History of Chittenden County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 5

Author: Rann, W. S. (William S.)
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason & Co.
Number of Pages: 1054

USA > Vermont > Chittenden County > History of Chittenden County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 5

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GEOLOGICAL FORMATION OF THE COUNTY.

time and are forced to conclude that the whole region, except the tops of the mountains, was under water at some time during the Champlain period; and that this sea was inhabited by whales, and probably, if by these, by other ani- mals, we know from the bones which were found in Champlain clays at Char- lotte. These bones, which when placed in order, make up a fairly complete skeleton of a small whale, were in a layer of clay 150 feet above the present sea level. In the early part of the Champlain period, as we have seen, the whole surface of the country sank, but towards its close, probably, it was rising again and continued to rise in the next or Terrace period. By this elevation some of the river channels were changed, and many changes in the surface of the county brought about. The Winooski River before this ran, not by the Lime Kilns and under High Bridge, but took a shorter cut, running through a depression which, though very much above the present channel, is still depressed below the sur- rounding country, and may be noticed where it crosses the road southeast of High Bridge. By following this old channel from the road northwest, a gorge is reached where the river cut its way through the rocks, and on one side the cliffs are so plainly water-worn as to attract even a casual observer. Now this old channel has been raised and the river cut a new one since the beginning of the Terrace epoch. The formations which give the name to this epoch may be seen along any of our rivers and larger streams, as regular steps or terraces, rising one above another. At present they are more or less covered with turf, whose green, fresh growth often renders them very attractive. They vary greatly in size, number and regularity, even on the opposite sides of a stream. They are made of the drift of the former periods. In Essex the upper terraces on the Winooski are 250 feet above the lake, or 340 feet above the sea. In Hines- burg there are terraces 390 feet above the sea. On the Lamoille River there is a terrace 1, 120 feet above the sea. Terraces increase in height and number as we go north, for the elevation of the continent was greatest to the southward. And this brings us to the theory of terrace formation.

In examining the present river courses there is often found an old river bed very much wider and deeper than the present, and these beds were filled by the deposits of the Champlain period. As the land was re-elevated after the close of this period, the rivers would cut their channels through the sands and clays, forming each a bank or terrace. As the elevation continued, and with it the rapidity of the current increased, and as also the supply of water grew less, a new and narrower channel would be cut, and by a continuation of the same causes a third would be formed later, and so on. The same condi- tions would account for terraces anywhere in soft material, as well as in old river beds. With change of elevation in the land through which the river flowed, change in the velocity of the current and in the amount of water, a stream would, whether these conditions changed continuously or intermittently, from time to time change its channel and cut it deeper, if the changes were in

HISTORY OF CHITTENDEN COUNTY.

the direction mentioned; and the banks of the new channel would be lower and nearer together than were those of the old. In this way five or six ter- races have been formed along some of our rivers. The terraces do not always correspond each to a distinct period of elevation, for they may be formed, even several of them, during a long-continued elevation, or in other ways-as changes in the stream, or different degrees of firmness in the material. Any one of the conditions named, as those which have produced terraces, is by itself sufficient to form them. Necessarily the upper terraces are the oldest, since, from the manner in which they are formed, these must have come first, when the stream was largest and its flood plain most extensive. These are usually of coarser material than those lower. Dr. E. Hitchcock thus describes the general structure of terraces: " The most perfect terrace is an alluvial meadow, annually more or less overflowed and increased by a deposit of mud or sand. Except in rough mountain streams the material is rarely as coarse as pebbles, over an extensive surface, and they are distinctly stratified. Ascending to the second terrace, we almost invariably find it composed of coarser materials- clay beneath and sand or fine gravel above. The third terrace is usually a mixture of sand and gravel, the latter not very coarse, the whole imperfectly stratified, and also sorted-that is, the fragments in each layer have nearly the same size. The fourth terrace differs from the last by its coarser materials and more irregular surface. Above the terrace in our ascent from the river we find other accumulations of decidedly water-worn materials, generally coarser, the fragments of rolled and smoothed rock being sometimes a foot or two in diameter ; coarse sand, however, constitutes the greater part of the deposit. Its outline is rounded. In its longest direction it maintains essentially the same level, and often may be seen for many miles " (Geology of Vermont, Vol. I, page 94). These are supposed to be ancient sea beaches. Some of the upper terraces cover many acres, or even miles.

