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 On the bluff, beyond the Reid cottage and just past "the cut", George Foote of Charlotte in 1896 built a very large cottage which was sold to E.C. Orvis of Manchester, VT, in 1905, and then to Leroy A. Van Bomel of New york in 1919, who expanded it considerably. Roy was the moving spirit behind the formation of the Country Club at its present location in 1921-1922. prior to that tennis enthusiasts had enjoyed their game on the court which is now behind the (then Fuller) Moore-Rixford cottages. He became president of a huge New York City milk firm, which took much of his time. After he personally stopped coming to the Point, his mother occupied the camp for many years.
The cottage and the properties were sold in 1942 to Mr. Bond E. Davis of Burlington, and by him in 1959 to the Rev Charles A. Barton and Jane Barton of New York, and later, Atlanta. The Barton's added access stairs and a dock in the deep gorge. The houses were inherited by the Bartons' four children Martha Barton-Rivera, Carol Barton, Stewart Barton, and Susan Lee Barton, after Jane died in 1994. In 1995 the four formed a Partnership, "Lookout Lodge, Ltd" to maintain both houses.
From the days of its earliest history, Lake Champlain has been rumored to be home to a mysterious monster of the deep. Numerous sightings were recorded by natives and visitors alike through the years, and the discovery of the famous Charlotte Fossil Whale in the 19th century lent a certain amount of credence to the belief that monsters did indeed lurk in the lake's depths.
In the early 1990's a group of youngsters enjoying the lake in "the cut" between Reids' and Bartons' spotted something out in the main lake which they believed to be "Champ", the name by which the elusive creature is known. There were several reported sightings that year, and in 1993 "Champ" became the object of an international search effort.
Scientists from Japan came to the area and set up permanent surveillance cameras at a number of spots, including inside the Thompson's Point Associations' pumphouse. In addition to the stationary cameras, the teams made several searches of the lake using boats following a grid search pattern.
It was never revealed what, if anything, they observed, and the mystery of "Champ" continues to be unsolved.
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