The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-10-14


commend it to all who love southwest
New Hampshire and its contiguous
terraces and heights OF southern Aer-
mont
Country of Deserted Villages.
From Brattleboro Just across the /
river. there were 80 delightful miles
on the West River railroad, winding
up the green valley by the beautiful |
stream TO the little village of Jamaica
There at the tavern we had our mid i
day dinner and at ! o clock we were
off with two horses-the iovial driver.
two ladies and myself-for our drive
of 30 miles over the hills and through L
the woods to Arlington, We We're 4 lit /.
tie surprised, too, to find that Airing
ton is in the westernmost tier of Yer
mont towns, so that the journey from
Bratleboro took US virtually across I
thd#state.
The road from Jamaica to Arlington
/ is charming, the high views among
the hills and the stretches through the
forests claiming alternately the high
est praise. All the beautiful New Eng
( land cVergrecns-pines, spruccs. frs,
'heml0cks, tamarack-are there in in
finite number and great yellow birehes
are conspicuous among an equal num
~
er. Elton Williams. is Il who 5 who
and what 5 what combined. for there is
nothing animate or inanimate in the
woods that is beyond his ken.
If the hills and forests upon the
drive were beautiful and inspiring the
human and sociological aspects of the
way We're depressing enough. | have
never driven through an equal stretch
of New England were abandoned farms
and even deserted villages were in such
profusion. 1t is doubtful whether in
the whole 80 miles we passed half-a-
dozen human habitationS which are
tenanted today. while there were three
Villages West Jamaica, Stratton and
, Grout : Mills. which are entirely
abandoned with every building in them
. going steadily to ruin. The wife of our
host at the Jamaica tavern had been
Stratton Girl and remembered the
: timc-and it was not very long ago
, when the little church had good con
+ grcgationS. and hundred at local
e dance was no strange thing, but now
r church, tavern, haiI and all the little
r. homes are practically i'm ruins. 1t MI
/ comes from. or comes chiefly FROM the
+ new situation where the country has
- been bought by capitalists by the
b thousand acres and is held for invest
= ment. The trees are growing aud nfak-
g ing money for the owners while they
+ sleep The forestry prospects are en-
$ couraeing, but the present aspect Is
f momnfui enough.
Manchester and the Peruvian Hills.
9 The drive to Arlington had been -
- miles. That of the succeeding day was
40. The start was Immediately after
breakfast, the first stretch was along
the Battenkill evidence of Dutch
autetedeuts to Manchester with the
hills that hid Stratton on our right
and Equinox and its ueighbors on on
left Beautiful Manchester with Tho
- great Equinox hotel, as preteutious a.
: any ut Saratoga. its stone sidewalk.
} and costly villas. quite Lcuox like
seemed elegant indeed after the STRAIT
ton hills and the stony roads of Sun
derland, but it gave pleasing variety
to Our little journey in the world auc
=, made IA good foil for the high hills OF
~ Peru to which the long road eastwar,
brought us. Part of the time we wcr,
: on q toll-road, rare enough now il
New England, although within not to,
distant memory the bridges across tn,
Connecticut were all toll-bridges
vas Il strange experience to be held "a
ut toil-har ON 4 Vermont road an,
pay - cents for the privilege Of driv
ing over the next five or six miles bu
it was with alacrity that we discharge,
this duty, as a performance unique
tn initial and rather historic in our pres
ent incarnation.
The heights of Peru gave Us by fa
w he best outlooks Of the whole triI
The view from the hill road n mile Q
two west of Peru village is ma2nif
w cent. The green Winhall valley
broken hv hills Of every stature
,, stretches away miles 10 the south. enc
III ing against the great slopes of Strat
ton, which here looms up in might
majesty We were so far north tina
," the clcphantine aspect and the thre
swelling curves which mark it in tn
$3.50 view from Chesterfield were lost an
v the peal, appeared almost rs simpl
II and round as IIaystack. while far ava
rs. to the left the valley was bounded D
the great wall Of Gcbc, beyond Lon
or donderrv. 1t was our most insririn
point and had we driven all the wa
. from Chesterfield for this alone, v
should have felt that our reward W;
great.
\ The Trail UP the Mountain
Perhaps three miles west Of IL
ruins of Stratton village and ten or
dozen from Jamaica, there Is the hit
1ignpost beside The road. pointing OF
the trail mp Statton mountain.
suppose that Il tramp Of three mil
would bring one to the top. This is
pleasure that the future has III sto
n for Us There is STRATUM Mounta
club, we were told, one Of rec
origin. aud to the activity Of the eli
members is due the trail. We we
further Informed that the constituent,
IS of a tower is in contemplation 50 III
&c he Who has gained the summit m:
" climb Il bit farther and be able to 10,
out well over the tree-tops. The II:
is easily accessible from Jamaica a.
also from West Wardsboro. Where the