Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1873-07-02
The LamOille Valley.
Extracts from a Correspondent of The
Springfield Union.
EssKx JUNCTION. W.. juno. 1s73

> 49, wv NNhANf1 ~ NlNt NlAN WNlF lEll
from 81. JChnsbury to this point, ihroug
the Lamoille valley. has been a surpris,
aud di'appointment,-but. lest YOU MI,
! understand me, | hasten TO add il was th
pleasantest disappointment ever expert
enced. Expecting TO ihd a.rugged. hily
moderately fertile country, only of intsr
est on account or IT'S sccucry, I rUquu
valley which, if not as large as that o
your own Connecticut, squitc as bcauti
iul aud fertile thriving villages fully a
frequent as in ony section Of New Eng
land equally remote from large cities; al
intelligent ard active population. the pro
duct Of the plentiful district aud hlgl
schools; a country rich in all that con
stitntos agricultural wealth (including no
a few "guv'mcnt bonds" am told); rich
or still in its lumber and ores and miner
ais, when they can be got to mar
ket; aud last, but hardly least. as fal
as our pleasure was concerned, aboundinl
in maple sugar and trout.
II you have had'couragc to master tha
long sentence, you will surely be pleased
TO hear about the country a little more il
detail. will first draw our trip in ont
line, and then return to the matters Of cs
pccial interest for particulars. We lef
ST. Johusbury about five o'clock, in the
afternoon, taking the last train out OF
the line of the Portland and Ogdensburg
railroad. Almost at once the steepest
grade ir the whole Vermont division i,
encountered, aud views from the rear end
OF the last car are surprisingly beautiful
At Danville, the first station, rise OF
several hundred feet has been accomplish.
ed, and there and beyond, through West
Danvllle to Walden Summit, the whole
White Mountain range is visible, away
to the east in New Hampshire, and it i,
by far the finest general view of these
mountains ever had. Mount Washing.
ton was still heavily strcaked with snow
and so was Lafayette, aud Washington,
as usual, had on c'oud cap, which wa.
kindly lifted for few moments for our
benefit. At Walden Summit we began to
decend into the valley Of the Lamoilc,
but more gradually, the grade coming
s.s.-t -s.ss,ir,. -levt ~ tue hlie, OF ABOUT
equal to the heavy mountain grades oil
the Boston and Albany road. At the
Summit, the little party of friends who
had accompanied us from St. Johnsbury,
to point out the ircst views and see us
safely started bade us good bye and took
.hc return train, while VIC changed our
position from the rear of the train to the
front, Mr.. W. H. Bryant, the supcrln'
tendent of the road, who happened to be
en- board, kindly permitted us to have
seats upon the locomotive, which, with
steam shut eff, rushed down the valley
Fresh vistas opened constantly, - Jay
Peak on the north, and Mount Mansfield
and Camels Hump on the south, the
three highest mountains in the State, al
being visible at once. On we went
through Greensboro, Hardwick, Wolcott
the valley gradually widening and show
ing greater signs 0! fertility, till at Morris
vile, thriving village where last yea
eighty new buildings were erected, lon!
reaches Of fertile Tp!ands separated th'
intervale from the distant mountains, anC
at Hyde Park, the present terminus 0
the railway, it was difficult to believe tha
VIC were almost in the heart of the Gree,
Mountains.
A supper and breakfast Of fresh brooI
trout and good nights rest, all at tn
American house, prepared us to enjoy t
the full one of the bright June days. Th
sun now shone brightly, but not to warm
and now was obscured by cumulous cloud
that cast fantastic shadows over the land
scape; while the dust had been thorough
laid and the face of nature cleanl y wash
ed by various showers the day before
First, Col. L. b. Sawyer. proprietor
the hotel, took us, behind pair of nln
BILE ponies, to Movrisvilc, three miles di
tant, going by the river road and return
$ ing by the county fair grounds, which al
the finest in the State, comprising 40 acre
and situated directly on the rallroa'
, about half way between Morrisville ar
!. HYDE Park, making them very accessible
Then a larger team was harnesscd for IL
more serious business of the day, and u
r der the Friendly and intelligent guidan'
i of Mr.. Waldo Brigham, lawyer at Hy'
r Park, and president Of the Lamoil,e Va
!, Icy railread, we set off down the vale
/ johnson was the first village, then can
Cambridge aud Cambridge Borough. a
J. along by the side Of the road and the ri
i er. the e.nhankments and cuts of the nc
4 railroad were in view, and the dwellcrs
i these rural towns will soon'be able to b
:. hold the welcome of the iron horse.
r Cambridge We left the valley Of the ]
d nellie, and cur course bore away to t
i south west, through rift the bill
through Undcrhill and tho north para
II Jericho. fine farming region. to this pol
If where we reached railroad agalr. u
o hasty outline Of thirty miles of ride gi'
% a very faint idea OF what it was in actl
If cxperience--a continual delight. All
If way was through fertile meadows, "
ps wooded upands, aud beside pleas
streams, at first the winding Lamoil
h. and then smaller streams that are to n
IS at least, are nameless. Sometimes
es mountains we're near at hand, and ag
IL only to be seen in the distance. The la
cs scapo, continually changing, was all al
" in TINT it was very beautiful. For a la
part Of the way Mount Mansfield was'