All the more important facts respecting terraces may be advantageously observed on the Winooski River. Here, as on most rivers, the terraces occur in groups or basins scattered along the course, and between these they may be either wanting or at least inconspicuous. Along the Winooski we find the lowest and last-formed terrace in the intervale north of the railroad track between the bridge and the tunnel, and other meadows similarly situated. This terrace is still forming, since at every flood deposits of sand, alluvium, etc., are left upon it. The next, or second terrace, is less extensive and appears. only in places along the river. It occurs between the mouth of the river and Appletree Point above the first, and it extends in a southerly direction to Rock Point. The road from North avenue to Mallet's Bay crosses the terraces for a short distance, but it runs mainly along the fourth terrace, which is much larger than the second or third, until it descends at Heineberg bridge to the first, which it crosses, and rises from this to the third, which forms the high bank

GEOLOGICAL FORMATION OF THE COUNTY.

beyond the Mallet's Bay House. On the road to Colchester, beyond Mallet's Bay, the fourth terrace is soon reached and may be followed for miles. Again these four terraces are crossed in going from the depot in Burlington to the college, although the original form is well-nigh obliterated by grading. The depot, lumber yards and shops are on the first terrace, Battery street runs along the second, Church street is on the third, and the high-school building on the fourth ; while the university buildings, and indeed Prospect street, is on a ridge of modified drift rising above the highest terrace. The fourth terrace is of great extent. Concerning it Dr. Hitchcock remarks: "This great terrace may be regarded as a delta terrace, extending from Richmond to Rock Point. When the lake was at the level of its summit this terrace must have occupied, besides its present situation, the whole of the valley of the Winooski below Richmond, so that, had the water dried up suddenly, there would have been presented to the eye a vast unbroken plain of sand from Rock Point to Rich- mond, and from Mallet's Bay, Colchester, and Milton on the north to Williston and South Burlington on the south. Since that period the Winooski has cut out its present channel and formed the lower terrace, and also tributary streams have done their part in excavating their own beds and forming their terraces, while the level of the lake and of the channel of the Winooski were gradually sinking." Inasmuch as the marine shells already mentioned are found in the clay just beneath the sands of the upper terrace, it seems not improbable that it was formed at the delta of the Winooski in the ocean or that part of the ocean which extended down the Champlain valley, and, as the channel of the river sank, the current cut its way through the previously deposited delta. Following the Winooski, five specimens of terrace formation are seen between High Bridge and Essex Junction, and at intervals from there on to Montpelier and beyond.

At some time in the Quaternary, exactly when we may not be able to state, the country was sufficiently settled to afford a habitation to great beasts, the largest land animals that have ever lived. Both the elephant and the mastodon roamed the forests of Vermont, for remains of both have been found in the State, at Richmond and Mount Holly. As these animals browsed the twigs of trees, we know that trees must have existed at the same time, and we also know that this was the case from bits of fossil wood which are found in the drift. It is probable that the vegetable life of the Quaternary was substan- tially like that which now grows over northern North America, and the same, it is believed, is true of the lower forms of animal life; but the highest animals. were different in many respects from those now living in this region. We have seen how, in the first period of the Quaternary, valleys were plowed out, mountains were ground down, rock masses torn and pulverized by the onward movement of the great glacier. Many lake basins were also excavated. Then in the Champlain period this material was distributed over the country, valleys.

