Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1920-09-22

mountains occupies peculiar nlace
In Vermont history, LACKING the
glory of early English occupancy like
the southeastern region about Fort
Dummer, not possessing the contro-
verslal notoriety of Bennington and
It's envlrons, nor yet suggesting the
herolsm OF the Jesuit missions on
Lake Champlain nor the more domes-
tic romances of the old French SEN
lorles that ran eastward from Lake
Champlaln to the Green Mountains.
this region must find the distinctive
stamp of its early history in other
| and less well known facts.
Indeed, the student of the early his
tory of Orleans county is likely to
| be impressed with the relative pau
city OF the records of this section.
when compared with the regions of
the Connecticut valley and the Cham
plain valley. Although Orleans coun-
ty has enjoyed the residence of some
of the states most earnest and capa-
bic historical students, among whom
may be mentioned "Father" Samuel
R. Hall, long a resident of Brown
ington, DIR. j. M. Currier, the anti
quarian whose ripe old age was spent
at Newport, B. F. d. Carpenter, for
many years a prominent resident of
this village, and Mr.. F. w. Baldwin
of Barton, an accurate and painstak-
ing student of Vermont history, few
tinted things have found their way
into general circulation, and the
northern frontier has seemed entitled
20 shat happiness which has been at
tributed to the land that has no his
tory.
My reason for mentioning this is
not TO excuse myself for any deficien-
cies that may appear in this paper
of mine; but to impress upon all who
hear me the extreme Importance of
making a record in black and white
of current events which otherwise
must be lost in the rapid, thoughtless
movements of the age. 1t need not
be formal historical article: it may
be letter to some friend or it may
be our own private journal that will
some day show light upon the prob
lem of the historical scholar.
Let me add here my own apprecia-
ton of the assistance given in the
preparation of this paperby many who
are in the audience, old friends who
have always dealt generously with
me in thoughts and deeds. You Will
have this reward at least, that what
ever merit this article possesses be-
longs chiefly to you.
On an interesting map drawn at
the close of the French and Indian
wars, this legend is written just north
of Yields river, "Some hunters have
travelled through this wilderness,
from Yields river to Lake Mempfrl-
magog, and judged the distance this
way to be about 90 miles; 1t has
been stated that John Stark, of Ben
nington Battle fame, returned to New
HAMPSHIRE from his captivity among
the Indians in Canada by way OF
Lake Memphremagog; but i doubt
the accuracy of this statement and
think it more likely that he went back
by way of Albany, n. Y. Stark was
captured by the Indians while hunt
ing on Baker river, (Rumnev) n. H.,
in the spring of 1852 and was taken
to Canada by way of Newbury, SO
that whether he was taken by way OF
either the Clyde or the Barton rivers
he had sufficient information from
which to draw the rough map which
he made of the country on his return.
Several towns in Caledonia county,
and at least one in Franklin county,
appear on a map at the close of the
Revolution marked with the Y which
denoted a New York grant; but no
such townships are shown in what is
now Orleans county: and the organl-
cation of the border counties OF. Els
sex, Orleans, and Franklin IN 1I92,
together with Caledonia, give empha-
sis to the important fact that frontier
/ life in this area began after it had
ended in the southern half of the
state.
The census of 1890 gave the state
a population of 85,425: but this was
| confined to seven counties, and Or
leans was not one of them. Crafts
bury. the first town settled In the new
county. was represented in the legis-
llature of 1892. Eight years later the
county was said to contain 1439 souls;
it being the most thinly populated OF
anv of the counties enumerated IN the
state in the census of 1SOO. L tnlnk
II is safe to saw that when the house
was built in which ] now live IN Mid
dlebury, it would have been like hunt
ING for a needle in hay NOW TO
find a settlers shack in the basin OF
the Black. Barton, and Clyde rivers
and that when Middlebury secured
, IFS college charter only few cabins
here and there marked the presence
of white settlers north of the water
shed of the Passumpsic.. L count II
piece of good fortune that my owl
bovhood days were spent IN sucn a
region.
i think it altogether probable tnat
+be first white men to traverse this
section were French companions OF
the Indians. There is little direct
evidence. to support this view, for
there were notably few French fam
lilies in the border towns in the
earlier DAYS. But Frenchmen accom-
panied Indians in their border raids
and the lingering of a name, like that
of the state itself, or like Belle Lac
(Bellewater Pond) for Crystal lake
tells the tale. The first Engllsn
speaking settlers found abundan'
Evidences of Indians, who made perl
: odicaI visits to the region long az,
ter the first coming of the wnite
men. / remember being told as
child on one occasion that there were
Indians "down the river" and tina,
thew had brought baskets for sale c
the white people, although l d'd no
see either baskets or Indians.
e While this basin was not SO &C C
:. cessible to the Abenak Indians o
eastern Canada as was the valley y
the Champlain, it was far less aan l
perous to them, since it was protect
ed by heavy mountain barriers iron
j the incursion of the fierce lroquols Q
New York for whom the waters o .