The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-09-28
sheldon, VI.


To the Editor of the Press:
In the Mssisco valley, next to Fairfield on
the Portland railroad, and one of the most
beautiful, interesting, and fertile towns in all
this beautiful, interesting aud fertile region.
1t is widely spread out upon the Missisco and
Black rivers. in intervales of Egyptian fertility,
and back from the streams rises in broad hills
uuequaled for pasturage. Some Z 100 acres of
the high country are covered with ash, oak,
maple, hemock and butternut forest. In all
directions herds of 80 to 100 cows, butter hous-
es, cheese houses, mountainous piles of milk
pals ana pans, bespeak the leading industry of
the town. On tract four miles square, 1900
cows are MIXED. In ride of few miles with
Major Keith, proprietor of the Bellevue" no.
tel, we counted 700 cows, and 800 more belong
ed to the farms but were not in sight from the
road. On the lower lands prodigous burthens
OF forage are grown, with which the long barns,
big as metropolitan railway depots, are
| cramme1 to the ridge pole. Last year lis tons
cheese, Is tons butter, sc tons pork and hogs
800 bushels potatoes, 500 sheep, go cattle, and
| other produce, were sold. Exclusive of these
| the Inward freight was $40 ions, outward n
ufacturers of woolens, leather, furniture, wag-
ons, etc. Population 1, 200; valuation $621, 900.
Sheldon will become the seat of important
manufactures at no distant day. There is an
excellent water-power at the village, ON the
Black river, which is mainly improved. But
on the Missisco river, short distance below, is
one of the best unimproved privileges in all
Vermont. The water roars down a steep in
cline of so feet descent, the bottom and sides
OF the river being solid rock. The chance for q
dam is most excellent. Abundant stone for its
construction lies loose il the river. At presen,
the fall is simply beautiful spectacle; will
the opening of the railroad it will be mad.
| available for economical purposes The rive
| drains 800 square miles, and has large flow
of water. The great fertility of the surround
| ing country and consequent low cost of living
favor the establishment of largo operations a
this point.
| SHELDON MINERAL SPRINGS.
These well-knOwn spas consist of fou
groups of springs in different parts of the town
whose waters disclose to analysis an importan
measure of therapeutical quality and are de
monstrated by experience to be of remedial eff
L
ills. The blankest scepticism is compelled t
acknowledge the effecting of extraordinar,
cures by the use of the water, and in multi
tudes of cases the alienation of pains and tn
protraction of life. Five or six excellent he
tells afford agreeable accommodation to the So
journer; the Bellevue" as the writer know
from trial, is the next best thing to home, an
is fifty named, for its prospect is beautiful
The "Missisco" hotel, which was burned Las
year, bad hundred suits of rooms, its furnish
ing alone cost $35O0O. In 1868, IL, 5000 case
of "a quarts each were bottled and exporte
from the spring connected with this house
The Vermont" spring is now filling an orde
from Germany. The annual visitors to thes
salubrious waters run up to the thousands
gay aud we'll bred people as can be met any
where. They have their "hops,' receptions
| levees, and other stylish diversions, inter
spersed with rides walks, croqust and the 9th
er hygieuic Ca'isthenics. In point of natura
beauty OF the surrounding country the Shell
| don spas have UNNECESSARILY the advantage o
Saratoga, and every virtue of those healing wa
tiers is paralleied in these. "Dunton's Hlll' OF
the border of the town, at the distance of 70
Il
magnificent prospect,-the Green mountain
Tor fifty miles, lake Cham plain TOR as many, AN,
beyond the mighty masses of the Adirondacks
while on the north stretches the boundes
dead level plain of Canada, with here and Their,
an isolated eminence, Montreal mountain
forty miles away. and others, the seventy
| spiers of scattered villages and -r:uA-s r-----
and cultivated lands, al unrolled before the
l eye like map. A ride up the valley of the
Missisco, with visits to cheese factories and
butter houses on the way, is an event in a life
time Sheldon is distant from Boston 28(
miles, from Portland 219 miles; P. & o. stocl
| $74 600.
ENOsBURG
Occupies the Missssco valley above Sheldon
and will reach the Portland railroad at Shell.
| don station. The interva'es which cover the
| central part of the town in its whole length
are continuous garden of fertility, and tht
uplands are the richest of pastures Cheese
aud butter are made by the scores of tons. A
look into one of the cheese factories gives a
most striking impression of the magnitude q
the dairy industry of the town. There Az
nine dealers in merchandise; and five manu-
features of woolens, leather.and lumber Pop
ulation 2,O77; valuation $625,OOO. The town i.
| a number of miles from the Portland railroad
| but took several thousand dollars of its stock
|
SHELDON, VT, Sept 1871