Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1860-12-14
Stow and Chatham Road.

tbon iVr 4 Nouuty roai IRON STOW 70
Gncad;
Seventy year. ago tl79O) John Bradley
and jonathan Eastman purchasei Of the
State OF Massachusetts, what vas aitsrwarls
called Bradley and Eas,mAn's Grant, now
composing about two ihiri, Of the town Of
STOW. ioinius the State line. They a, the
sane tme purcbassI Of Colonel Warner, Of
Portsmouth, y. n, a tract in Chatham
lir.ng tbe aid Grant, both tracts contain.
irg ab5at ID, 600 acr. one OF the conIi-
tious 0t the Chatham purchase was % put
Eve settlers on the tract within the next
year. and 70 make rad from Frychars
Addition line. near the Town llo1sc OF
Stow, % the upper linc oi the Chatham
rurcha.r. usar where Jonas Wyman now
lrycs. distance OF abo4ts.K miles. near
the same distance as Ihe contemplated road
through the R,ehslier Grant. The next
year Asa Eastman. samuel BRADLEY, Paul
Chandler. BsnAmiu Walker, and Jonas
Wvman locaicl themselyo. Ou their several
lot. ful6ll.p. the condition oi tbc Warren
rurcbas, thus hr They then built tbc
road complying fully anI wholly with ,bc
conditions.
They psIt baili their log cabins in Chat
ham. although their farms were mostly 10
Maine. now in Stow They were all from
Concord, y. a.. snd were naturally attach
ci o. their native State anl laws. which was
the reason ihsy built in Chatham. These
Eve settler. made the beginning Of thi, Cod
River settlement, and nos you ~ some Of
the fne.t farms IN the country, raising more
provision f5r man and beast IN proportion
O. their numbers than any sccIiou Of Oxl1rl
or Carroll COUNTIES. with an industrious,
saterrri.ins population. They have in'
errased to 1910 inhabitants. and iisy lr.
,5s' rorfig Of ti1r a~,'
Il iisn5w about seycn,y years since they
maI, the frs, settlement, ioriy q which
the eitts1s of Chatham had no road by
which they could get % their Capital " 70
their courts without travelling down
through Fryeburg. long roundabout way
ani ou' sftis Na's. ani the reason was they
could have no road 10 the westward, bein;
hemucI IN by their mountain hsincs-cs.
They now have uuitci with the town %
Stow 20 petition the County Commi.si,ncr,
f5r the third time 70 lncats them a rad
through Gvan'. Notch, 80 eall-i, o the At
lan,.c and - lawrence Railroad, in G,lead.
tie whistle from which i beard by many
o. the petitioners az their hom-s. Ihis
r5rs, or mountain pass was evidently De-
signed by Providence for a road i0r thcse
inhabiant. % get 90 market and % visit aui
c5mmunlcaic With their friends on the other
EIDE Of the mountain. and with a commend
abe zeal ani enterprise which has always
chaacisriIri thc-e petitioners. they lat
Aaiuun made passAh'e, s''lvrutc roai,
AMI Oh, amount 0f travel lasi winter war.
rant, the location Of a road through this
notch
4, o., time Of the fr', exploration Of
d., Notch ra.s hy the County CJmmi'-
s1n.r.. thsre was 10 railroad or even con.
temptation OF one up the Aadr0sc1c;in Val
ls1. ard ,hsr- i. ri, Doubt hAi there been a
railroad At the time "a thsro is now. } and
~ necessity 'lr ar1li now, ,iae railroad.
a. well as ths intsrcogrss with the inhabi-
ur,. over che mountain and ii !. a rr1sa-
t's fact that the location would have bccu
mad, a, che second exploration, but ilr the
disqualification Of one Of the Commissioners
{, act In the case. owning land IN Blchsl-
dsr'- Grant. IL stated that thc other Com
missioner, wsre di,iIri on the suhrct, and
haIhs acted be should have decided 10 To-
cate. 4 snail sketsh ofthe locality % The
several i5vns Ia che vicinity Of this cJniem-
PLATED road, wi'h tbs only road they can
possibly travel 20 cst 20 the railroad ani 90
The inhabitants over the mountain, with the
t..,An,e. will give YOU a view Of the whole
suhrc. Chatham and Stow are peculiarly
situated between two m1unain raug9s. one
On ibc west and the other 90 the east, 50
that ~ lateral roal. can ever De built 20
accommodate them. they have only one
rad through the valley, A. fAr a. John
Bri,ket'.. there having terminus. You
vIl further perceive that the distance saved
to Chatham and S,)winha5iunt' BY road
through tLs N5tcb. will be something Ike
fifteen or sixteen mile. Great Kear Pond,
stretching the whole length Of Lowell, Is
barrier Away. and forever against rod
except through the narrow, Of Great H,zar
Pond.
These petitioners have thi' autumn look.
Cd out. and are now opening another route,
by which they avoid the billy PORTION Of ,be
other altogether, auI, Sith shc exception o.
3j rods. much easier TO make aud with an
inllmi,abls energy and courage are now
making the short distance Of hirty-t1e
rods, ani they say is will not cost them g
pr r,d. 70 make it passable with teams.
Tbi. place has Away, been considered an
impass,hls barrier % good road through
this notch, but these petitioners have crap
pied it and are determined TO level it and
make a good and easy road through thr.
beautiful romantic mounuin pass. As
compared with the White Mountain or the
Pinkham notch il is Almo,, nothing to make.
Between John BrcketsSnd Wild River
a, Bishec'.. ,ix miles Of thi. road on the
eontempl.teI r,p,s the land admits Of An