In Burlington Volume II, authors Mary Ann DiSpirito
and David Robinson continue the detailed look at
this intriguing Vermont city. Discovered by Samuel de
Champlain in 1609, the next few centuries saw Burlington evolve from a
wilderness to a small settlement, and eventually, flourish into
Vermont's largest city. Situated on the shores of Lake Champlain,
Burlington's waterfront area became the early center of commerce in the
late eighteenth century with the rise of the lumber industry and the use
of ships for transport. By 1865, when Burlington was incorporated as a
city, the industries that
profoundly shaped Burlington's personality were already well
established--these included lumber, textiles, shipping, and the
railroad, as well as higher education.