History of Coos County, New Hampshire, Part 3

Author: Merrill, Georgia Drew
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Syracuse [N.Y.] : W. A. Fergusson
Number of Pages: 1194

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The exploration of the modified drift in this state was principally made in 1875. under direction of the state geologist. C. H. Hitchcock, by War- ren Upham. Esq., from whose valuable report we have condensed the above and extract the following :-

Modified Drift of Connecticut River. Connecticut Lake to West Stew- artstown .- For the first four miles below Connecticut lake the river has a rapid descent. with a southerly course. It then bends to the west and

GEOLOGY.

winds with a sluggish current through a narrow swamp three miles in length, which is the first alluvium seen on the river. Its lower end is at the mouth of Deadwater stream. One half mile farther down, at the out- let from Back lake, the road passes over a sand and gravel plain thirty feet above the river. This is material deposited in the Champlain period by the tributary stream. Much of it has been excavated during the terrace period; and till extends to the river on the opposite side in a very gentle, regular slope.

On Indian stream there is a large extent of low alluvial land, compris- ing several valuable farms. This consists mainly of a wide interval, from ten to fifteen feet high, which is bordered on the east by a narrow lateral terrace from thirty to forty feet above the river. In the next four miles scarcely anything but glacial drift and ledges is found. The scanty por- tions which may be called modified drift consist of very coarse, somewhat water worn gravel, in terraces from ten to forty feet above the river, which has probably in many places cut its channel to this depth through the till. About the mouth of Bishop's brook considerable low alluvium occurs, partly brought by the main river and partly by its tributary. Thence we have a narrow width of modified drift on the north side of the river to Hall's stream, which is bordered by an interval from five to ten feet, and two terraces, twenty and thirty-five feet, above the river. On the south side here, and on both sides for nearly two miles below, the river is closely bordered by hills, and no modified drift is seen.

The portion of the river which we have now described extends south- westerly about eighteen miles from the mouth of Connecticut lake. The descent in this distance is 583 feet. High wooded hills border the valley. which is destitute of modified drift for half the way. The largest alluvial area is on Indian stream; and the highest terraces are from thirty to forty feet above the river.

Upper Connecticut Valley .- Below West Stewartstown the course of the river is southerly, having a descent in nearly fifty miles, to the head of Fifteen-mile falls, in Dalton, of only 205 feet: one-half of which takes place in nine miles between Columbia bridge and North Stratford. Along this whole distance the modified drift is continuous, and, including both sides, is usually a half to a mile and a half wide. It is very simple, having two heights, and consists of the present flood-plain, bordered by remnants of that which filled the valley in the Champlain period. The former is about ten feet above low water, being annually overflowed by floods of spring. This would be called bottom-land in the western United States. In New England it is commonly termed interval: but along the Connecticut river it is frequently known as meadow. On all our large rivers this low- est terrace has a firm and well-drained surface, much different from the marshy areas bordering small streams, to which the name meadow is

HISTORY OF COOS COUNTY.

restricted in other parts of the state. It is the most valuable portion of these alluvial lands, having a more finely-pulverized and more fertile soil than that of the higher terraces. The ancient flood-plain is here repre- sented by a lateral terrace from forty to one hundred and twenty feet above the river, usually remaining at both sides, and in many places forming considerable plains.

From West Stewartstown to Colebrook the only alluvium of import- ance on the New Hampshire side is the interval: but small remnants of the upper terrace are found, especially where there is a tributary stream. On the Vermont side the upper terrace, composed of sand or fine gravel. is usually well shown, having a nearly constant but small elevation of forty to sixty feet above the river, with which it slopes. It appears that this formerly had possession of the whole valley, and that the channelling of the river has swept it away from the area now occupied by the interval or meadows. Portions of it still remain, entirely surrounded by the low flood-plain. Such a plateau may be seen in Canaan, nearly opposite the south side of Stewartstown. The upper terrace and its isolated remnant have both a height of forty feet above the river. while the lower level is only fifteen feet in height. Northeast from this, in Stewartstown, a rivu- let has effected a like result on a small scale in the meadow, cutting a chan- nel wholly around a small area which still preserves the height of the rest of the meadow.

