The French thumbed their nose at the treaty ending Queen Anne's War and built this stronghold (1734-1737) on the southern shore of Lake Champlain. Securing this location would both prevent the British from settling the area and trading along this waterway, which continues south to the Hudson Valley then onto New York. In the fall of 1755, the French began building a new fort further south named Carillon (now Ticonderoga), completed in 1758. After four attempts by the British over the years to capture the French forts, in July 1759, the over 12,000 British made their way towards Carillon from the south. The French were outnumbered and rather than allow a capture, put a plan into action. They set fire to Carillon and then placed explosive charges in the citadel and windmill at St. Frederic. Both were destroyed by French hands as they retreated north to safety in Canada.
This cache has been placed as part of the 2019 New York State Saratoga/Capital District Regional Geocache Challenge. The stamp inside this cache is part of the game, and it is not a trade item – please do not take the stamp. There are 72 geocaches hidden within 18 state parks and historic sites in this park region, and geocachers finding 45 or more will be eligible to receive a 2019 Moreau Lake State Park commemorative and trackable geocoin. If you are interested in taking the challenge, you can pick up a geocache passport at any of the participating parks and sites or download it at www.nysparks.com.