USA > Vermont > The Lake Champlain and Lake George valleys, Vol II > Part 3
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The Indian history of this county is somewhat similar to that of Chittenden. We find many interesting sites of temporary settlements, where bands of Indians were accustomed to camp in the summer months to hunt and engage in crude agriculture. Here we find relics indicating the presence of both Algonquins and Iroquois. At the height of the League of the Iroquois, when much of North America trembled before the might and ferocity of the Mohawks, Clinton County belonged as completely to the "People of the Long House" as did the soil on the banks of the Mohawk. Continually into the north passed bands of Iroquois in search of scalps and plunder, and seldom did they return empty-handed.
When France erected fortifications at Crown Point and deter- mined to make the Champlain Valley an integral part of her colonial empire, her Governor-General made grants of land here as well as in
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the south and east. In 1733, three of these seigniories were granted within the present townships of Champlain and Chazy, each fronting on Lake Champlain. The proprietors, however, were unable to sat- isfy the conditions specified in the grants with the result that they reverted to the Crown in 1741. In 1752 another seigniory was granted in the valley of the Chazy. This grant, also, was not of great importance because, as in other parts of the Champlain Valley,
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Frenchmen refused to settle except in the shadow of forts. French occupation was primarily military in its character, and when the arm- ies of the Bourbon King evacuated the valley, the French settlers fled with them. In Clinton County there was but one exception to this migration and his name was John La Frombois. He first came in 1763 to the town of Chazy and remained here much of the time until driven away by the English in 1776. He returned in 1784, and lived here until his death in 1810. He thus won the honor of being the first permanent white settler of Clinton County. According to the terms of the Treaty of Paris, the claims of the French grantees were to be recognized, but New York State made conflicting grants. This situation led to much bitter controversy and greatly retarded settle- ment with the result that, in 1775, there were but three feeble settle-
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ments in Clinton County. One of these was that of La Frombois, to which we have already referred. The others were at Plattsburgh and Peru.
During the Revolution, the greatest event associated with Clinton County was Arnold's naval engagement between Valcour Island and the western shore. The building of this American fleet and the stub- bornness of Arnold's defense has never been properly recognized by historians as a rule, some of them having entirely neglected the important part it played in the outcome of the Burgoyne campaign. In general it may well be said that the naval developments on Lake Champlain which occurred in 1776 made possible the American vic- tory at Saratoga the following year. The details of the events cul- minating in the battle of Valcour have been presented adequately in previous chapters, however, and there is no advantage in repetition here. During the War of 1812, Plattsburgh was of course the base of American operations, and in Plattsburgh Bay there occurred another great naval battle. Here it was that Thomas Macdonough won his great victory which prevented a British invasion up the Cham- plain Valley and made an honorable peace with England possible. Glorious as were Macdonough's achievements, however, this battle has also been discussed in detail elsewhere. Minor incidents con- nected with the War of 1812 will be presented in the paragraphs on the various townships. As a whole, the part played by Clinton County in our second war with England was outstanding.
In between the two wars occurred the first real development of this county as a place of settlement. Here we find four townships that constituted a section of the old Military Tract, which was laid out in 1786. Here also we find part of the lands granted after the Revolu- tion to refugees from Canada and Nova Scotia by the State of New York. Many land grants in Clinton County were comparatively small. In 1790 there were only 1,614 settlers, but this figure was increased to 3,916 in 1800, and 8,002 in 1810. During the War of 1812 there was a temporary loss. Afterward, however, the increase of population was rapid, the greatest numerical rise occurring between 1840 and 1850, at which time the 40,000 mark was passed. In 1870 there was a population total of 47,947, which was greater than the 1930 total of 46,687. In this last sixty year period there was a cer- tain amount of fluctuation up and down, and, from our point of view, perhaps the most interesting of these changes was the increase of
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2,789 between 1920 and 1930, a rise of approximately 6.4 per cent. At first, most of the trade was carried on with Canada, Clinton County's imports being grain and supplies, while her exports were primarily lumber, iron, peltry, pot and pearl ashes. Later, with the building of the Champlain Canal and the railroad lines connecting the valley with the coast, all this was changed. It was only natural that Plattsburgh should take the lead in the county's economic growth and should become a shipping point of lumber and iron ore. The growth of this settlement was gradual but sustained, the greater increase hav- ing been attained since 1900. In 1930 it was the largest city on Lake Champlain with the exception of Burlington, and exceeded in size all the communities in our five New York counties with the exception of Glens Falls, although its lead over Saratoga Springs was very small. The development of Clinton County has been more or less centered around this progressive metropolis, which quite definitely has a future. When the county was created in 1788 and named in honor of Gov- ernor Clinton, there was no question but that Plattsburgh would be the political and cultural center, as well as economic leader.
