Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-10-31
Correspondence of the Register.l
I'M EASTERN VERMONT,
RIPToN, VI, Oct. "a, 1890

Nv - GHN NCHmONI
RIPToN, VT, Oct. "a, 1890.
With a very good team composed of a
gray gelding six years old, who won a
race on half-mile track when four years
old in 2:3l9, and a bay mare five years
old, very good looking, bat that prob
ably will never 90 so fast; with IA thor
oughly well-built single carriage to
match, | started from Bread Loaf Inn to
look up the pedigrees and history of GER
tain horses that | had been unable to get
from correspondence.
Two stops | made in Hancock to talk
with men | met upon the road, the one
born ISIS at Hancock and the other 1916
at Braintree, Vt. Each gave me points
in the history of the horses of this neigh
borhood that | wanted to get; the one,
especially, of Kentucky Planter, and his
son Young Planter, sire of the we'll
known Morgan horse Mountain Eagle,
which went to st. Lawrence county, n.
Y, forty years or more ago. Then |
came to Rochester, where | had dinner and
got further information from several cit
liens of other Morgan horses of note.
My first days trip was ended at Stock
bridge, where at a small wayside inn |
stopped for the night.
Stockbridge consists of several houses,
a school house, store. blacksmith shop
and inn. 1t is situated near to a covered
bridge that crosses the White river on
the Rutland road. 1t is principally no.
ticeable for its want of size. So far as
we know it is the smallest village in the
world. This is partly due to the fact
that Il part of the village. called the COM
mon, is placed back and entirely out of
sight. 1t is somewhat prominent as the
t,lnao fran, V-hiaI Tho tirst npnn1nt of tho
history of the Morgan horse was written
by a son of Justin Morgan who brought
him to Vermont and who kept the village
store here for many years. accommodating
quite Il handsome property. The next
morning drove from the valley on to the
hills at the east. and though | have tray
eled vermont roads quite Il good deal and
have crossed nan lines from Rochester
to Bethel, this particular road was a new
one to me. 1t dallied at first with a park
called a common. crossed the roaring
brook, then slanted up a long hill to
where pumpkins grow and NAPLES flame,
Pretty farm houses, too. are perched
along the route and a few dark old
spruces still remain in the woods. | in
terviewed on this route several farmers.
among them +. Wolcott. nearly 50, whose
father, about 1888, bred the Wolcott Nor
gan, and l.. b. Bird. owner of the Bird
Horse by Wolcott Morgan.
The hill we had mounted proved but a
spur. The Dad descended, thea turned
and retreated down Il stream back to the
White river valley, entering it again at
Gaysville, seven miles below Stockbridge.
In its course it passed through Lillieville,
which few strangers ever enter.
Gaysville formerly was one of the most
demonstrative villages in this valley. hay
ing a large wooden factory, but this has
been burnt. and comparative quiet reigns.
Thus far the roads la been most excel
lent, but that from Gaysville to Bethel
along the river is IA good deal sandy.
At Bethel we came to the Central YER
mont railroad. Delayed by numerous in
terviews, and with the weather a little
forbidding, | remained here over night /;
the next morning drove to Royalton.
where Mr.. Dan Bliss joined me and re-
manned with me as far as Plaintield.
At ROyaltOn the valley Widens and
takes upon itself more the air of album
dance. Enough and to spare seems to be
the principle and when Dan stopped at
the school house. ~ostensibly to leave Il
book,-though why it was necessary Ia
talk with the school ma'am ten minutes
in order to leave II book | don't know.
saw that the school ma'am was built on
the same plan a. the valley. She would
have looked well enough if she hadn',
looked half as well.
The two villages of Royalton are, too,
very pretty. One of them is the old vii
lage; the other. South Royalton, la,
grown with the railroad.
Leaving the railroad at South Royaltol
our course turned to the north up the
Tunbridge valley. Tunbridgc is where
the worlds fair is held. 1t and Brockton
Mass, enjoy something of IA monopoly
on fairs. Brockton | haven't visited, bu
the advantages of Tunbridge for a fai
would have disheartened Il less enterprls
ing community. 1t was with much Difficult
ty that track was made in the marrow
valley. The village. too, does not sugges
any superabundance of accommodation
for the world. Nevertheless we took din
ner at its hotel then, bidding goodbye t.
the p%recipitous hill that hangs over tn
village, we kept on our way further VI
the same valley to Chelsea.
This Is the shire town of Orange coun
+ ty. A broader basin has been found her
for a village and probably before the da,
: of railroads this would compare favOra
I bly, with the shire towns of other Vel
. mont counties, but now it is a little faded
+ Its big buildings look discouraged, an
( the people to be undergoing a Rip Va
Wrinkle rest. At the large, though some
e what desolate hotel, we passed the night
; and in the morning assembled once NOR
, the eastern hills.
o The sky was clouded and a: times
t rained, but we got from the western slop
: "A distant view of the Green Mountains I
: the southwest. The country became les
inviting as we came to the summit.
: The hills are rOck-ribbed and the pa,
lures sere. Nershire lies at one side an
Corinth at the other. Descending W
q came to the village of Corinth, that hash
been painted for 10 years. Down til
stream Il guide board pointed to BraC
= ford. but we assembled another long hi
s that brought US To a second valley, at I'll
r. end of which lies the tidy but very sma
e village of East Corinth. Here we wei
detained another night, but the neI
= morning found US once more winding OF
way about and over these hills, and /
last gaining the valley that opened dl