Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1914-03-18
Holcomb, New York March 9, 1914 I
Bedding Banner.
Belding Mich.

Belding, Mich.
Gentlemen:--
Several times since coming here II
has occurred 20 me that as several Of
the people who were instrumental i'm
placing Belding on the map and keep
ing 1t there, were former residents Of I
this immediate vicinity letter from
me might be OF some interest. Upto
this time | have failed TO write it. but
will attempt to do 50 today.
Perhaps 1t will be as well 10 give
the geographical setting, so that all
may understand where this CONES
from before proceeding to the letter
itself. This is East Bloomfield town,
Ontario County, New York. l am To-
Gated pretty near the foot of the road
that leads up into the famed Bristol
Valley. one hundred rods east Of the
house Mud Creek flows across the
farm. Sitting on the porch and look-
ing to the south, practically all of the
valley can be seen, together with the
rows of hills skirting both sides OF it,
Worden hill, on the west and Stdd rs
hill. on the east, being the two high
est points on their respective sides,
cut off further view OF the hills, but
the valley shows far beyond them.
Canandaigua, the county seat, is five
miles directly east, but as we have to
go "a mile north before we can go east,
il requires six miles travel to reach the
city. Holcomb. formerly called East
Bloomfield Station, is a trifle more
than three miles to the northwest by
the most direct road; going by way of
Holcomb, il is about four miles. Up
the valley (Which by the way is nearly
all down hill from here) South Bloom
field formerly known as Brag Village,
is a half-mile, Vincent, once known as
Muttonville, is about two miles, Bris-
tol Centre is about five miles and
Naples is about twenty miles. To the
west Of Muttonville about a mile is
Baptist Hill, now known as Bristol.
All these towns and Bristol Springs
and Boswells Corner, lying between
Bristol Centre and Naples, were one
time postofflces but Rural Delivery
has changed all that. i understand
that there are stores at all these plac-
es except South Bloomfield. The mill
Ter, who was also storekeeper and
postmaster, died leaving his family in
comfortable financial condition and
the flood washed away the dam, so
the mill and store were closed soon af-
ter the rural route from Holcomb had
supplanted the postofTice.
Bristol Centre is a thriving little
burg, with three stores n meat mar
ket, a good hotel, a -four and grst
mill and a cemetery. Holcomb and
Wheelers are its nearest railroad sta
tons and as the better road runs to
Holcomb, that station gets the bust
ness. Bristol, or Baptist Hill, has not
materially changed since my boyhood
days. The old hotel stands and is oc-
cupied as a dwelling and a hall, built
about twenty years ago, stands on the
west side Of the street, just south of
the corner. East Bloomfield is about
the same as it was when ] went there
to school as a boy, but Holcomb is a
growing town--three general stores,
two hardware stores, two blacksmith
shops, three barber shops, each with a
billiard hall in connection, three coal
and implement dealers and several
buyers of farmers produce, not to
mention the flour mill-about half a
mile north-the grist mill and eleva-
tor, two apple evaporators, lumber
yards, hotel, restaurant, livery stables,
tetc.
gu HdNt pTODdDly SutsStO lIldl lilS
is an agricultural community. 1t is
and it's resources are varied. Just
north Of East Bloomfield tapping onto
the village proper, is tract of about
two thousand acres, once known as
the old cedar swamp. which now pro-
duces enormous crops Of onions, cele-
ry and potatoes. Last year a gang of
Italians were engaged in digging
Ia thrnnOh hn
ii is expected that soon the entire
tract will be exceedingly productive
of any agricultural product. Every
farm has its little apple orchard and
many have large ones. The Early
Joe and Northern Spy were both orig
mated in this town. A few years ago
several farmers here tried sugar beets
and found them good paying crops,
but they decided that potatoes and
beans offered better returns for the
labor and outside the swamp those
are the principle ANIMALS for money
crops. There are many cows-Hol-
STEMS Durhams, Jerseys, Ayrshres
Guernseys and Herefords, and of
course the usual number Of grades
oross breds and mongrels Most of
the owners sell their butterfat to the
creamery at Bristol Centre and a few
OF them make their own milk into
butter which is sold to grocers and
private customers in the cities of
Canandaigua and Rochester. Some of
the largest and most successful far
mers have sheep and make a special
ty OF dollhouse lambs. Most OF the
orchardists have hogs to pasture in
the orchards. They charge nothing
for cultivating the surface. pruning
the roots and eating up several OF the
insect enemies that require constant
fight on the part of the progressive