Vermont, The Green Mountain State

by Sandra Merville Hart

Vermont’s nickname is the Green Mountain State. In 1609, Samuel Champlain, French explorer, named Lake Champlain. He claimed the lake and les Verts Monts (the Green Mountains) in the distance as belonging to France.

The early history of Vermont

Vermont was not one of the original 13 colonies. Both New York and New Hampshire in the mid-1700s claimed the area. New York granted the land to settler families at the same time that New Hampshire gave the same land to someone else. This caused lots of arguments. New York received support from the British government that they were in the right.

Those with New Hampshire didn’t give up. They formed the Green Mountain Boys to force the New York families out.

Vermont Republic

Vermont wrote a constitution and became the Vermont Republic on June 30, 1777. Its constitution outlawed slavery.

Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys joined the other colonies in fighting the British.

Vermont becomes a state

Vermont ceased to be an independent republic on March 4, 1791, when it became the 14^th state.

Middlebury Female Seminary

Emma Willard opened Middlebury Female Seminary in 1814, allowing women an opportunity for higher education.

Green Mountains

Green Mountains extend through the middle of Vermont. The scenic mountains are a popular tourist attraction for skiing.

The Green Mountain National Forest protects the beautiful trees inside—beech, birch, spruce, and maple trees.

Maple syrup

Vermont is known for its delicious maple syrup. It can take 35-40 gallons of maple sap to make 1 gallon of maple syrup.

Vermont produces more maple syrup than any other state.

No two snowflakes are alike

In 1885, Photographer Wilson A. Bentley figured out to photograph a snowflake. By photographing 5,000 snowflakes, he proved that no two are alike!

Other fun facts about Vermont

Head to St. Albans in April for the Vermont Maple Festival.

See a large collection of puppets at the Bread & Puppet Museum in Glover.

Vermont has over 100 covered bridges.

The state capital is Montpelier.

The state bird is the hermit thrush.

The state flower is the red clover.

 

Sources

50 States Our America: Time for Kids, Time Inc. Books, 2017.

Balkan, Gabrielle. The 50 States, Wide Eyed Editions, 2015.

Cheney, Lynne. Our 50 States: A Family Adventure Across America, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2006.

Davis, Kenneth C. Don’t Know Much About The 50 States, HarperCollins Publishers, 2001.

Fast Facts About the 50 States. Children’s Press, 2010.

“Green Mountains,” Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2019/01/13 https://www.britannica.com/place/Green-Mountains.

Keenan, Sheila. Greetings from the 50 States, Scholastic Inc., 2008.