Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1879-11-10
THE UPPER MIssIsco VALLEY.

THE UPPER MISSISCO VALLEY.
The towns in this valley were ''grant-
ed" several years before there we're any
settlements within them and very few,
if any, of the original grantees ever set
tied in the valley. Troy was originally
granted in two cores of nearly equal
size; the north to Samuel Avery, and
the south to John Kelley in 1892.
Westfeld was granted to Daniel Owen
and his associates, all of Rhode Island,
in 1880. Jay was granted to the cele-
brated John Jay of New York, John
Cozyne, and to Thomas Chittendcn. first
governor of Vermont who received a
third of the town which lay in the south
part of the grant; this was In 1901.
Lowell was granted to John Kelley of
New York in 1887, and received the
name of Kelley Vale. The name was
changed to Lowell in 1881.
Owing to the remoteness of these towns
from the then settled districts of the
state, it was several years before the
first settlers pushed their way into the
H. -~~~' ---a 49, l~--a .uu VAC SrauUe
were sold and re-sold, until the titles
became very uncertain. The north
gore of Troy was sold by Mr.. Avery to
an English merchant named Atkinson,
who lived in Boston. for one dollar an
acre. This land fifty years afterwards
sold at an average of about two dollars
an acre: so it may be seen that the
Englishman and other owners did not
make fortune out of their lands in Troy.
The Kelley gore was sold to New York
firm and then to Mr.. Hawxhurst, whose
heirs retained portion of it to late.
if not to the present day. Mr.. Kelley
failing in business, his Lowell grant
went into creditors hands, and was sold
to William Duer for $3.50. The titles
to land in this town have always been
very uncertain. A part of the lands
granted to Governor Chittenden in Jay
remained the property of his heirs until
a late date; portion of the land be-
longing to John Jay was sold by his son
80 years ago; but the greater portion of
his grant became the property of Judge
Williams of Concord many years ago,
who gave his unsold lots, so or 60 in
number to the University of Vermont.
Of late much of the land has been sold
to parties engaged in the manufacture of
lumber.
EARLY SETTLEMENTS.
During the time of the Revolutionary
war Col. Hazen was directed to construct
military road from the settled portions
of Caledonia county across the wilder
ness to Lake Champlain. The road be-
gan in Peacham. passed through Walden,
Greensboro. Craftsbury. Albany, and
over Lowell mountain through Lowell to
Hazen's Notch in the Green Mountains,
where it was brought to an end by the
termination of the war. By means of
this road, knowledge of the country in
this vicinity was gained and way was
opened up for the adventurous settler.
1t was about twenty years, however. be-
fore the valley received permanent
settler. Sometime about 1892, Josiah
Elkins of Peacham, noted hunter and
Indian trader, in company with Lieut.
Lyford, visited the north part of the
county, purchased furs of the St. Francis
Indians on the Memphremagog, and ex-
plored portions of the Missisco Valley.
1t is supposed that they followed the
Hazen road as far as Greensboro or AL
bany. and then took their way through
lake. The account these men gave of
the country induced others to visit it.
with view to making permanent set
Element 1t was in 1896 or '97 that
EIkins and Lyford, with Capt. Moses
Elkins. brother of Josiah, and several
others from Peacham, and perhaps from
other towns, came up and explored the
country. Arrangements were made for
a settlement, but when the time came.
no one but Capt. Elkins was ready to 60.
He started from Peacham on the 7th of
June, 1897. He loaded his furniture