The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1899-08-23
AN OBSERVANT PILGRIM.
A STRANGER Tells Further of His I'm q.
pressiOnS of Vermont and Its
Capital City.
IL.

According to an old school geography,
"Vermont is beautiful, picturesque, and
inland State. The Green Mountains ex-
tend through its whole length, dividing il
into eastern and western declivities." 1t
lies between Canada on the north and Mas
sachusetts on the south, and between New
Hampshire on the east and New York on
the west. The Connecticut river washes
its entire eastern border. A part OF the
western line is Lake Champlsin, one Of the
seen.
The length of the State is much greater
than its width. Its width at the north is
about ninety miles, and at the south line
only about forty-one miles. 1t has about
1855 square miles and 372, 400 inhabitants.
The Green Mountains present an appar-
emily unbroken outline. But it is singu-
lar fact that the principal range is broken
in three place., so that rivers, which have
their head waters many miles east OF the
range, flow west into Lake Champlain.
There is one very strange feature in the
geography of the State, which is noted in
Whites Geography and History of YER
mont. II a dam only one thousand feet
high, were made across the Winooski river,
where it passes through the mountains, a
large part of Washington county would be-
come lake. There was undoubtedly q
time when this was true. All the lower
lands in this county are within the bottom
OF an ancient lake.
The same is true OF Caledonia and almost
all OF Lamoille county. A dam one thou
sand feet high across the Lamoille river at
Cambridge and johnson would make all
but the highlands a lake. The towns Of
Stowe, Except the hills), Morristown, Hyde
Park, Wolcott, Eden. Hardwick, and parts
of some others are situated at the bottom OF
an ancient lake.
The entire Missisquoi valley in Orleans
county, and portion OF the towns in Cana
da to the north; the lower lands in New
port, Coventry, Derby, Salem, Charleston.
Bloomington Barton, Glover, 1rasburgh,
Albany and Craftsbury in Orleans county;
the land between Lunenburgh, VT, and
Dalton, n. H., and the lower lands in
Essex county, Vt, and Coos county, N. H.,
were once the beds of ancient lakes. There
are towns in other parts OF the State, par
ticularly in the Otter Creek and White
river vallies, which are situated in the beds
of ancient lakes. A good road now passes
through what was once bed OF pond more
than a mile in length and very deep, nearly
a hundred feet lower than the former sur
face OF the pond in the towns OF Glover and
Greensboro. Ii was drained early in the
present century.
The lakes and ponds OF Vermont, next to its
mountains, are its most interesting features.
The two largest are Lakes Champlain ana
Memphremagog Champlain is 120 miles
long, and from one mile to twelve miles
broad. Its surface Is about ninety ieet
above the level OF the sea Memphrema'
cog, partly in Vermont and partly In Can
ada, is 80 miles in length, and about $50 feet
above the sea Besides these, may be men
toned Lake Bombazine in Castleton, eight
miles by two and half wide; Willoughby
in Westmore, six miles long by one and
half wide; Bellwater pond, Crystal lake
in Barton; Caspian lake in Greensboro;
Lake Seymour in Morgan; Lake Dnnmore
in Salisbury and Leicester; and the follow
ing ponds: Franklin pond III Franklin; ISL
and pond in Brighton; Joe's pond in Cabot
and Danville; Long pond in Groton; Hos
mer ponds in Craftsbury and Albany;
Winooski pond in Peacham; Maidstone
pond In Maidstone; Averill ponds in~Aver-
hill and Norton; Leach ponds in Canaan
and Averill; and Miles pond in Concord.
Smaller bodies OF water are found in almost
every town, but are more numerous in the