Kames .- At Colebrook we find an interesting gravel-ridge or kame portions of which remain north of the junction of Beaver brook and Mohawk river, but most noticeably west of the village, extending nearly a mile parallel with the river. Its height is about seventy feet above the river, and fifty above the low alluvium on each side. Its material is the same as that of the long kame farther south in this valley, being princi- pally coarse, water-worn gravel, with abundant pebbles six inches to one foot in diameter. This ridge was deposited in the glacial channel of the river which flowed from the ice-sheet at its final melting.

We must refer to a similar cause, the slightly modified drift in Leming- ton, just northwest from Colebrook bridge: in Columbia, the high gravel terrace north of Sims' stream: thence for a mile southward the moraine- like, level-topped or irregular drift, slightly modified. at about 100 feet above the river; and the coarse drift ridge on the east side of the river a half mile above Columbia bridge. The last is a distinct ridge, one-third of a mile long, parallel with the river, and from fifty to seventy-five feet above it, being from twenty-five to fifty feet above the adjoining lowland. This may have been a medial moraine. It contains many angular rock- fragments from two to three feet in size, and seems scarcely modified, appearing like portions of the kames along Merrimack river.

Between Columbia bridge and North Stratford the descent is rapid and

GEOLOGY.

the terraces are irregular. At Columbia bridge the highest alluvial banks are forty-eight feet above the river, at North Stratford, 119. Where the river now descends 101 feet the stratified drift of the valley shows a slope of only thirty feet, or about three feet to a mile. After we pass this steep and narrow portion, and enter a wide valley again where the river is compara- tively level, we find the upper terrace falling much more rapidly, or nine feet to a mile. At Groveton it has again descended to a height fifty feet above the river. As we approach Fifteen-mile falls the upper terrace slopes very slowly down to the lower and they can scarcely be distinguished as separate heights below South Lancaster. The wide river-plain here rises gradually from five to ten to perhaps twenty or thirty feet above the river.

In Stratford and Brunswick both heights of the alluvium are well shown, the highway being on the upper terrace and the railroad on the meadow. The former is about 100 feet above the river, and at Brunswick springs, and for much of the way through Stratford, is from one fourth to one-third of a mile wide. At Stratford Hollow depot the railroad has cut through a narrow spur of this terrace, which escaped erosion by water. Here the alluvium of the main valley has been excavated into secondary terraces by Bog brook. In the south part of Stratford, and in Northum- berland, the meadow or interval occupies more space than the terrace, which has its greatest extent in the level, swampy plain west of Groveton Junction.

Deltas .- At Lancaster the upper terrace of Connecticut river is only fifteen or twenty feet above the interval. The only higher modified drift has been brought down by tributaries. Part of Lancaster village is built on one of these deltas, formed by Israel's river on its south side, fifty feet above the terrace of the main valley. This delta sloped rapidly westward, and formerly occupied the whole area of the village; a portion of it, twenty feet lower than the former, remains at the cemetery, opposite the court- house. Similar deposits also occur two miles southwest from Lancaster. and on John's river.

Between South Lancaster and Fifteen-mile-falls the broad river-plain is unterraced. It seems probable that a lake existed here while the original high plain northward was being deposited .*

When this was channelled out by the river, so as to leave only terraces as we now see them, the materials excavated were sufficient to fill up the lake. It would be interesting to know the depth of the stratified drift in this basin; it is probably deeper than the height of the highest modified drift northward above the river

Kame-like materials of small extent were noticed at North Stratford,

*The Connecticut river, geologists consider, left this lake by a channel which passed up the present valley of John's river to Whitefield, from there across to Lower Ammonoosuc below Wing Road, and struck its present bed at Wells River, by following down the Ammonoosuc valley.

HISTORY OF COOS COUNTY.

forming the high bank on the east side of the railroad, one-fourth mile southeast from the station, and in Guildhall, about two miles north from Lancaster bridge. A remarkable moraine of granite bowlders occurs in Stratford, covering a large area of hillside just above the upper terrace, one mile south from what was Beattie's station. Two miles northwest from Groveton a ridge of till, from sixty to 100 feet above the river, projects half a mile westerly into the valley, or half way across it, appearing like a ter- minal moraine. Horse-shoe pond, on the northwest side of this ridge, occu- pies a portion of a deserted river-channel. These ancient river-beds are frequently shown by such ponds, commonly called sloughs or moats, of which Baker's pond, near Lancaster, is another example.

CHAPTER III.

TOPOGRAPHY.

