USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Littleton > History of Littleton, New Hampshire, Vol. I > Part 4
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It is a conspicuous fact that all through the valley of the Con- necticut most of the stria correspond in direction with the trend of the stream, which varies from S. 10° to 20° W. It has been explained by saying that the pressure upon the ice from upstream
Locality.
True Course.
Rock.
Mann's Hill .
S. 12º W. and S. 17º W.
Mica schist
Mann's Hill, height of land in road
S.
A. Annis
S. 17º W.
Lyman group Mica schist
Near Dalton line
S. 17° W.
Lyman group Slate
R. Moore
S. 25° W.
S. of Cow Brook
Ridge between Cow and Parker brooks
S. 17º W.
Chloride schist
Farr Hill, near point
S. 30° W.
Slate
Mullikin's Saw-mill
S. 17º W.
Hydro-mica schist 66
A. P Hubbard
S. 28° W.
Slate
West side Fitch Hill
S. 5º E.
Protogene
Kilburn's Crag, near top
S. 28° W.
Slate
S. 26° W.
S. 10° W. and S. 20° E.
Protogene
East side of Parker Brook, near old limekiln near Jackson place . .
S. 25° E.
Quartzite
East side of Parker Brook, higher up hill, E. side
S. 5º E.
Slate
Waterford Road, 1} miles west of vil- lage
S. 7º E.
Corey's, South Littleton
S. 7º E.
Protogene Sandstone
caused it to move in the direction of least resistance, that is, down the valley. Others prefer to say that the valley movement was connected with a local glacier in a later period of the ice action. Such is the view taken in the State Report ; and for the region of Littleton this conclusion has been illustrated by the movement down the Ammonoosuc from near Fabyan's, transporting the peculiar rocks occurring above that hostelry, for several miles toward Littleton. Indeed, the Ammonoosuc is full of stones that have come from the White Mountains all through the town of Littleton, and in the towns to the south. The late Prof. L. Agassiz wrote a paper 1 to prove the existence of a local glacier coming down the north flank of Mount Lafayette, rising up over Bethle-
1 Quoted in the State Geological Report.
W. Fisk
S. 5º E.
East of S. Wheeler's, hill .
S. 17º W.
quarter way down road near base of road .
28
History of Littleton.
hem, and some of it continuing over the col to the north of Mann's Hill, where some moraines may now be seen. We have, therefore, the best authority for accepting the view of the former presence of a local glacier down the valley of the Connecticut and its tributaries, which is illustrated by the most common of the striæ in Littleton.
This ice was thick enough to cover all of Littleton and the Gardner Mountain range, and hence exceeded 2000 feet in thick- ness. Its eastern border must have been a contour line of 2000 feet adjacent to Littleton, and 1800 feet as far south as Hanover. The same line of altitude would determine its limits on the Vermont side of the valley. Mount Ascutney, in Windsor, Vt., seems to have been an island or a measuring rod by which to determine the thickness of the ice at that latitude ; and perhaps 2500 feet may represent the height of the glacier. The projecting top was thus what is called in Greenland a Nunatak.
The course of the Connecticut River along the northerly town line is about S. 70° W., being turned much to the west from its general direction. Being at right angles to the ice-movement in its earlier stages, the valley was sheltered from the direct impact of the ice, and seems to have furnished a lodging-place for the débris pushed along. It is said no ledge is exposed along the fifteen-miles falls, except near the mouth of the Passumpsic ; everywhere else the material is what geologists call till, or the ground-moraine, the ice-borne stones and sand. Could we dig down to the underlying ledges they would all be found smoothed and striated, as is the case universally elsewhere in the township. These facts indicate, first, a movement to smooth the rock, and, secondly, an accumulation of material.
Not till after the publication of the State Report was attention called to the existence of terminal moraines in connection with the ice-sheet. Such have been determined in the southern borders of New England and west of Hudson's River; and now it would appear that such deposits can be identified in and about Littleton. First, let any one travel to the northeast. For two miles northerly from Alder Brook the number of large boulders is incalculable. They are of gneiss and porphyritic granite of large size, too great to permit more than scanty clearings of the ground for agricultural purposes. They have not been transported far, because the ledges beneath are of much the same character. I hardly know of any other place in the State where there is such a tremendous array of stones. Yet, if one looks about him, at Quebec Junction in Whitefield and for a mile or two south, he will be confronted by a
29
The Geology of Littleton.
similar array of boulders, perhaps the direct continuation of the moraine near Alder Brook.
