CHAMPLAIN was formed March 7, 1788. Chateaugay (Franklin County) was taken off in 1799, and Mooers and Chazy in 1804. It is the north-east corner town of the County and lies upon Lake Champlain. Its surface is generally level with a slight inclination towards the lake. The Great Chazy or Champlain River flows in a winding course, nearly twice through the town and discharges its waters into King's Bay. It is navigable to Champlain village for vessels of light draught. Corbeau Creek, its tributary, is the other principal stream. Point an Fer (Fire Point) and Stony Point are two capes projecting into the lake. The soil is a clay or clay loam. Champlain Village, upon the Chazy River, near the north line of the town, is the seat of the Champlain Academy, two foundries, one of them for the manufactory of car wheels, a linen factory, planNing mill, carriage factory, several stores and an excellent hotel.  

It is an important station on the O. R R. A large amount of lumber carried east by the O. R. R. is shipped here. Perry's Mills (P. O.) is a lumbering station upon the Chazy in the north-west corner of the town. Rouses Point, named from Jacques Rouse, a Canadian who setYled here in 1783, is upon the lake in the north-east corner of the town, it contains three churches, a brewery, and extensive depots and repair shops, belonging to the Ogdensburgh R. R. It is divided into the Upper and Lower villages, the latter being the largest. This village has grown to importance since the completion of the Rail Road. The passenger and freight Depots are among the largest structures of the kind in the State. The east end of the Depot building and the upper part of the same building were for several years, occupied as a Hotel, but it has been discontinued of late, the east end being now occupied as Offices of the R. R. Express, and Telegraph Companies. A railroad bridge a mile long with a floating draw of 300 feet opened and shut by steam crosses the lake to Vermont. Fort Montgomery is situated about one mile north of the village upon the banks of the lake. This fort commands the entrance to the lake. The fort has been building since 1814 or 15, but is not finished yet. The work was pushed vigorously the past year, and no doubt will soon be completed. The Champlain and St. Lawrence R. R. Co. (Canadian) erected at great expense a pile bridge of a mile in length between the Lower and Upper village, and at the latter place built a large and expensive depot and wharfs, but the experiment proved a failure for the greater share of the carrying trade tended towards the O. R. R. depot,-after a short time their improvements were abandoned, and they now occupy the O. R. R. Depot.

Coopersville or Corbeau, is a small village upon Chazy River, opposite the mouth of Corbeau Creek. The first English settler was Pliny Moore, who came into town in 1789. It has an area of 29,827 acres.

Referenced by:  http:history.rays-place.com