The Water Sheds-Carriage Roads-Lumber Roads-The Water Basins-The Streams, Con- necticut, Magalloway, Androscoggin- Source of the Connecticut-Description and Scenery-Second Lake, Connecticut Lake-Tributaries of the Connecticut-Lake Magalloway-Magalloway River - Androscoggin River - Their Tributaries - Country along the Maine Line - Bogs and Peat .Swamps.

FC ROM Professor Huntington's elaborate description we extract : The extreme northern part of New Hampshire is covered by a continuous primeval forest; and the surface of the country is broken by undulat- ing ridges, which here and there rise to mountain heights. In these forests, almost on the boundary of Quebec, is the source of the Connecticut river; and in the extreme northeast corner of the state is a small lake, which is the principal source of the Magalloway river. Scarcely anything more is known to the dwellers on the banks of the Connecticut as to its source, than they know of the source of the Nile. Hence a somewhat minute de- scription will be given.

Water-Sheds -Along the water-shed that separates the headwaters of the Connecticut and Magalloway from those of the St. Lawrence, runs the boundary-line between New Hampshire and Quebec. Although its general direction from Crown monument to the head of Hall's stream is a little south of west, yet so crooked is it that in its course it runs towards nearly every point of the compass, making the distance nearly twice as great as it is in a direct line between these points. At Crown monument the height of the water-shed is 2,568 feet. It descends gently for a short distance as

TOPOGRAPHY

we go west, but soon rises again, until, near Lake Magalloway, it has an elevation of 2, 812 feet. The summit of the ridge here is 587 feet above the lake just mentioned. Then, northwest of the lake, there is quite a gap, but it soon rises again into a mountain ridge. But two miles west of the lake is another depression: in this rises the most northwesterly branch of the Magalloway. West of this the ridge rises again, and forms a moun- tain range which extends west two miles to the gap near Third lake. Extending south from this height of land is the water-shed between the Connecticut and Magalloway. The gap at Third lake has a height of 2, 146 feet. Then there is a slight rise, and again a depression of about the same height as the last. Then the water-shed rises again to the summit of Mt Prospect, and an elevation of 2,629 feet. It then descends, but continues with varying undulations, until, near the head of Hall's stream, it spreads out into an immense platean.

The water-shed that separates the waters of the Connecticut from the Magalloway, Androscoggin, and Saco rivers, runs as follows: Starting from the boundary of Quebec. five miles southwest of Crown monument, and not far from three miles east of Third lake, the line runs nearly south four miles; then it turns almost directly east, and extends to Mt. Kent, on the boundary between New Hampshire and Maine: thence it follows the boundary to Mt. Carmel; thence it runs a little south of west. to a point two miles south of Second lake; thence south to the Magalloway mountain; thence it follows a ridge, west, nearly a mile; thence it runs southwest to Mt. Pisgah; then it bends still to the west, and reaches its western limit near the Diamond ponds in the eastern part of Stewarts- town; thence it runs southeast to Dixville notch; thence a little east of south, through the western part of Millsfield; thence south through Milan, Berlin and Randolph: thence over the White Mountains to the Notch. Along this water-shed is some of the highest land in New Hampshire; but there are occasional gaps where roads are, or can be, constructed. Some of these passes are well known. Going north from the Notch. the first is in Randolph: the next is where the Grand Trunk railway passes; then there is the road through Dixville notch; but north of this no carriage road has ever been constructed, -- and there are only three winter roads, and these for lumbering purposes. The first of these roads crosses the Con- necticut three and a half miles south of Connecticut lake, and runs south- east. After passing the height of land, it strikes one of the branches of the Swift Diamond, and following this, it extends down to the Magalloway. The second road begins at the last settlement in Pittsburg. crosses the Con- necticut one mile north of Connecticut lake, and strikes the Magalloway four miles south of Parmachenee lake. It is several years since either of these roads was used, but through the evergreen forests they are as dis- tinct as when first made, -yet through the deciduous trees the underbrush

HISTORY OF COOS COUNTY.

has so obstructed the way that it is almost impossible to pass, even on foot. Along either of these routes there is nothing to hinder the construction of a carriage-road, and probably along the most northern, one will never be called for; but it may be opened again as a "tote" road when lumbering is carried on along the Upper Magalloway. The third, a "tote" road to the Magalloway by the way of Second lake, is the one latest used, and strikes farther up the river. (The supplies now are mostly taken from Berlin up the Androscoggin and the Magalloway.) The water shed itself, and the country east, is broken up into irregular groups of mountains and hills, but no two groups have exactly the same kind of rocks. The axis of all the higher groups is either gneiss or schist.