East of the village of Littleton there is a large array of irregular hills of drift, into which excavations have been made in grading streets and in digging for the foundations of houses. These are in shape and mode of accumulation perfectly like the moraines of glaciers. Again, Mount Eustis is a mound of till. There is not a ledge anywhere about its higher part ; and hence it is surely composed of transported material. In our search for the len- ticular hills (or drumlins) in the south part of the State, it was proved satisfactorily that if a ledge was to be found anywhere about a hill it would be at the summit, because the moving of the ice would have pushed off anything where rock was present. Hence this mountain is a sample of a moraine. Just above it was stated that the ice pushed through the gap for the Waterford road in the direction S. 25° E., as indicated by the stria. Now Eustis Mountain lies directly in the path of this movement. Can any one doubt, therefore, the origin of the mountain ? The ice crowded the materials before it through the gap, and found the east side of the valley a barrier not easily surmounted. Hence the drift was piled up as much as 400 feet above its base as a terminal moraine.
Probably the next place for the lodgment of the ice-carried débris was at Partridge Pond, or above Young's Pond in Lyman. At both localities are rounded hills of till like the typical moraines. It is fifteen miles from Quebec Junction to Partridge Pond ; and it seems quite proper to believe that this nearly continuous pile of débris and stones is to be considered as a part of the great terminal moraine of the ice-sheet. Its further limits may be determined by investigation.
Another point of interest in this connection is a speculation as to the origin of the open valley from Eustis Mountain across to Parker Brook. When the glacier was pushing rubbish across the valley débris would accumulate at its terminus, but there would be much clear ice behind. So when the ice ceased to be urged forward, and melting ensued, there would be first a pond or river to the north of the moraine, and eventually only a valley. The streams washing out the finer parts of the till along the Ammo- noosuc did not bring down enough to fill up this basin ; so that now it remains as a witness to the truth of our conjecture respect- ing the former presence of ice.
MODIFIED DRIFT. - The water arising from the melting of the ice could not fail to be very abundant, and also to deposit much
30
History of Littleton.
sediment. The beautiful terraces, like those just to the west and south of the village, were formed in this way. Three streams -the Ammonoosuc and two tributaries - combined to form the exten- sive terrace upon which the cemetery is situated, and its highest part may be 75 feet above the Ammonoosuc. On the Connecticut the terraces are scarce, the most extensive being little deltas pushed into the main stream by the tributaries. At the extreme west corner of the town and opposite Lower Waterford, the modi- fied drift is more plentiful. It consists of irregular hillocks of sand, barren of vegetation, and drifted by the wind in some places, rising to 200 feet above the Connecticut. It is the great slope of the river that seems to have prevented the accumulation of terraces through Littleton, since both above and below the fifteen-mile falls the slopes are gradual, and the terraces widespread.
The theory of origin, as stated in the report, for the terraces is that they were formed by erosion from a flood plain. The enlarged river, swollen by the melting of the ice, brought along the rubbish derived from the ice itself, and filled up the whole valley, wherever the sediment was sufficiently abundant. It was the flood plain, much like the meadow or intervale of a high pitch of the river. As soon as the flood subsided the river cut its way down through the sand, leaving plains of greater or less extent. As the water did not subside immediately, there was opportunity for the forma- tion of these plains at successive levels. There may be three of them near the village. From careful observations of the altitudes of these terraces all the way from Long Island Sound to Connecti- cut Lake, it has been found that there is a normal high terrace considerably constant in altitude, with a slope corresponding to the pitch of the stream. Were the river formerly a succession of lakes, the terraces or margins should be level, at least over the districts comparable to the expansions of the water.
ANCIENT EARTHQUAKE. - From one exposure of the glaciation of a ledge it is possible to see evidences of a powerful earthquake since the ice age. It is on a ledge just below a gateway near the summit of Kilburn's Crag. The glacial smoothings with striæe are abundant over several square yards of surface ; but segments of the slate have been crowded up (or down) a quarter of an inch since the glaciation was effected. When made, the smoothing must have been continuous ; now one part of the ledge, with the striæ upon it, is a quarter of an inch higher than what is adjacent, and the change is abrupt. These jogs in the ledge are small faults made by the same crowding from one side that has lifted up the mountains ; or, to speak in accordance with what would
31
The Geology of Littleton.
have been noticed at the time of disturbance, an observer must have felt a severe earthquake shock, probably more powerful than anything ever experienced in the whole history of the settlement of the town. This is the first disturbance of this nature described from any part of New England. Now that attention has been called to their existence, other illustrations will be discovered.
