This cache is part of the Vermont 251 Plus 4 Geocaching club, an attempt to bring caches to each and every town,city and gore in the state of Vermont!
Isle La Motte Facts
Grand Isle County
Chartered: October 27, 1779 Vermont Charter)
Area: 11,803 Acres = 18.44 Square Miles [ Size Rank: 230* ]
Coordinates (Geographic Center): 73°29''W 44°53'N
Altitude: 210 feet ASL
Population (US Census, 2000): 488 [ Population Rank: 212* ]
Population Density (persons per square mile): 26.5 [ Density Rank: 156* ]
Tax Rates (2006): Homestead $1.3796; NonResidential $1.2756
*Area, Population and Density rankings above refer to Isle La Motte's relative position among Vermont's 255 civic entities (9 cities, 242 towns, 4 gores and grants).
Complete rankings are here.
Isle La Mote is one of four towns comprising Vermont's "Lake Champlain Islands."
Isle La Motte, the northernmost and most remote of the Champlain Islands, is 7 miles long by 2 miles wide, and lies close to where Lake Champlain empties into the Richelieu River. It is the place where Samuel de Champlain first landed, in 1609, on the lake that now bears his name. Isle La Motte’s European settlement history goes back to the 17th century. A French fort was built in 1666 on the site that is now St. Anne’s Shrine. The island gets its name from the builder of the fort, Pierre de la Motte. As early as 1832 Fisk Quarry exported a beautiful dark limestone called black marble to cities in the south, and this fossil-laden rock can be found in the U.S. Capitol building and the National Gallery of Art. In the mid 1800’s orchards, vineyards and dairy farms flourished on the island, which was then connected to the mainland by ferry during the warmer months and by foot or wagon over the ice in winter. In 1878 the town was incorporated for the sole purpose of building a bridge to Alburgh, and the bridge was completed in 1882.
About 500 residents call the island home year-round. This number swells many times over in the summer months when the beauty of the island and access to the lake attract many vacationers, bikers and part-time residents. St. Anne’s Shrine brings in tourists from both VT and Canada, and the newly opened Goodsell Ridge Preserve is a mecca for scientists and others interested in the unique geology of the island.
About the cache
The cache is now a micro container. It is winter friendly and should be available at any time of year.
Located in this cache are two code numbers. These numbers are needed to find the cache This is Vermont: Grand Isle County.