The Water Basins .- The northern portion of the water basin of the Connecticut, the Magalloway, the Androscoggin and the Saco is embraced in this section. North of latitude 45°, it embraces nearly the whole of that of the Connecticut. West of the Connecticut river, and north of latitude 45°, there are three nearly parallel ridges. The first, going west, is somewhat irregular, and is cut off where Perry's stream turns east and flows into the Connecticut. But two, -one between Perry's and Indian streams, and the other between Indian and Hall's streams,-are more uniform, and they have a mean height of about 600 feet above the streams. South of latitude 45°, and east of the Con- necticut, the ridges are everywhere irregular. North Hill, in Clarksville, rises 1,971 feet where the road crosses. South Hill, in Stewartstown, is 2,000 feet, ascending to Jackson. In Colebrook, and below, the high ridges branching from the water-shed have generally a westerly trend. South of Sims' stream, the ridge extends nearly to the Connecticut, as, also, the one in Stratford, south of Lyman brook. Below North Stratford the ridges run more to the south. In Northumberland, south of the Upper Ammo- noosuc, they again run more nearly west, and continue thus until we reach Dalton, where the principal ridge runs north and south.

Seven miles south of Crown monument the water-shed touches the boundary line of Maine. The portion of the water basin of the Magallo- way north of this is a level tract of country, penetrated by spurs from the boundary line towards Quebec. South of the point mentioned above, the water basin of the Magalloway occupies a large tract of country in New Hampshire. It is everywhere broken into irregular mountain ridges, but these have generally a southern trend until we reach the Swift Diamond in Dartmouth College grant. South of this stream there is a high contin- uous ridge from Dixville notch to the Magalloway; then there is a high ridge that runs south, parallel with the stream last mentioned. The tri- angular area embraced by the Swift Diamond, Clear stream, and the Magalloway and Androscoggin, is a succession of hills and mountain ridges. The high point north of Dixville notch forms the apex of the tri-

TOPOGRAPHY.

angle: and Mt. Dustan is in the northeast angle. South of Clear stream the hills are. if possible, more irregular in their contour than those north- ward.

The Streams .- The principal streams are the Connecticut, the Magal- loway, and the Androscoggin. Almost on the very northern boundary of New Hampshire, and nearly on the very summit of the dividing ridge that sep- arates the waters of the St. Lawrence from those that flow southward, there is a small lake containing only a few square acres; and this is the source of the Connecticut river. It has an elevation of 2,551 feet, and is only sev- enty-eight below the summit of Mount Prospect; and so remote is it from the habitations of men that it is rarely seen. A place more solitary is not known in northern New Hampshire. Surrounded as it is by dense forests of evergreen, you can see only these and the waters of the lake. Almost the only sound that relieves the monotony of the place is the croaking of the frogs, and this must be their paradise. A few steps to the summit of Mt. Prospect, and we can overlook thousands and thousands of square miles of forests in Quebec, while in the extreme distance to the northwest can be seen the habitations of men. Southward the view is not extensive. This lake is half a mile directly south of the boundary, and has an area of three-fourths of a square mile, and its height is 2,038 feet. It is trapezoidal in shape, and has its greatest width in the south, while its northern shore is not more than a quarter of a mile in length. Its outlet is at the southeast corner, and its width is eight feet, and its depth six or seven inches. Besides the spruce and firs and cedars of immense size, it has a sub-Alpine vegetation. Labrador tea, the ledum palustre, is found in abundance along its shores. In early summer, before the swarms of insects come, it is charming to stand upon its border, when not a ripple disturbs its placid waters, and the trees are mirrored along its shores. On every side except the south, the hills, which rise to mountain heights, approach almost to its very shores. The Connecticut, which is its outlet, is nowhere remark- ably rapid. About five miles from the lake it receives a tributary from the east, the principal branch of which rises near the boundary. This stream is nearly as large as that into which it flows. A mile and a half from where it receives this tributary. it flows into Second lake. Its area is about one and three fourths square miles, and it is two miles and three-fourths in length. and in the widest part is a little more than a mile, and the height above the sea is 1,852 feet. It is one of the most beautiful of our northern lakes. The graceful contour of its shores, the symmetry of its projecting points, the stately growth of its primeval forests, the carpet of green that is spread along its border and extends through the long vista of the woods, the receding hills and the distant mountains, present a combination of the wild. the grand. and the beautiful that is rarely seen. Near its northern bor- der, besides the Connecticut, it receives two tributaries, one from the north-