ROCKS OF LITTLETON.
SEDIMENTARY TERRANES.
QUATERNARY S
Modified Drift.
Glacial Till.
HELDERBERG
Coarse Conglomerates.
UPPER SILURIAN
S Sandstones.
Niagara Limestone and Slate.
S Swift Water Series.
SILURIAN
¿ Coos Mica Schists and Quartzites.
LOWER SILURIAN or CAMBRIAN
Hydro-mica Schist Group.
UNSTRATIFIED ROCKS.
S Diabase.
BASIC ERUPTIVES
Diorite.
METAMORPHIC
Diorite.
ERUPTIVES
Hornblendite.
Granite.
ACIDIC ERUPTIVES
3 Protogene.
Porphyritic Granite.
LIST OF MINERALS OCCURRING IN LITTLETON.
Gold.
Arsenopyrite.
Apatite.
Galenite.
Hematite.
Calcite.
Sphalerite.
Menaccanite.
Dolomite.
Pyrrhotite.
Magnetite.
Ankerite.
Pyrite.
Limonite.
Siderite.
Chalcopyrite.
Quartz.
Malachite.
Bornite.
SILICATES.
Pyroxene (augite).
Biotite.
Tourmaline.
Hornblende.
Anorthite.
Fibrolite.
Garnet.
Labradorite.
Chlorite.
Epidote.
Orthoclase.
Sericite.
Muscovite.
Oligoclase.
Blueberry Mountain Argillites.
32
History of Littleton.
III.
BOTANY.
THE FLOWERING PLANTS OF LITTLETON.
BY CLARENCE MOORES WEED, D. Sc.
T HE flora of Littleton is typical of Northern New England. The situation beside the Connecticut River, and within the morning shadow of the White Hills, gives the town a peculiar in- terest to the student of natural history. The woods and fields are rich in birds and flowers, while the mountain vistas are a continual delight to the lover of the outdoor world.
This brief sketch of the flowering plants of Littleton is founded upon the appended list, which is the result of the observations of Rev. M. V. B. Knox, Miss Flora S. Beane, Miss Stella B. Farr, Mr. and Mrs. G. F. Morris, and Miss Isabella M. Parks. The writer has made several visits to the town, and thus become familiar with its general features.
The Crowfoot family (Ranunculacec) is well represented in the Littleton flora. The first on the list and one of the most abundant is the familiar Virgin's Bower. In August its white flowers adorn the roadsides and the margins of streams, as in October its feathery fruits lend a peculiar grace to the same situa- tions. The Purple Virgin's Bower is a much rarer species, the handsome purple blossoms of which are occasionally to be seen in rocky situations in May or June. The abundant Wind-flower or Wood Anemone is the commonest species of the second genus, and is indeed one of the most characteristic blossoms of early spring. During April and May its pink-tinged white flowers are to be seen everywhere along roadsides and in open groves, sway- ing in the breeze. From its appearance you would not expect to find it closely related to its cousin, the Virginian Anemone, which bears its greenish-white flowers on the ends of stems two or three feet high, blossoming in June and July. The Liverwort or Hepat- ica, however, you would easily believe to be related to the Wood Anemone, its blossoms are so similar. Two varieties of Hepatica
33
Botany.
occur - the Round-leaved and the Acute-leaved, but it is a dis- tinction with little difference. Both are found in the same wet places, blooming early in spring, with the flowers varying from white to purple.
Two species of Meadow Rue succeed each other in our flora. The Early Meadow Rue is a common plant two or three feet high, having small flowers with purplish-green sepals that soon fall off, leaving only the inconspicuous stamens to call attention to the blossom. It blooms in early spring. The Fall Meadow Rue fre- quently attains in rich wet meadows, where it is most commonly found, a height of four feet. Its white flowers are more con- spicuous in July than were those of the other species in May. We also have five species of the typical genus of the Crowfoot family - Ranunculus. These are the Crowfoots or Buttercups, of which at least three species blossom in May -the Small-flowered Crowfoot, the Bulbous Crowfoot, and the Hook-seeded Crowfoot. The Bristly Buttercup, with its inconspicuous blossoms, appears in summer, as does the Fall or Bitter species, the latter continuing to bloom into September. In general form and color, the Marsh Marigold resembles the Buttercups, but it is found more in marshes or along slow-running streams, where its golden flowers add a de- cided charm to the spring landscape. Just within the woods the interesting little Goldthread may be found. The small white flowers rise singly on slender stems from the golden root-stocks, which run along beneath the softening fallen leaves. " If you ex- amine the flower you will find the sepals white and petal-like ; the stamens small and numerous ; the pistils with large curved stig- matic surfaces. But the petals will puzzle you. Between and in front of each pair of sepals there arises a peculiar column which gradually enlarges from below upwards, and finally terminates in a cup-like disk, yellow with a white centre. The surface of this cup is covered with a transparent, sticky, semi-liquid substance. These remarkable columns are petals transformed into nectaries." 1 Small fungus-gnats visit these nectaries, and in so doing pollenize the blossoms.
