Connecticut western news., 1911-03-16
OLD DAYS IN CANAAN
Striking Study in Contrast Between
 Then and Now.

Striking Study in Contrast Between
 Then and Now. Editor News:-rhe interesting renli- niscences, of old Canaan that have appeared in your paper recently tempt one to try to paint mental picture of the village as it looked in those far-off days.
 A few things are left unchanged.
 Canaan mountain stands where it then stood; so do RaWlesnake Hill, Church Hill and Toms Hill. The rivers ran In the same direction they now do. but the names were different The mountain was Wangum, the big river was the Oosatonio and the Blackberry reJoiced in the name Bromfoxet.
 A part of the valley was undoubtedly covered with fine old forest trees, the records showing us that one of the first settlers who came from Plainfield, Ct., started with a yoke of oxen and horse, his family and his few household goods Ill cart, and while the country east of New Hartford was partially settled the rest of the way was heavily wooded, So that he had to cut his path, following an Indian trail to what was called "the new and western" country. He reached his journeys end in June. l73S, and the tirst night slept under an oak tree near the mill now occupied by Johnson & Lndell. Soon afterward he dug a hole ln the side of the hill and with poles and boards made a temporary shelter where he lived until he built a house nearly opposite the saw-mill. Remains of the old chimney were found some years ago in ploughing the field
 He next built a small house a few rods northwest of MT. LYles' house and in 175l built the present house long known as the Lawrence Tavern.
 The oak tree under which he camped was made into loom that is still in existence.
 Several years ago a Canaan woman, Mrs. George W. Williams, wrote some verses called The Song of the Loom,
  "Oh many years have fitted by
 Since 1 was blithe and gay Since tossed my sinewy arms on high
 Or softly bowed to the gentle sway Of low voiced zephyrs that came at cen To steal a kiss from my branches green. Deep was the solemn silence here
 Within the lovely wood.
 When in leafy grandeur many a year
 IL T Through that solitude scarce a sound
 was heard,
 Save the soft love song of some gentle
 bird.
 But man that peaceful bower invades, The sleeping echoes woke, And loudly through the summer shades
 Resounds the Iusty stroke. And one by one around me fell The leafy tenants of the cell. "Then a wearisome life of darkest gloom led, for years, a toiling loom. But now, my life's long labor OCT,
 Sweet peace Is mine at last And thrown aside, I'm prized no more
 Save as a relic of the past. For many a year of toll I've seen Since l waved on high my branches
 green"
 Familiar as we are with the history of these pioneers, how little we realize the hardships and tolls they endured. Possibly they did not know they were hardships.
 Imagine this village without a store of any kind, without matches, without a wagon on four wheels, post office, railway, telegraph, telephone-having no communication with friends in dis tant towns except when a letter could occasionally be carried by some traveller, slowly making his way through the wilderness. We are impatient if our daily paper Is delayed an hour, yes, 15 minutes. Indeed, the mails are too slow for us, the telegraph is too slow-we must speak by telephone to our friend 500 miles away.
 All these conveniences so common place to us would have been miracles to Samuel Bryant or John Franklin or Isaac Lawrence or any of these, hardy pioneers.
 Part of the precious fragment of his tory printed in The News last week found among some old papers in East Canaan some years since gives us a glimpse into those early days.
 Contrast this state of things with the busy life of our villnge to-day, when the valley echoes with the scream of engine whistles, the Borden whistle, the Continued on page 5.)