Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1860-08-10
altsturtral.
INCIDENTS IN THE EARLY HISTORY
OF MONTPELIER.

D n
incidents connected with the early settlement
of the town, which will probably be fresh in
the memory Of "the oldest inhabtant," and
will be interesting to those who have more
recently become residents Of the town. From
these two chapters Of incidents, VIC make the
/ following extracts
We have noted the construction Of the first
frame house as constituting a marked era in
the progress of the settlement But Of scarce
ly less practical Importance, perhaps, was the
event Of the introduction of the first wheel
carriage which was effected in the face Of
what would now be considered insurmounta.
Bile difficulties, during the second summer af-
ter Colonel Davis made here the FIRST opening
in the forest. The Colonel, in journey to
the other side Of the mountain-prob badly
journey to attend one ofthe Proprietors meet
ings at Arlington--had heard Of and purchas-
cd. a stout wagon at Norgennes but the
question was how it could be got home to
Montpelier, from which, down the river to
/ Williston, none other than bride path or
at best a rough, winter sled road had, as yet,
been opened. Thomas Davis, however, then
a strong, resolute boy of sixteen volunteered
to enter alone on the arduous undertaking.
Accordingly, taking horse, some kind Of
harness aud an axe, he repaired to Nergennes,
! fitted in a rude pair of thills, and commenced
his slow journey homeward. He found but
little difficulty in getting along to Governor
Chittendon's at Wiiliston but dubious
enough appeared the prospect of working his
way through from that place up to Montpel-
ier. BY frequently stopping to cut away logs
and trees to make the path wide enough 20
] tuaff in Of lao hn
however, made out to reach the then formida-
bic rocky pass, or rather precipicc, afterwards
known as Rock Bridge, on the old turnpike,
about a mile above Waterbury bridge on the
Moretown side Of the Wnooski. This pass
on the subsequent opening Of the road, and
especially on the construction Of the turnpike,
was blasted down, and the gulf on the east
side filed up as much as possible, without
incurriug enormous expenses. And, even at
that, it was far the most precipitous and dan
gerous par; Of the whole road from Montpe-
Ter to Burlington. Il was then high, steep.
rough ledge, around or above which, winding
among the rocks and fallen trees, path had
been blocked out barely passable for single
horse. But the perseyering lad was not to
be baked in his purpose even at this difficult
ty Having first taken out and led his horse
down round to the fiat below, and rolled up
the wagon to the brink Of the ledge, he con
triyed, by means Of pole and withes. to fast
en- or connect il TO the top of a young tree,
and then, by the momentum Of the wagon and
his own exertions. he bent forward the tree
and thus let down the wagon fifteen or twen-
ty feet. Here he secured it on the side Of
the ledge, by snoring it up with poles or
rocks, as he best could released the first tree
/ and fastened to another, by which he let down
the wagon another space, and so proceeded
till he had got the ponderous vehicle to the
bottom of the precipice; when he again put
in his horse, made his way up the river, torded
it below the mouth of Mad River, crossed
over into the better road in Aliddlcsex, and at
last reached home in safety
There were no extraordinary floods during
the first few years Of the settlement but there
/ had evidently been one not long before in
which tho Winooski rose higher than it has
from that day to this. When Colonel Davis
and his men were telling the trees on the spot
where the Pavilion Hotel now stands, which
was knoll many feet higher than any part Of
the meadow lying south and east of it, and
which has never since been overhowod, they
found the sand in the moss on the northern
side of the trunks, at the height at which they
wished to make their incsions, so thick that,
even on that knoll, they had to clear away
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