Few of the spring plants are more strikingly decorative in color and outline than the beautiful Wild Columbine, sometimes incorrectly called the honeysuckle. Every one who knows any flowers by name must be familiar with this species, for in May its pendent blossoms adorn rocky ledges along roads and streams in all New England. Two species of Baneberry also occur in our woods - the Red and the White. The blossoms of both are white
1 Weed, " Ten New England Blossoms," p. 68.
VOL. I .- 3
34
History of Littleton.
and small individually, though so clustered together as to make a mass visible for some distance. The flowers appear in May, while the berries to which the plants owe their common names are seen throughout the latter part of the summer.
The Blue Cohosh or Pappoose-root is the most abundant mem- ber of the Barberry family. It is found in rich damp woods, where its leafy stems attain a height of about two feet, the blossoms, which appear in May, being greenish and inconspicuous. The common Barberry, with its racemes of yellow flowers, followed by the handsome red berries, is the type of the family, and has been introduced from Europe, though now naturalized in many parts of New England.
The beautiful and sweet-scented White Water Lily is one of the most attractive of the summer flowers. Resting on the water of pond or lake, where it opens its spotless petals at the call of the sunshine, it always makes a pretty picture, the more striking be- cause of the dark background before which it is generally placed. The Yellow Pond Lily, which occurs in similar situations, though more generally distributed, has a less spotless beauty, but it never- theless is a handsome and interesting plant. These two repre- sentatives of the Water Lily family differ greatly from the single member of the Pitcher Plant family - the Purple Sarracenia or common Pitcher Plant, sometimes also called the Side-saddle Flower, an account of the unique blossoms which it puts forth in June. This species is found in spruce bogs, where its strange pitcher-leaves are full of water, in which unsuspecting insects are entrapped. The next species on the list - the Bloodroot of the Poppy family - is also very different both in appearance and hab- itat. Its evanescent, pure white flowers adorn the borders of woods for a short time in April and May. It is much more deco- rative than the other member of this family -the Celandine - that is to be seen sometimes as a weed along by-ways. This latter is a waif from Europe.
The familiar Dutchman's Breeches is abundant in rich woods, where its delicate leaves and peculiar cream and white blossoms are very pretty early in spring. By many people it seems to be con- fused with the closely related Squirrel Corn, found in the same sort of situation and blossoming at the same period. But the two are at once distinguished by the shape of the flower, which in the latter is heart-shaped. The Pale Corydalis is another plant of the Fumitory family, to which these two belong, having generally a taller stem, and growing in open rocky places. The odd flowers are of a pale purple or rose-colored hue. The typical Fumitory of
35
Botany.
1128568
this family occasionally occurs as a weed in unoccupied soil in or near gardens.
About fifteen species of the great Mustard family occur in the Littleton flora. These include the Pepper-root, Bitter-Cress, Rock-Cress, Marsh-Cress, Black Mustard, Kale, Charlock, Pepper- grass, and Shepherd's Purse, many of them being abundant and vexatious weeds. Two species of the Rock-rose family occur in this flora - the Frost-weed and the Pin-weed.
The valley of the Connecticut river, especially northward, is delightfully rich in violets, which in May and June appeal to every lover of the beautiful in nature. The common Blue Violet is abundant everywhere, while the Arrow-leaved Violet, the Selkirk Violet, and the Long-spurred Violet are the rarer species. The Sweet or White Violet in two varieties, the Round-leaved, the Downy Yellow, and the Dog Violet are all to be found with little trouble.
