St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1900-11-07

Travellers and tourists from many
lands and many climes have visitec
St. Johnsbury and all agree that as
one authoress says of it, Mature
smiled when she made the spot, snc
her face has remained a nest O.
dimples ever since. Such ups and
downs, such long slopes and short
slopes, such hills and hollows were
never seen before outside a puzzle
box" Those who have always lived
here do not appreciate the scenic ad
vantages of the place, but travellers
from altar cannot say enough il
praise Of the picturesque location o
the town and its delightful surround
ings.
LOCATION.
st. Johnsbury is situated in the
northeastern portion of Vermont
and is midway between Montreal
and Boston on the Canadian Pacific
and Boston & Maine "air line" 1t
is by rail % miles from the Connec
ticut river, though about half that
distance "as the crow flies" 1t is
situated at the junction of the Con
necticut & Passumpsic division oi
the Boston & Maine and the St.
Johnsbury & Lake Champlain rail
road and has as good shipping facili'
ties as any place in the state as one
road gives direct north and south
connection and the Lake road gives
through western connection.
St. Johnsbury is the shire town Of
Caledonia county and was chartered
to Jonathan Arnold and his asso-
ciates" Nov. 1. 1856. A settlement
was begun on the meadow just be-
low the present railroad station and
on the Butler meadow half way be-
tween the village of st. Johnsbury
and that of St. Johnsbury Centre
The town takes it's name from St.
John &c Creveceur, the French
consul at New York, who was very
friendly to the settlers of the state in
their troubles with the settlements
in the New Hampshire Grants and IN
New York. Gen. Ethan Allen sug-
gested the name of St. John, but the
French consul added that II would
observe that the name of ST. John be.
ing already given to many places in
the country, it might becontrived by
the aPpellation OF St. Jonnsbury."
The town really began to grow
when Jonathan Arnold came up
from Rhode Island and settled at the
head of St. Johnsbury Plain. The
first town meeting was held in 1870
and Jonathan Arnold was the mod
orator of the meeting. Since that
time the town has steadily grown in
population and valuation until to-
day it has a population of about
1000 and an assessed valuation OF
nearly four million dollars. The fol-
lowing figures from the listers books
will show the growth of the town in
the past year:
REAL ESTATE, 1900.
First class, S77 acres, $2465 ,O2o
Second class, 20, ,326, 37649O
So S41 $40
Personal estate, 9O3 44s
Tot real and personal, $3,744 e5s
One per cent. OF above, 37,449 So
$500, 1882 90
Total grand list, $41.331.5s
REAL ESTATE, 1899.
First class S77 acres, $2.4545S5
Second class, 20, ,326, 374 800
$2,N29,3s5
Personal estate, ss271I
----
Total, $3,712,o9s
One per cent. of above, 37,1<O ee
1921 polls at So, 3,S42 OC
Total grand list $40, ,e62 90
GOVERNMENT.
st. ] Johnsbury has the usual towr
government with three selectmen al
the head and the village of St. Johns
bury is incorporated with thre,
trustees at the head of affairs. As ir
all other towns in the state the school,
are managed by town system will
three school directors.
At various times it has been pro
posed to get a city charter for St