HISTORY OF COOS COUNTY.

east and one from the northwest. Its outlet is on the west side, near its southern limit: it is forty feet in width, and has a depth of eighteen inches. Twenty rods from the lake it has a fall of eighteen feet or more; then its descent is quite gradual, but forms here and there deep eddies. A mile from the lake it becomes more rapid, and rushes down between precipitous walls of rock in a series of wild cascades, which continue for half a mile. It receives two tributaries from the west before it flows into Connecticut lake. Here we find a sheet of water exceedingly irregular in its outline. Its length is four miles, and its greatest width two and three-fourths, and it contains not far from three square miles. Its general direction is east and west, but near its outlet it turns towards the south. None of these lakes contain islands to any extent. Second lake has only one, and this has two, but they are very near the southeast shore. On the west shore of this lake the country is settled, and the grassy pastures extend down to its border; but for the most part it is still surrounded by a primeval forest. As many of the neighboring hills are crowned with deciduous trees, par- ticularly the maple, in autumn, when the frost comes and these have put on their crown of beauty. of crimson and scarlet, of yellow and gold, and mingled as they often are with the dark foliage of the spruce and fir, we have a scene which, in brilliancy and beauty, is rarely if ever excelled. There is another element characteristic of this high elevation, for the lake is 1.619 feet above the sea. It often happens, when the forest has put on this robe of beauty, that all the neighboring heights are of immaculate whiteness from the frozen mist that clings to every spray of the evergreen foliage. Embraced in the picture are the blue waters of the lake, the belt of deciduous forests, with their brilliant, gorgeous colors, the dark bands of the evergreens, and the snow-white summits. The water at the outlet flows over a rocky barrier. the stream falling abruptly nearly thirty-seven feet. The fall is quite rapid for two miles and a half; then the flow is more gen- tle for about four miles; then it becomes more rapid again, and continues thus until after it passes West Stewartstown. It is then nowhere a slug- gish stream, and has rapids in many places until it gets below the falls of Northumberland; then it is the most placid of streams until it reaches the Fifteen-mile falls, which begin in Dalton. The fall from Connecticut lake to Lancaster is 785 feet. In Pittsburg, below Connecticut lake, the Con- necticut river receives three large tributaries,-Perry's stream, which rises near Third lake, and has a rapid descent, including two falls, three and five miles from its confluence, a mile and a half from the lake; Indian stream, which rises on the boundary, has a very rapid descent for five or six miles, when it becomes a very quiet stream until it flows into the Con- necticut about eleven miles from the lake; Hall's stream, which also rises on the boundary, and is the dividing line between New Hampshire and Quebec. Besides these there are several smaller streams. The principal

TOPOGRAPHY.

streams from the east are Cedar stream in Pittsburg, Labrador brook and Dead Water stream in Clarksville, the Mohawk in Colebrook, Sin's stream and Lyman brook in Columbia. Bog brook in Stratford, the Upper Ammo- noosuc in Northumberland, Israel's river in Lancaster, and John's river in Dalton.

The Magalloway has its principal source in Lake Magalloway, about a mile and a half southwest of Crown monument. This lake is one of the most romantic in New Hampshire. It has an elevation of 2,225 feet above the sea. Its area is not far from 320 square acres, and is surrounded by hills that rise to mountain heights, the elevation on the northeast being 5s7 feet above the lake, and from its summit we look immediately down upon it. The stream which is its outlet forms, a few steps from the lake, a beautiful cascade some twenty feet in height. Of all the men who have hunted in these forests. I have found only one who had ever seen this lake. If it were within the reach of travel, it would no doubt attract many per. sons, for in wildness and grandeur it is not surpassed. Its outlet is soon augmented by streams both from New Hampshire and Maine.

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History of Coos County, New Hampshire, Part 3

Author: Merrill, Georgia Drew Publication date: 1888 Publisher: Syracuse [N.Y.] : W. A. Fergusson Number of Pages: 1194

Author: Merrill, Georgia Drew
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Syracuse [N.Y.] : W. A. Fergusson
Number of Pages: 1194