HISTORY OF CHITTENDEN COUNTY.

filled, bare ledges covered, and the surface made less rugged and uneven. Then, in the Terrace period, the finishing process went further ; the rivers, reduced from their previous gigantic proportions, excavate and flow in their present channels. All this brought the earth into something like its present condition and fitted it as it probably never had been for the abode of man. By the ordinary processes of weathering ages upon ages must pass before great masses of soil could have been formed from the solid ridges of the Silurian or any other time, but the titanic forces engaged during Quaternary time in a comparatively short time accomplished this great service. We have seen how this region rose during the first period, then sank, so that for a time all except the mountain tops was under water, and it should be noticed that at this time great masses would break off from the glacier and float over the country as icebergs, which in their own way would transport, scratch and tear off the rock masses against which they came. Then this country rose again to its present height. We have seen how all vegetation, driven away or destroyed in the early Quaternary, returned at last, and elephants and allied beasts fed upon the fresh twigs of those ancient forests. At the close of the Quaternary, Lake Champlain was defined about as it is at present. The land on the north had risen so high that all communication with the sea was cut off, the present system of rivers was established, and marine life either perished or accommo- dated itself to the new order of things, as did some of the fishes and some maritime plants which still linger even from those remote days ; for, although latest of geological time, they are far more ancient than the oldest written his- tory.

The life of the entire globe has its exponent in the life of Chittenden county, which we have seen developing from a few sea-weeds and sundry species of worms, mollusks and trilobites in the Cambrian-interesting and wonderful animals for those so near the beginning of life-through the increas- ing variety and complexity of form found in the Trenton, and over the im- mense silence of the intervening time when this county was dry land and undoubtedly inhabited, but of which there is no record, to the Quaternary, when vegetation like the present, and animals of the highest grade, perhaps including man himself, lived here, and the county was, so far as physical feat- ures are concerned, completed. Is not that true, which was said at first, that the history of this small area is a strange one? And yet every step has its evi- dent meaning ; and when, in those remote Silurian times, limestone, or sand- stone, or shale was being slowly deposited, it was in accordance with the far- reaching plan which included the whole. Chittenden county is what it is to- day, because it was what it was then and during all the ages since. Each con- tributed its share towards the completed whole; nothing was haphazard, nor without design.

INDIAN OCCUPATION AND RELICS.

CHAPTER II.

INDIAN OCCUPATION AND RELICS.1

Unsettled Condition of American Archaeology-Evidences of Indian Occupation in this Vicinity-Iroquois and Algonkins- Ancient Settlements in Chittenden County-How Indian Villages were Made-Origin and Relative Age of Vermont Implements-Materials of Imple- ments-Earthenware-Stone-Varieties of Axes -- Pipes, Arrows, and Spear Points-Impor- tance of Preserving Specimens.

T HE profound past of geology is connected with the recent past of history by a period of unknown extent, our knowledge of which is somewhat vague and uncertain. Its story is recorded in a manner wholly unlike that of geology or history, and is to be interpreted by methods peculiar to itself. This history, which is prehistoric, is archaeology. American archaeology is, as a science, in a somewhat crude and unsettled condition. Before even a toler- ably complete system can be arranged for this country, years of investigation and discovery must pass away. Nevertheless very much that is valuable has been obtained, and this must lead to that which is still more important. Few parts of the North American continent are older, geologically, than is the re- gion in which this county is located, but it may be doubted whether this is true archæologically, and when we compare the probable age of even our oldest relics with that of similar specimens from the Old World, it does not seem likely that they are of so great antiquity. And yet some of our stone objects have been obtained from yellow subsoil, two feet or more below a surface which shows no sign of ever having been disturbed, so that it is not impossible that future study and discovery may lead us to refer our most ancient stone imple- ments to a much more remote period than we have been accustomed to do. How long a time after the close of the Quaternary period, when this region was fully prepared for the residence of man, it remained unoccupied, we do not know and may never know. Most probably the interval between historic and geological time is much less in the Old World than in the New, for in the former history reaches back not two or three hundred, but more than as many thousand years, and archaeology has there been far more completely developed and reduced to order than has been possible here, so that the interval between the present and the geological past is well-nigh bridged. Because of our lack of such historical aids as well as from the nature of the region it is not prob- able that we shall ever be able to present the archaeology of the Champlain valley in such regular and orderly array as may be done in the case of some parts of Europe. We may not even say with confidence which of our imple- ments are oldest.

