Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1896-08-14
Fort Sartwell.
Its History. Surroundings and Associa-
tions. with a Preliminary Historical
sketch of the Town Of Vernon.

ITS history. surroundings ana AssOCia-
tIons. with "A Preliminary Historical
sketch of the Town Of Vernon.
Hon NJ I. Reeds paper before the Pocumtuck
Valley Memorial Assocation.l
1t is a singular coincidence that this
meeting of the Pocumtuck Valley Memo
rial association should very appropriately
occur on the 209th anniversary of the day
when the first conveyance by deed, of lands
within the borders of Vermont, to English
speaking people was signed. Therefore, it
seems fitting that some account of the va
rious transactions By which the bounda-
ries of the present town of Vernon, which
is part of the lands conveyed by that
deed, were ultimately established may
not be foreign TO the purposes of this
meeting.
The country occupied by the Squak-
heag tribe of Indians was Just north of
that of the Pocumtucks and extended as
far north as the little river called Wan
asquatok (now Broad brook), which emp
ties into the Connecticut three-fourths of
mile south Of Fort Drummer. The name
Squakheag, which is a contraction of a
more complex Indian name, undoubtedly,
meant when translated into English,
spearing place of fish. This interpreta-
ton is confirmed by the fact that around
the many small islands and at the mouths
of the small streams flowing into the Con-
necticut here, were to be found the best
fishing and spearing places for salmon.
That this vicinity was unquestionably the
home of a numerous and prosperous tribe
for very many years is strongly evidenced
by the presence of large quantities of In
dian relics, remains of granaries or under
ground barns and their burial places, many
Of which have been discovered within the
present town of Vernon. The first at
tempt at an English settlement at Squak-
heag was made in 1871, when a petition
was made to the general court of Massa-
chusetts in May, that year, for grant of
lands, signed by John Lyman and 80 9TH
ers-which was not successful. A renew
I al of the petition the next spring was sue
cessful and May 10, 1872, an order was OBJ
tanned and a committee appointed, and
William Clarke, William Allys and Isaac
Graves went to Squakheag and laid out a
township the northerly bound of which on
the west side of the Connecticut, was the
river Wanasquatok and three-fourths of
mile wide on the west side of the river,
three and three-fourths of a mile wide on
the easterly side of the river and eight miles
long. This township was called Mortified
and included most of what is now Vernon,
Hinsdale, Winchester and Mortified.
King Phillips war followed soon after,
and the settlers who were not killed, aban-
doned the place, but returned with others
about 1855, and two years later, Aug. Is,
1857, the deed to which we have referred,
was signed by Wavelet, chief of the Squak-
heags, Gongequa, Aspiambemet, Haddara-
wansett and Meganichcha. 1t conveyed to
VIM. Clarke and John King, agents for the
original proprietors of Mortified, "a tract of
land bounded north by the river Wanas-
quatok, or Broad brook, and south by the
river called "Cowas," now Mill or Web
ster brook, which is on the easterly side of
Great river (near Mortified BRIDGE, and
six miles wide on either side of the Con-
necticut, thus including all the lands of
the Squakheags in this sale. The wit.
nesses to this deed were Jonathan Hunt,
Preserved Clapp, VIM. Clarke, jr., Peter
Jethro, Joseph Anterior and Isaac
Chauncey. The first named was the an
cestor of Lieut.-Gov. Jonathan Hunt and
also of Col. John Hunt, present proprietor
of Dummer farm.
The westerly part of Vernon, which was
not included in Mortified, was granted by
the provincial government of Massachu-
sets in 1876 to Samuel Hunt and others,
descendants of the men who were in the
"Falls fight at Turner's Falls in 1876.
The boundary between the provinces of
Massachusetts Bay and New Hampshire
was a subject in controversy for many
years, but it was finally decreed, Aug. 5,
1740, by the king in council, that the line
should be a due westerly course from a
point three miles north of Pawtucket Falls,
and in pursuance of this order His Excel
lency Gov. Jonathan Belcher caused line
to be run by surveyors, and one Richard
Hazen in the year 1741 run the line be-
tween said provinces on the westerly part,
and this survey, although it was very in
definitely marked or described, has been
relied upon as the authentic boundary.
By this survey the boundary was placed
much farther south in this locality than
had been previously considered, and being