Vermont Waters: Maritime History and Aquatic Culture of the Champlain Valley

Vermont has a rich maritime history and a diversity of aquatic cultural traditions. Lake Champlain was once a watery superhighway between New York and Montreal. The state fossil is a Beluga whale skeleton from the Pleistocene. The first American woman to be licensed as a master mariner was Philomena Daniels of Vergennes. The “Flatiron skiffs” of Lake Dunmore attest to the region’s lively recreational history. In this course we will read works of environmental, cultural, and material history, as well as works of fiction by environmental novelists, that focus on the waters of Vermont. We will also collaborate with local community partners in studying material artifacts, oral history, and photographs that document Vermont’s aquatic culture. We will also contribute to its material culture by building a canoe and a skiff with local craftsmen. The reward for the students is a deeper understanding of the history and complexity of their environment and the chance to work with neighbors.