 The lake's northern tip at Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec (known as St. John in colonial times under British rule), is a short distance from Montreal, Quebec.The southern tip at Whitehall (Skenesborough in revolutionary times) is a short distance from Saratoga, Glens Falls, and Albany, New York.Forts were built at Ticonderoga and Crown Point (Fort St. Frederic) to control passage on the lake in colonial times.