Lakes to Locks Passage connects the historic waters of Lake Champlain and Lake George with the Champlain Canal and Hudson River to the south and the Chambly Canal to the Richelieu and St. Lawrence Rivers of Quebec to the north through four regions shaped by natural forces and Native peoples, conflict and settlement, commerce, and tourism. In Peru, early settlers reportedly named the town in 1795 because the surrounding mountains resembled those of Peru in South America. Quakers established a settlement called The Union in 1789 near the present Keese Homestead and Quaker Cemetery on what is now Union Rd., and these Friends, mainly farmers from Dutchess County, N.Y., and previously England, helped give Peru a strong Quaker heritage. In the mid-19th century, that heritage and Peru's location on an easily navigable waterway made the town a center of abolitionist activity, where many residents illegally sheltered fugitive slaves and aided their journey across the Canadian border. Peru's first industry was timber harvesting, and John Cochran founded the Village of Peru about 1795 by building a house, sawmill, gristmill, and a house for his miller on the Little AuSable River. On this site, A. Mason and Sons Lumber Mill prospered from 1883 to 1972, specializing in finished lumber and serving as the town's largest employer for most of that time. After the timberlands were cleared, rich soil supported agriculture that continues in dairy farms and extensive apple orchards. Peru's lake access now supports recreation, while the AuSable River and Little AuSable River join at the AuSable Marsh Wildlife Management Area to form a broad marsh known for migrating birds and outdoor activities. Other nearby places of interest include Valcour Island State Park, with its 1874 lighthouse decommissioned in 1931; Macomb Reservation State Park; the Babbie Rural and Farm Learning Centre; Mother Cabrini's Shrine at St Patrick's Oratory, dedicated in 1947; the Underground Railroad sites associated with Stephen Keese Smith and Samuel Keese; and Plattsburgh's U.S Oval Historical District. Peru Landing and Port Jackson became busy timber ports that led to rail lines and stations at Valcour, Lapham's Mills, and Peru Village. On October 11, 1776, Peru's waterfront became a Revolutionary War battleground when Benedict Arnold led a small American naval force against the British in the channel between Peru's shore and Valcour Island.