Crystal Lake is near the village of Barton in

Orleans County, Vermont Orleans County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,393. Its county seat is the city of Newport. The county was created in 1792 and organized in 1799. As in ...

. It is a

glacial A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate betwe ...

lake and deep in places. Route 5 runs along the lake's western shore. Crystal Lake is in the northeast section of the state of Vermont. The lake is owned by the state and managed by the Department of Environmental Conservation. Exotic species infestations are a concern, with an existing Eurasian water milfoil population, which is being addressed. The lake is a coldwater fishery. Lake trout are native and the current population is wild. There are rainbow trout (wild and stocked), yellow perch, smallmouth bass, rock bass, pumpkinseed, chain pickerel, longnose suckers, white suckers, and various minnow species.

History

Rogers' Rangers Rogers' Rangers was a company of soldiers from the Province of New Hampshire raised by Major Robert Rogers and attached to the British Army during the Seven Years' War (French and Indian War). The unit was quickly adopted into the British army ...

were forced to retreat through the area following their attack on Saint-Francis, Quebec in 1759. The fleeing rangers split up before getting to Barton. One group followed the Barton River south to the falls at the outlet of Crystal Lake where they were able to catch fish. From there, they continued south over the summit into the Passumpsic River Valley. In the 19th century, the lake was sometimes called "Belle Pond." Construction on a dam to enhance and control the lake was completed in 1860. It consists of concrete, stone, and masonry. The core is concrete. The foundation is rock, and soil. The height is by long. Maximum discharge is per second. The capacity is . Normal storage is . It drains an area of . Around 1900, a granite quarry was located on the east side of the lake. Steamboats barged stone across to the west side. The lake has two parks at the north end. The State Park started by the CCC during the depression but not completed until the 1940s. It is at the northwestern edge. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

August 30, 2005. Adjacent to the state park, at the northeastern end, is Pageant Park, the Barton, Vermont town park.

History

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