On the north, Clinton County is bounded by the Province of Que- bec, Canada, on the east by Lake Champlain, on the south by Essex County and on the west by Franklin County. Within its borders are several little lakes, the best known being Upper Chateaugay and Chazy lakes in Dannemora township. There are also several streams. Among these are the Saranac River, which enters Black Brook Town- ship from Franklin County and flows across the county in a north- easterly direction emptying into Lake Champlain at Plattsburgh; the Great Chazy River which seems to meander all over the extreme northern part of the county to feed Lake Champlain from the town of Champlain; the Little Chazy, the Salmon and others. Most famous of the streams connected with Clinton County, however, is the Ausable, which forms much of the boundary line dividing Clinton and Essex counties and which reaches Lake Champlain in Peru Township. All these streams are, in general, picturesque, while some are unsurpassed in beauty. Like the Chittenden County streams of the Winooski and the Lamoille, however, they are very temperamen- tal, and seem to become very playful whenever I visit them. I can- not say which is the more awe-inspiring situation : to see the Winooski waters carrying barns, pianos and automobiles along with bridges
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toward the lake, or to attempt to escape from the valley of the Ausable with the waters rising six inches an hour as they flood the highways. Clinton County's streams are far from tame and we are glad. That wild, uncertain element in their character enhances their attractiveness to a tired and bored world. Their swirling currents have all the vitality of youth. In general the surface of Clinton County is hilly and broken, while in the western and southwestern sections it is mountainous. The peaks are wild, rocky and broken and afford interesting scenery. Perhaps of greatest fame is Lyon Moun- tain because of its important position in the iron industry of this section.
First alphabetically among the townships of Clinton County is Altona in the north central section, bounded on the north by Mooers, on the east by Chazy, on the south by Dannemora and Beekmantown, and on the west by Ellenburg Township. It was originally covered by a dense wilderness and did not develop until the water power existing here was utilized. Chief among the streams is the southern branch of the Big Chazy River. The first settler of Altona was Simeon Wood, who brought his wife and nine children here in 1800. He originally was from Shoreham, Vermont, but had lived in Platts- burgh for some time. It was 1820 before the first sawmill was erected, but several others soon followed. Later the manufacture of lumber was conducted on a large scale. Tanneries, of course, developed as well. The first iron forge was established by Asa Reynolds in 1868 at Irona. At first ore was transported from Port Henry and Arnold Hill, but later it was brought from Lower Chateaugay Lake. It was carried by rail in summer and by teams in winter. Important villages never existed in this township. The development of settlements at both Irona and Altona were dependent upon the Ogdensburg and Champlain Railroad, which was put through in 1838. Altona is the youngest township in Clinton County, having been before 1857 a part of Chazy. At its first census in 1860 it reported 1,665 residents, while in 1865 it was within 14 of the 1930 total of 1,834. In between, however, there was considerable variation, for as early as 1875 Altona had a population of 3,445. The town has lost over five hundred people in the last twenty years. Perhaps this community's most interesting traditions are concerned with its first settler, Simeon Wood. It is said that his log hut con-
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tained a large fireplace, with a door at each end of the dwelling. When he needed firewood, it was his habit to hitch his horse to a log, lead her through one door, unfasten the timber and continue on out the other door. Whatever were the disadvantages of this prac- tice, he as least was able to supply logs for his fireplace that were large enough to heat his hut between times. Wood also had inter- esting experiences killing bears and hunting stray cattle. On one occasion he set out to find a cow belonging to General Woolsey in order to win a reward of a pair of new boots. He found her, but she was not intact and a huge bear guarded the remains. Although what was left of the cow was of little value, Wood had the satisfac- tion of killing the bear with a club.
