Isle La Motte in Grand Isle County, Vermont — The American Northeast (New England)

A Place Of Pilgrimage

Photographed by Joe Harness, July 17, 2011

1. A Place Of Pilgrimage Marker

Inscription. Many centuries before Samuel de Champlain's July 1609 landfall, Isle La Mottte had been a meeting place for the lake's neighboring native peoples. The Wonbanakiak on the eastern shore called the land Bitawbagw, or "the waters between," while the Iroquois (Mohawk) of the western shore knew it as Caniaderiguarunte, the "gateway to the country."

In 1666, French captain Pierre de Saint Paul, Sieur de la Motte, was detailed with 300 men to construct a fort on this site, for defense against the English and Iroquois. Upon completion, the fort was blessed and dedicated to Saint Anne. In their wake, the soil here has been trod by many a landing party, but few have stayed very long. Generations of pilgrims have left only a handful of relics in the earth, but they have filled the air with prayer and memories.

"I remember." "Je me souviens." "Nemikwaldamnana." The landing is a shrine to memory, whose "remains" live deep within each of us. Landings are always a meeting ground of the known and the unknown. Standing here at this landing, poised for the 400th anniversary of Champlain's pilgrimage, what new acts of remembering will we perform.

Erected by Lake Champlain Historic Landings Heritage Trail.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era

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• Exploration • Forts and Castles • Indigenous Peoples and Communities. A significant historical year for this entry is 1609.

Location. 44° 54.016′ N, 73° 20.891′ W. Marker is in Isle La Motte, Vermont, in Grand Isle County. It is on West Shore Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1011 Shrine Rd, Isle La Motte VT 05463, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Vermont’s Champlain Valley.

It is also in the American Northeast

and in New England.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Site of French Fort Ste. Anne (a few steps from this marker); Samuel de Champlain Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); Col. Seth Warner and Capt. Remember Baker (approx. 0.2 miles away); Sweet's Ferry (approx. 1.2 miles away); Captain Remember Baker (approx. 1.4 miles away); Isle La Motte (approx. 1.4 miles away); Gen Burgoyne (approx. 1.6 miles away in New York); Sept. 11, 1814 (approx. 1.7 miles away in New York). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Isle La Motte.

Additional keywords. Spiritual, religious.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on November 10, 2011, by Joe Harness of Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 904 times since then and 14 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on November 10, 2011, by Joe Harness of Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.