skene and other British families, and was originally
named Skenesborough. Skene Mountain, on the left, bears the name of the first settlers. Notice the mansion above town
on Skene Mountain. This mansion was built in 1875 as a home for the New York State Supreme Court Judge. The town’s name
was changed after the Revolutionary War. The town is the home of the Skenesborough Museum. The hull of the wrecked USS
Ticonderoga, raised from lake Champlain, is ;located on museum property.
Whitehall is often known as the “birthplace of the U.S. Navy.” It was at this location that Benedict Arnold assembled a flotilla to
fight the British at the Battle of Valcour Island during the Revolutionary War.
The railroad line and Highway 22 are still following the trace of a branch of the Champlain Thrust fault; therefore, Skene Mountain,
east of the railroad (left if southbound), is composed of Ordovician Beekmantown Dolomite and related formations, while the hills
to the west (right if southbound) are composed of Precambrian metamorphic rocks.
162 Between here and Comstock, we will be following the Champlain Canal, a 60-mile man-made channel which connects Lake Champlain to the
Hudson River. The Canal was begun 1817, and completed in 1823, and today is part of the New York State Canal System.
Along the canal, we are traversing a relatively flat area which is the southernmost part of glacial Lake Vermont (see MP 47 above).
163 Tub Mountain, on the left (southbound) is also composed of Ordovician-aged sedimentary rocks.
166 Rocks exposed in the hills on the right (southbound) are Precambrian-aged metamorphic rocks.
168 Pass through Comstock, with the Great Meadows Prison visible on the left (southbound). The town of Comstock was named after
an early settler, John Comstock.
Between
here and New York City, we will be traversing primarily the Taconic Mountains, which consist of the Taconic klippe structure (see
MP144 above). Between here and Glens Falls, the Precambrian rocks of the Adirondack Mountains will still be visible to the west
(right if southbound).
171.5 We are now possibly entering another small graben structure, which
is underlain by block faulted Cambrian-Ordovician Potsdam Sandstone.
172 Fort
Ann. This town was named in honor of Queen Anne of England; however, the final “e” was dropped in 1808. Queen Anne was
the daughter of King George II. On July 8, 1777, the Revolutionary War Battle of Fort Anne took place here, between forces led
by American General Arthur St. Clair and forces led by British General John Burgoyne. The battle lasted about 2 hours. After the battle, in 1784, the town was known as Westfield, but renamed in 1808.
179 The “old Champlain Canal” is parallel to the railroad on the west (right if southbound); however, the primary canal we are following
on the right is the modern Champlain Canal.
180.5 Dunham Basin. To the right (southbound)
can be seen the city of Hudson Falls. The town was originally known as the Village of Sandy Hill. The current name came
about in 1910. Marble quarried from the nearby Precambrian rocks was used to make the Bennington Battle Monument in Vermont.
The Cambrian and Ordovician sedimentary rocks in this area are relatively flat-lying and undeformed; however, just east of the area
is the edge of the Taconic klippe, which contains very strongly deformed rocks.
183.5 FORT EDWARD-GLENS
FALLS station, 70 East Street, Fort Edward. Elevation approximately 146. This town was named in honor of Edward, Duke
of York, the son of King George II of England. The fort was constructed during the French and Indian War, 1754-1763. In
1825, a lock was constructed on the Champlain Canal to allow trade between the Hudson River and Lake Champlain and the Northeast,
through the Champlain Canal. Fort Edward is the home of the 1772 Old Fort House Museum, which was a tavern during the Revolutionary
War, and also the headquarters for American General Philip Schuyler and British General John Burgoyne,
This station is also the AMTRAK station for nearby Glens Falls, which is located approximately 3 miles northwest of the station. Glens Falls was part of a 1759 land grant settlement which developed around a 60-ft waterfall on the Hudson River. In 1780,
Glens Falls was destroyed by the British, but was rebuilt in 1788 by American John Glen. Glens Falls is the home of the Chapman
Historical Museum, which contains exhibits documenting the history of the southern Adirondack Mountains. Also in Glen falls,
you can embark on a hot-air balloon ride over the nearby mountains!