Ausable is located in the extreme southeastern section of the county, bordered on the west by Black Brook, on the north by Peru and on the southeast by the Ausable River and Essex County. This township is not particularly well adapted to agriculture, but it boasts superb natural scenery. Here is the sublime and famous chasm of the Ausable River. Here the river plunges over a succession of beau- tiful falls into a narrow gorge containing a variety of highly inter- esting spectacles. Any written description cannot do justice to the treasures of Ausable Chasm. They must be seen to be properly appreciated. To begin with, the gorge is more or less of a sensation from the geologic angle. In addition there is a wide variety of inter- esting natural features, such as the Post Office with its sandstone pigeon-holes, Smuggler's Pass, the Hanging-Garden, the Devil's Pul- pit, the Sentinel, Cathedral Rocks, Bixby's Grotto, Hell Gate, Jacob's Ladder, caves and gorges. Collectively they constitute one of the Creator's masterpieces, and an inspiring sermon written indelibly in the sands of geologic time. They represent one of the major scenic attractions of an area noted for its natural beauty. A lesser geo- graphic feature of Ausable Township is Arnold Hill in the north- western corner, famous for its iron deposits, and already referred to as a source of supply for Altona's iron works.
As early as 1765 the Ausable River was explored as far as the chasm by that great pioneer, William Gilliland, concerning whom we will have much to say in the history of Essex County. For a long time afterward, however, there was no development. It was 1794 before the first settlers arrived from Massachusetts, at which time
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Ausable was a part of the township of Peru. Mills were constructed at an early time, as was to be expected, and in 1810 at Clintonville the first forge on the Ausable River was erected. In these early times salmon were plentiful, and the settlers were accustomed to spear them at night by the light of fat-pine fires. According to the testimony of these fishermen, salmon were never seen south of the Ausable, although they ran up the Saranac and Chazy rivers farther north.
Much of Ausable township was originally included in Platt's pat- ent. When the town of Peru was incorporated in 1792, this territory included Ausable, a situation which lasted until 1839. On that date Ausable became a township in its own right, being fittingly named for its famed stream, which in English signifies "river of sand." One of the interesting resolutions passed by the town's political fathers prohibited geese from running at large on the public highways under penalty of fifty cents. The principal village of Ausable Township is Keeseville, although a part of it lies across the river in Essex County. It was named in honor of the Keese family, and was incor- porated in 1878. Here we find a picturesque arch bridge, said to be the oldest of its kind in the United States. At the time of its first census in 1840, the township of Ausable had a population of 3,222, which increased to a maximum of 4,492 ten years later. A decline then set in and by 1930 it had shrunk to 1,868. Of this number 1,025 were to be found in Keeseville. The village has not changed much in population in recent years, with a total of 1,794 in 1930, of whom 769 were to be discovered inside the borders of Essex County.
