Visit the Champlain in America Website
- The Story
- Education/Lesson Plans
- View Premiere Photos and Video
- In the Footsteps of Champlain
- Ordering the Dead Reckoning DVD
- Support This Documentary
- Add Your Comments About Dead Reckoning
The Story
Throughout Canada Samuel de Champlain is a national hero: the “Father of French America,” the founder of Quebec, a brave explorer, expert cartographer and a visionary who worked tirelessly to create a self-sustaining European settlement in North America.
Dead Reckoning ~ Champlain in America is the story of a man who failed to find a northwest passage to China, but instead laid the foundation for a multicultural nation in North America.
The public premieres of this high-definition media project took place in Plattsburgh, NY on November 17, 2009, the Huxley Theater, NY State Museum, Albany, NY on November 24, and at Concordia University, Montreal, QC on December 1, 2009. The television broadcast premiered December 6, 2009. Currently Mountain Lake PBS is working with PBS National to air the show on stations across the U.S. during 2010.
Education/Lesson Plans
In consultation with Canadian and American scholars, Mountain Lake PBS created educational content that meets curriculum and K-12 pedagogical needs.
Interactive lesson plans and supportive web-based content suitable for a number of educational outlets includes: Thinkfiniti, which includes thousands of lesson plans that conform to K-12 core curriculum standards, and EdVideo Online, a web-based education service made available free of charge by New York state PBS stations.
View Photos and Video from the Premieres
Comments from audience viewers:
"I just wanted to congratulate you both again on a wonderful showing this morning! It was a joy to see the project come to life and my students had nothing but great things to say about the day. I especially liked Frank's answer today to the question: "Did you ever feel like giving up?" The answer included a lot of the character education strands that we try to instill: appreciate your own work so far and the work of others and strive to finish what you start to the best of your ability—despite any and all setbacks. I took a look at the web site, and I must say it rocks! It is one of the best I have ever seen anywhere. In fact, I booked the computer lab for my students tomorrow (Wednesday) so we can explore as a class ... Thank you again for including me in this project. I am so proud to be able to have my name associated with such a high quality, professional product." Julia Miller, Peru High School, NY
"I just wanted to thank you and Mountain Lake PBS for giving our students the opportunity to see the premiere of Dead Reckoning. The students (and staff) had a great time! I thought everything went very smoothly, and I appreciate you giving us such accurate times and such a nice theater. Without the support of PBS, our students may have missed a wonderful opportunity that couldn't have come at a better time for us in 7th grade social studies since we are studying early colonization at this time. Thanks so much again!" Kathy Bellows
The Plattsburgh premiere on November 17 was a great success! 400 school children attended the morning show, and 200 + attended the evening event. Look at our photo gallery, and watch a short video interview of a premiere guest.
Below are two interviews of audience members from the Albany premiere of Dead Reckoning, which was held at the New York State Museum Huxley Theater. Bill Owens, newly elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, gave a speech about his support for public television. Students from Albany schools attended also.
Below are four interviews of audience members from the Montreal, QC premiere of Dead Reckoning, which was held at Concordia University.
In the Footsteps of Champlain
Mountain Lake Journal Host Thom Hallock interviews Frank Christopher, producer of Dead Reckoning~Champlain in America. Frank discusses the creative process for this production.
Ordering Dead Reckoning DVDs
Mountain Lake PBS will be offering the Dead Reckoning DVD for sale after our documentary is aired nationally on PBS. It will be available in late winter of 2010. Until then, get your name on our mailing list to stay updated about the release date.
Submit your name and email address on our Contact Us form. Select "Other" in the drop down box, and add a comment about your interest in the Dead Reckoning DVD.
Support This Documentary
By supporting the PBS broadcast of Dead Reckoning ~ Champlain in America, your organization will be linked with this high-quality media project in the minds of millions of television viewers, students and tourists. Each underwriter will receive on-air credit at the beginning and end of the national PBS broadcast, and on every media platform in which the program is distributed. In addition, underwriters will be recognized on all communications materials and project Websites.
Join us in celebrating the story of Samuel de Champlain on PBS. For more information about how you can provide underwriting for Dead Reckoning ~ Champlain in America, please Contact Us.
