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Champlain has a rich history shaped by war, the Canadian border, and the French ancestry of many of its residents.
Founded in 1788, it was originally surveyed by renowned French colonist and explorer, Samuel de Champlain, for whom the town is named. The Great Chazy River runs through the heart of Champlain, making it an inviting location for early settlers on the Northern frontier. Once known for a graceful main street lined with stately elms, it was primarily an agricultural community with other supporting industries, including one of the country's first ski manufacturers, a boatyard, and iron and metalworking factories; such a peaceful image belies the bloody past of Champlain, as it was on the front lines for the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and even the Civil War.Champlainchronicles the town and village through images of its homes, businesses, churches, and people of the past century and a half.