Beekmantown is bordered on the south by Plattsburgh, on the west by Dannemora, on the north by Altona and Chazy, and on the east by Lake Champlain. It is primarily an agricultural township, and when we consult statistics concerning production and improved land acreage, we find that Beekmantown has ranked high among Clin- ton County communities. Until 1820 it was a part of Plattsburgh Township and until 1854 it included Dannemora. As early as 1825 its population of 1,51I was approximately the same as in 1930 (1,533), although it rose as high as 3,384 in 1850. An interesting resolution adopted in 1820 licensed innkeepers and provided that they should "not suffer any gaming, playing with cards or dice, or keep any billyard table, or other gaming table or shuffle-board, within the inn or tavern by them kept, or within any out-house, yard, or gar-
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den belonging thereunto," with a penalty of $150 threatened in case of violations. The first permanent settler was General Benjamin Mooers who, after serving in the Revolution, settled here in 1783 at Point au Roche (Rocky Point), which juts out into Lake Cham- plain toward Isle LaMotte. Until his death in 1838 he was a lead- ing figure of Clinton County, being its first sheriff, and also its treas- urer for forty-two years. During the War of 1812 he was prominent in the events centering around Plattsburgh and was a major-general of militia. His services were particularly valuable at the time of the British siege in September, 1814. By virtue of its geographical loca- tion, Beekmantown was bound to be thoroughly involved in the mili- tary strategy of this war. It would be impossible to state how many groups of soldiers, regulars or militia, marched across it or camped within its confines. Probably one of the most dramatic incidents from the history of Beekmantown is concerned with the wild, panicky flight of Prevost's seasoned veterans of the Napoleonic wars northward toward Canada. So rapid was the British retreat that their army had passed through Beekmantown before the Americans at Platts- burgh were aware that the enemy had gone.
Black Brook Township forms the southwestern corner of Clinton County. On the west it borders Franklin County; on the south, Essex County ; on the north, Saranac; on the north and east, Peru; and on the east, Ausable. Its surface is rocky and mountainous, unsuitable for cultivation, yet very pleasing to the human eye. Across its north- west corner runs the Saranac River, while along part of the southern border we find the waters of the Ausable. The town derives its name, however, from a third stream, which has been important in the evolution of the community. The settlement and growth of Black Brook Township was based on the timber that covered the slopes and the iron ore that was found under the surface. The development of this town once more draws our attention to the number of forges built at one time or another in this section of the Adirondacks. The first settler in Black Brook was an eccentric individual named Zepha- niah Palmer, who came here some time prior to 1825 to the vicin- ity of Palmer Hill. In that year a two-gate sawmill was erected at Ausable Forks. 1832 marked the beginning of the iron industry, the most important company being that formed by James and John Rogers. Before 1839 Black Brook was a part of Peru, but on that
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date became a separate political community. The principal village has been and is Ausable Forks, a place of charm and interest. At the time of the first census in 1840, Black Brook had a population of 1,064, but passed the 3,000 mark in 1855. With the decline of the early industries there was a decrease in population and in 1930 there were 1,692 inhabitants.
Next we come to the town of Champlain, which today has a larger population than any other township in Clinton County, and which is only exceeded by the city of Plattsburgh. It is located in the extreme northeastern corner, north of Chazy, east of Mooers, and is bordered on the north by Quebec Province, Canada, and on the east by Lake Champlain. It is particularly fitting that it should have been named in honor of that great French explorer, the first white man to pass by from Canada on his way up the Champlain Valley. Cham- plain was one of the four original townships of Clinton County when created in 1788. At that time it included, in addition to its present boundaries, the modern townships of Altona, Chazy, Clinton, Ellen- burg and Mooers, and also the Franklin County town of Chateaugay. In 1804 it was reduced to its present size by the creation of Chazy and Mooers. The main river is the Chazy, which meanders uncer- tainly across the township and forms a junction with the Corbeau just before it enters Lake Champlain. The first settlers, other than the French, were Canadian and Scotch refugees who, after the Revo- lution, were given grants of land by New York on which they could dwell in return for service on our side during the war. The first per- manent American settler, however, was Pliny Moore, a native of Massachusetts, who served as a drummer boy in the patriot army. He and his associates built a dam and a sawmill on the Chazy River in 1787, and two years later he brought his family. With his brother he opened a land office in 1797. It is said that they bought up land grants at ridiculously low prices, some warrants being sold for a little tobacco, a glass of grog, or a pair of mittens. One of the three slaves living in Champlain in 1790 belonged to Pliny Moore. The township was destined to be closely related to the military strategy of the War of 1812. As early as November, 1812, Dearborn camped here with five thousand men. From then until the end of hostilities many military expeditions passed this way. It was near Rouses Point, in 1816, that Fort Blunder was begun, so called because, in 1818, the
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American officers found to their dismay that they were on Canadian soil. Needless to say construction was then halted. Later, in 1843, Fort Montgomery was begun on the same site after the Webster-Ashburton Treaty had made the necessary boundary adjustment. It was aban- doned in 1870 and entirely dismantled in 1908.
