For other bodies of water with the same name, see Lake George.

Lake George is a long narrow lake at the southeast base of the Adirondack Mountains, northern New York, USA. The lake extends about 52 kilometers on a north-south axis and varies for 1.5 to 5 km in width.

Lake George drains into Lake Champlain to its north through a short stream (La Chute River) with many falls and rapids, dropping about 50 meters in its 4 km course. Ultimately the water flows into the St. Lawrence River and then into the Atlantic Ocean.

The original name in Iroquois was said to be Andiatarocte, the lake shut in and was named by the French Lac du Saint Sacremente, (Lake of the Holy Sacrament).

The Village of Lake George is located on the south end of Lake George and the Community of Ticonderoga is at the northern end.

History

The first European visitor to the area, Samuel de Champlain, noted the lake his journal on July 3, 1609, but never named it. In 1646 the missionary Isaac Jogues named it Lac du Saint-Sacrement, and the exit stream as the river La Chute.

On August 28, 1755, Sir William Johnson led British colonial forces to occupy the area in the French and Indian War. He renamed the lake as Lake George for King George and built a protecting fortification at its southern end. The fort was named for the king's son as Fort William Henry.

In September, the French responded by beginning construction of Fort Carillon, later called Fort Ticonderoga, on a point where La Chute enters Lake Champlain. These fortifications controlled the easy water route between Canada and Colonial New York.