Lake Champlain: Carrying On The Tradition Of Working Boats
Lucas Campbell keeps his landing craft docked at Burton Island State Park for much of the summer. Photo by Henry Epp for VPR
Lake Champlain has a long history as a commercial waterway. In the 1800s, it was a crowded passage for boats hauling lumber and other goods between New York City and Montreal and points in between.
Much of that industry is long gone, but there’s still some work on the lake for those who want it.
Twenty-eight-year-old Lucas Campbell runs Green Mountain Marine Services, a marine construction company. He has a fleet of boats and trucks and cranes that can take on jobs in remote parts of Lake Champlain — but it’s his biggest boat that really stands out.
“It’s an old military-style landing craft, like storming the beaches of Normandy,” Campbell said. “It’s from 1952. Some people call it a barge. Technically it’s a landing craft because it’s self-propelled.”
On a muggy August morning, the landing craft was docked at Burton Island State Park. Campbell and I clambered up to the wheelhouse in the back of the boat.
“Climb on up. Make yourself at home,” he told me. “There’s a, well, there’s a bench there, and that’s about it for amenities.”
Campbell has a deal worked out with the Vermont State Parks to take trash, recycling and other waste off Burton Island, which isn’t accessible by car. On the day I spent with Campbell, a truck full of recycling was loaded onto his boat.
We then headed out to another island to drop off the truck. Campbell told me there’s really only one other boat like this on the lake. It’s owned by the Lake Champlain Transportation Company, which operates the ferries, so there’s some demand for his boat.