Vermont: French Vermont

The first European known to have entered the area that is now Vermont was Samuel de Champlain, who, after beginning the colonization of Quebec, journeyed south with a Huron war party in 1609 to the beautiful lake to which he gave his name. The French did not attempt any permanent settlement until 1666, when they built a fort and a shrine to Ste Anne on the Isle La Motte in Lake Champlain. However, this and later French settlements were abandoned, and until well into the 18th cent. the region was something of a no-man's-land.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• The Changing Economy of Vermont
• The Mexican and Civil Wars
• Statehood, at Last
• The American Revolution and Independent Vermont
• Benning Wentworth and the New Hampshire Grants
• French Vermont
• Government, Politics, and Higher Education
• Economy
• Geography
• Facts and Figures

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