The Pink family is represented by about a dozen species in the Littleton region. Perhaps the most conspicuous of these is the familiar Bouncing Bett, to be found around so many old home- steads, where it has escaped from cultivation. In similar situa- tions one is likely to find the Bladder Campion and Sleepy Catchfly, while various species of Chickweed are generally dis- tributed. The common "Pusley," known to every one who has spent a summer in a garden, is the most troublesome member of the Purslane family, though its cousin, the Spring-Beauty, is one of the dearest of flowers, in May carpeting the open woods with its lovely pink blossoms.
The St. Johnswort family is represented in this flora by six species, five of which belong to the typical genus Hypericum. As is so often the case, one of the commonest species, H. perforatum, is of European origin, its yellow flowers occurring in abundance during June. The Marsh St. Johnswort is a smaller plant, attain- ing a height of eight inches, and blooming in swamps from July to September. We are also indebted to Europe for four species of Mallow which occur commonly on waste lands. These all belong to Malva, the type genus of the Mallow family. The next order, that of the Lindens, contains but one native species, the Basswood or American Linden, one of the handsomest of our trees, and eagerly visited in June by hosts of bees, which rifle the blossoms of their nectar.
The Geranium family is represented by several interesting flow- ers. Among these are found two species of Geranium, the Herb Robert and the Carolina Geranium, two species of Impatiens -
36
History of Littleton.
the Pale and the Spotted Jewel Weed or Touch-me-not - and two specimens of Wood-Sorrel, the True and the Yellow. The Holly family is represented by but two species, the Black Alder or Win- terberry and the Mountain Holly, while the Vine family is repre- sented by the Frost Grape and the common Woodbine or Virginia Creeper. The Maple family has five species of Maples, adding much to the landscape beauty of the region, and at least three species of Sumach occur as representatives of the next group. The beautiful little Fringed Polygala is a charming flower, occur- ring in June upon the shaded hillsides, and is an excellent illus- tration of the Milkwort family.
The large and important order which includes the legumes - the so-called Pulse Family - has numerous representatives here. At least six species of Clover are included on the list, also two species of Melilot, one of Medick, two of Vetch, and four of Des- modium, the Tick-Trefoils. Here also comes the common Locust tree with its fragrant blossoms, and the interesting Ground-nut as well as its ally, the Hog Pea-nut.
The royal family of the Rose always holds an important place in the flora of a temperate region. Containing as it does herbs, shrubs, and trees, a great variety of vegetative form is found among its members. In New England the three species of Wild Cherries - Red, the Black, and the Choke-Cherry - are among the most conspicuous representatives of the family, although in neglected fields the two Spiraas - the Common Meadow-Sweet and the Hardhack or Steeple-Brush - are more numerous in individuals. The seven species of Rubus are also much in evidence, the large blossoms of the Purple Flowering Raspberry being of course the most conspicuous. Several species of Geum or Avens also occur; and two species of Wild Strawberry are common. The so-called Bar- ren Strawberry is not common, although it occasionally is found in Littleton. Three species of Cinquefoil or Five-Finger are com- mon, as well as one species of Agrimony. Two or three species of native wild roses are found, as well as the Cinnamon Rose, which occurs abundantly in the vicinity of old dwellings. The Choke- berry and the Mountain Ash are the native species of Pyrus, the genus which includes the apple and pear, while two species of Cra- tægus, the Hawthorn genus, are common. The last on the list of the Rose family is the familiar Shad-bush, whose masses of white blossoms so greatly enliven the spring landscape.
The Saxifrage family is represented in the Littleton flora by more than a dozen species. Two species of the typical genus, - the Rock Saxifrage and the Swamp Saxifrage, - are abundant,
37
Botany.
while two species of Mitrewort and one of False Mitrewort add much graceful beauty to the underwood in May. The Golden Saxifrage is found commonly in wet places, while the Grass of Parnassus is a much rarer plant. The genus Ribes, which includes the currant and gooseberry, is abundantly represented, seven species occurring in the flora.
The next family shows only two members, - the Mossy Stone- Crop and the Live-for-Ever, - while the next has but one represent- ative, which, however, is a plant of extraordinary interest : the Sundew is famous the world over as a catcher of insects, by the digestion of which it increases the supply of the nitrogenous mate- rials necessary for plant growth. The next order is represented by the common Witch-Hazel, and two species of the Water-Milfoil family are found, - the Mermaid-weed and Water Starwort. Of the Evening Primrose group there are several species present : one of the commonest in wet situations is the Water Purslane, while two sorts of Willow-herb are rather common and others apparently are found occasionally. Two species of Evening Primrose are abundant, as well as two kinds of Enchanter's Nightshade.
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