I Prepared by Professor George H. Perkins.

HISTORY OF CHITTENDEN COUNTY.

When America is compared with India, Egypt, or other parts of the East, its antiquities seem of little importance or interest, and they have not attracted very much attention, certainly not from European students, until comparatively recent years ; and if the archaeology of America as a whole appears barren and uninteresting, what shall we say of that region which is perhaps its most barren portion ? Certainly one might travel over our State, going through every part, or even live many years within its borders, and not so much as suspect that there were any materials for archaeological study. Probably many have done so. There are in Vermont no ruins, no mounds, nothing to attract the attention of the casual observer, nothing that can be pointed out to strangers ; nevertheless there is a history of Vermont which has as yet been written only in part, and cannot be without further study and discovery, although it is a history which is full of strange interest. It is a history written, not on paper or parchment, but on flakes of stone, bits of corroded copper and fragments of earthenware. Its records are stored, not in government archives, but in the ground beneath our forests and meadows. They are to be opened by means of the shovel and pick used with unlimited patience and labor. Such records can only be deciphered slowly and laboriously, and when read we cannot always be sure that they are read aright. When we first begin our task, these bits of stone and burnt clay seem very indecipherable characters from which to glean a history of prehistoric Vermont, and to learn the manners and customs of the savage tribes who occupied this region before white men ever set foot upon it. Yet by diligent and careful study of this apparently unpromising material we may gain not a little that shall prove interesting and valuable. No one at all familiar both with the habits of the Indian tribes of this country and with the physical features of the Champlain valley, especially that portion of it which is now Western Vermont, can doubt that at some time it was occu- pied by these people, because here are found all the conditions required by the ordinary life of either roving tribes or village Indians. On this account we should expect to find in Chittenden county and over the adjacent region abun- dant evidence of former occupation. In this expectation, however, we are dis- appointed in some measure. We do find some such evidence, but by no means is it so conclusive and abundant as might be desired. The earliest historical evidence we have is that of Champlain, who explored the lake which now bears his name in 1609, sailing from the mouth of the Sorel with a party of Algonkins. These Indians occupied Canada and were subject to frequent and troublesome raids which the Iroquois made upon them from the north, these latter holding the territory which is now Vermont, New York, and farther west. In Champlain's time, because of the hostility of the Algonkins, the Iro- quois had abandoned many of their settlements in the Champlain valley. He says that " four beautiful islands," which, from his account, must have been Grand Isle and the neigboring islands, were, according to his guides, formerly

INDIAN OCCUPATION AND RELICS.

inhabited, but because of wars, not then. The region was not wholly deso- late, for this explorer tells us that as he sailed on beyond these islands he saw towards the east very high mountains capped with snow, and these could have been no other then Mansfield and Camel's Hump. He asked if the country about these mountains was inhabited, and his savage friends told him that they were by Iroquois, who cultivated fields of grain and vegetables. However, if we may judge by the evidence of the stone implements, etc., that we now find, Vermont for the most part was not generally inhabited in 1600. It was a battle-field and a hunting-ground rather than the home of peaceful tribes. Undoubtedly many a little fleet of canoes glided along its shores, and many a band of dusky warriors crept through its forests, but they did not come to settle; the sounds that broke the silence of the forest were not those of home life, the noise of labor or the cries of children, but rather the horrid revelry about the stake of some tortured captive, or the war whoop and death yell. The first settlers did not enter this region until more than a hundred years after Champlain's visit, and no permanent settlement was established here until 1749. If the Iroquois ever had permanent settlements here they were given up by this time, although roving bands of various tribes doubtless crossed the State from time to time. But there were at this time, or somewhat later, set- tlements of St. Francis Indians, a minor tribe of Algonkins. It does not seem probable that the Iroquois ever crossed the Green Mountains, unless it may be that now and then a hunting party wandered beyond them. The Algon- kins, however, were as numerous east of this range as west. In the history of Coos county Rev. G. Powers mentions a settlement at Newbury which was probably Algonkin. He says, quoting from a letter the accuracy of which he affirms : " On the high ground east of the mouth of Cow Meadow Brook, and south of the three large projecting rocks, were found many indications of an old and extensive Indian settlement. There were many stone implements. , Heads of arrows, large quantities of ashes, and the ground burnt over to a great extent, are some of the marks of a long residence there. On the meadow, forty or fifty rods below, near the rocks in the river, was evidently a burying ground. When the first settlers came here the remains of a fort were still visible on the Ox Bow. The size of the fort was plain to be seen. Trees as large as a man's thigh were growing in the circumference of the old fort. A profusion of white flint-stones and heads of arrows may yet be seen scattered over the ground." (Historical Sketches, etc., of Coos County and Vicinity ; by Rev. Grant Powers; 1841, pp. 39-40.) In Hoskins's History of Vermont we find the following: "The Mohicans, a minor tribe of the Iroquois,