The township contains two incorporated villages. The first to attain this status was Champlain in 1873, while Rouses Point fol- lowed in 1877. The latter was so named in honor of its first settler, a refugee soldier named Jacques Rouse, who came here in 1783. It is said that he had twenty-six children. Of the population of 4,848 reported in 1930 for Champlain Township, 1,920 were found within the village of Rouses Point, while 1, 197 were located within the vil- lage of Champlain. The population of the township is not as great as a whole as it was in 1850, while it passed the 6,000 mark in 1855. Of all the interesting sites in Champlain, Point au Fer prob- ably has the most charm for the historian. Here the French had a settlement when the Champlain Valley belonged to the House of Bour- bon. Here, in 1774, the British built a large storehouse with its brick sentry boxes and its numerous portholes. It occupied a fine strategic position, and Gilliland pointed out its value if garrisoned by Americans in the war with England. When Pringle and Carleton came southward in the fall of 1776 a blockhouse was erected and gar- risoned. Apparently the British retained their post here thirteen years after the close of the war.
Chazy is bounded on the north by Champlain and Mooers, on the west by Altona, on the south by Beekmantown, and on the east by Lake Champlain. It is drained by the Little Chazy River, and in general its soil is fertile. Farming has been the main occupation, although there have been some industries. Until 1804 Chazy was a part of the town of Champlain, while from then until 1857 it included Altona. Here were located some of the refugee land grants already described, but the first permanent white settler of Chazy, and of Clin- ton County as well, was John La Frombois, who visited here as early as 1763, and built a house here later. The town was named for the river, while the river in its turn was named in honor of a French offi- cer who happened to be killed by Indians while on a hunting expedition in this territory. The first settlement was at Chazy Landing, com- monly known as Saxe's Landing in honor of a prominent inhabitant.
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For some time it was one of the most important shipping points on the western shore of Lake Champlain, and was the town's commer- cial center until the building of the railways. With its decline, Chazy and West Chazy became its successors. As was the case with Beek- mantown and Champlain, this township played a vital part in the military strategy of the War of 1812, because of its location on the main avenue of conquest. During the cold summer of 1816, sleighs were used on June 9. From a population of 1,466 in 1810, Chazy grew until it passed the 4,400 mark in 1855. It then declined and today has 2,916 inhabitants.
Clinton Township is in the extreme northwestern corner, bounded by Canada on the north, Franklin County on the west, Ellenburg on the south and east, with Mooers completing the eastern border. Until 1804 it was a part of Champlain; from 1804 to 1830 it was in Mooers; from 1830 to 1845 it was included in Ellenburg; while on the latter date it became a separate township. The first settlers arrived about 1817. Farming, lumbering and the cutting of railroad ties became their chief occupations. The chief settlement is at Churu- busco, where many settlers came at the time of the Canadian rebellion of 1836 and 1837. As a rule they seem to have been French and Irish. When formed in 1845, Clinton Township had a total popula- tion of 833. It gradually increased, passing the 2,200 mark in 1870; but by 1930 it had shrunk to 1, 191.
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