The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-01-01
THE DREAMER.


1t was the year $780, The month was
February and never in the history of
Barre had there been a February so
i eventful. The city had that tnonth
learned that the census disclosed a pop
ulation of $4,000 souls, move was on
foot 10 make Barre Town part of the
city, and the year just past had been by
far the most progressive in the city's ex-
I istence. But of even greater interest
than these things, and what for the time
/ being crowded them all TO the wall, was
/ the Green Mountain carnival.
! The Green Mountain carnival had had
its beginning some ID winters before,
! back in 1917 In that year several stu
dents who attended colleges at which the
outing club idea was taking hold, togeth-
| err with some 80 local out -door enthusi-
asts, had, in small way, laid the foun-
dations for the club that soon became
known throughout the states as the
Green Mountain Outing club. This small
group of men had built cabin some six
miles back in the woods in the shadow
OF the shaggy hills that form the back
bone of the Oranges. On week ends they
went out to their cabin on snowshoes and
skis and oftentimes STAYED at the shack
over night. just before the spring Of
1918 broke they held what they called a
carnival, and by means of competitive
sports-ski jumping and ski and snow
shoe races and dashes-d decided who
among them were the champions. One
OF them had covered distance Of IS feet
IN ha IL it,s,t and bn ainrto.J
ident for the ensuing season.
This first champion ski-iumper proved
to be an exceptionally energetic presi
dent and the next year saw the club add
two more cabins to its list and increase
its membership to some hundred mem
bers. In that year, too, the annual ear
nival was carried out on a bigger scale |
than before and representatives from the |
three Vermont college outing clubs took !
part in the competitions. All these or |
CARNATIONS were young and though no
worlds records were established two |
days of good sport were provided and |
much public interest aroused.
From these beginnings the club grew /
to size beyond belief. With Barre as a
center, trails were built out in all direc-
tons, with cabins dotting their routes at
Is TO 20-mile intervals. One trail ran
to Mount Mansfield, an
other went west until il joined the Long
trail just south Of Camel's Hump. To
the southeast a trail up over Orange +
heights and thence down the Waits river
valley to Bradford, and from there 1t
crossed the Connecticut river and joined
the Dartmouth Outing club trail near
Mooselauke mountain. fourth trail
went straight over hill and valley to
iroton pond and the surrounding region,
then on to Wells River, and so to the
White mountains. Cabins along these
routes numbered Ia and each was pro-
Fided with hunks, blankets, stoves and
he other necessities for those who might
stop over night at them. Those nearer
Barre were OF good proportions and none
II them accommodated less than IL sleep
RS
And all these trails and cabins came
o be used to their capacity the better !
,art of the year. The fame of the Green !
Outing club had spread and l
ogether with the scenic attractions OF
he Vermont hills served TO bring in 1
reasing numbers of out-ot door enthusi-
SITS from many other states. To accom-
nodate these visitors, the organization P
ad early had to decide whether or not v
o admit transients to temporary mem u
ership. Wisely. this step had been tax
n and the result was soon witnessed in :
he great volume of tourist traffic that :,
arre got thereafter. At the beginning .
the outing club it had had but little, r
nd most of that little consisted Of one !,
light stops by automobile parties in the y
lmmeH But as time went on people ~
anne in increasing numbers TO spend a I,
eek two weeks, and sometimes a month. u
hey passed their time on the trails and p
the cabins. and there were as many in
INNER as in winter H.
The browning event Of each year was :,
Re annual carnival held in February. :,
he cause Of the great rejoicing in the y
ear of 1890 was the fact that the win :.
m in the carnival events and competi- =,
ons Of that year, were, for the first :.
me. to 20 down in history as champions -
all North America. The club had 50 -
ltdistanced others like il that this right %
uld no longer be denied il. The fact
ID been generally accepted the year be- no
re. but now It was officially understood AT
the continent a. the result Of ur
meeting OF representatives from all the Of
rgcr outing clubs in the United States M
"A Canada. The Canadians had tried to ac
event Il but their efforts had not 70
allied. ma
SO. in the second week Of February. "a
80. Barre and the surrounding towns tr.
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