claimed jurisdiction and had an occasional residence in Vermont. Antiquities of an Indian character are discovered in many parts of the State, particularly upon the largest rivers and Lake Champlain. On the island of South Hero they had a settlement near the sand bar that crosses the lake into Milton ;

HISTORY OF CHITTENDEN COUNTY.

and another in Colchester, on what are denominated Indian Fields. The St. Francis Indians had a settlement of about fifty huts, and a considerable quan- tity of cleared land, on which they raised corn, in Swanton." (History of the State of Vermont, etc. Nathan Hoskins; 1831, p. 23.) This last named set- tlement appears to have been of considerable duration, and to have been well and painfully known to the settlers even as far away as Massachusetts and Connecticut, for from it bands were continually setting forth seeking scalps and booty, both of which they too often succeeded in getting. These settlements are mentioned, although outside of the limits of this county, because their oc- cupants had more or less to do with the region, coming here to hunt and fish, passing back and forth through it on their forays, and in many ways identifying themselves with it. As to the ancient settlements our knowledge is necessarily less definite ; but that there were such there can be no doubt, for, besides Champlain's testimony, we find here and there evidence sufficient to convince us that there was a time, and it appears to have been wholly prehistoric, when a considerable population inhabited Western Vermont.

How many places there are in this county in which there are indications of ancient habitation is not known; for there are undoubtedly some, perhaps many, that have not been noticed ; but we find them here and there in every part of the area. In Essex there are several sandy knolls, over which flint chips, bits of pottery, and occasionally wrought bits of stone, or even perfect implements, are scattered. Sometimes the sand is filled with these witnesses of former occupation, to a depth of several inches. I think we may regard any locality in which fragments of pottery are numerous as a probable village site ; for earthenware as made by the Indians was fragile and cost much labor, and it is not supposable that they carried much of it with them when off on a short expedition, but only when they intended to establish a more or less permanent camp. At Porter's Point, in Colchester, there was another settlement ; for here we find, besides the flint chips, earthenware, etc., evidences of ancient hearths in charcoal layers and burnt stones. At this place large fragments of earthenware-indeed we have nearly all the fragments of two large jars-were buried several feet in the sand. Some of these I took from the side of a bank where the river had removed the land, five or six feet below the surface, and over them, that is at the surface, was a layer of black earth several inches in thickness, upon which were pines growing. All this shows that the settlement here was very ancient. About Mallet's Bay so many implements have been found that we must believe that somewhere in the neighborhood there was a settlement. And one may say the same of Colchester Point. So, too, on the intervale near the railroad bridge at the foot of Prospect street there are simi- lar indications of a former village. There may have been a settlement nearer the mouth of the river, on the Van Ness farm ; for there is a clump of chest- nut trees, the only ones growing in this part of the State, though they are

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History of Chittenden County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 5

Author: Rann, W. S. (William S.) Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason & Co. Number of Pages: 1054

Author: Rann, W. S. (William S.)
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason & Co.
Number of Pages: 1054