St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1892-04-07

it. One cold winter night he had
been to Newbury street, and had OBJ
tanned some rum of which he was
very fond; he became somewhat IN
toxicated and started for his home.
The intense cold overcame him at
the lower end of Johnson village and
he saw that he must perish. The
next day he was found frozen, but
his bottle of rum was not found on
his person. 1t seems that when he
found that he must die he threw the
bottle as far as possible, SO that
white people should not know the
cause of his death. Here was pride
even in the heart of a savage. His
bottle part full of liquor was after
wards found where he had thrown it.
After the Revolution, settlers flock
ed to the valley of the Connecticut
river, and took up land in Newbury
and the adjoining towns. Some of
these came from the lower part of
New Hampshire and Massachusetts,
wilhelm considerable numbers the i'm
migrants came from Scotland. A
company was formed in Scotland to
take up land in America; and under the
advice of President John Wetherspoon
of Princeton college, they came to
Ryegate to settle, just above New
bury, on the Connecticut river
With these people came a soundness
of character that has maintained it
self for more than a hundred years
and it is still fragrant. They came
to make homes and build up the
country. Some of their plans for the
future are curious in the light of
today They could come in ship
from Scotland to Hartford, Conn.
From that point to Wells River they
came with fiat boats propelled by
oars and poles.
In Ryegate they purposed to build
a city. This was to be on the hill
just north of Ryegate on Ticklenaked
|
ton Here docks were to be built
By locks and canals they were to go
from this pond to the Wells River at
Boltonville, thence to the Connecticut
river at Wells River, locking by the
Boltonville falls. The city project
was never realized, and the water
way to the Connecticut from the
proposed site of this city remains to-
day as nature made it, locks and
canals existed only on paper.
Roads, however, were built, taverns
were established and commerce
ound its way to these remote settle
ments in the vicinity of Coosuck.
Churches, too, sprang up in the foot
steps of the settlers, following which
came another New England glory,
the school-house. In process of time
the railroad came, and now the iron
horse thunders through the valley of
! CoOsuck, follows the AmmOnOosack
to it's head waters, and then in it's
tireless energy climbs to the highest
point of the "White Hills" Mount
| Washington.
1t is now almost two centuries
since the captives from Deer6eld,
Mass, were taken by the French
and Indians through the Coosuck
Meadows on their sad journey TO
Canada Fertile fields and thirty
fields and thrifty villages have sue
ceeded the forests and comely homes
have taken the place of the wigwam
of the savage. New scenes and new
conditions of life surround the people
of today. Now the Coos valley is
only few hours ride from Boston or
Montreal. The Sunday papers Of
Boston are now supplied to the
Newbury patrons at about as early
Providence. We spoke of this valley
as a great highway to Canada.
lust as the sad-hearted Deerheld
captives took different routes to
Canada in 1904, so do the tourists
of today follow similar routes, but
in far different manner. One route
leads northwestward along the
White river; another route passes
through the Coos country, entering
Vermont at Wells River. This is one
link of the great Canadian Pacific
system, Ryegate and Wells River be-
ing stations on the great highway
from Liverpool to Hong Kong.
What changes these two centuries
have witnessed! The western part
of Vermont from Bennington to the