_Mt

. B Az Il-l 1-fV/t=-
1 fo L S V V ~ fH)
THAT JBIEA1LJTKJFUJL VALJE
AlBSOVIE THE JFAJLJL .
A Vibrant History of the Little River Region
WOODWARD HILL RICKER MOUNTAIN
RIVER ROAD COTTON BROOK
I
I
I
!
I.
I .
I
I
I
I
I
-- I
'
' . '
! i
I
I .
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
'
" I
I
~
' . I
I
I
IN THE 1870'S
As shown in the
Atlas of Washington County
by F. W. Beers, 1873
I
!
I
I
I
I
THE LITTLE RIVER REGION
The Little River Region is divided into the Woodward Hill area, the River Road area near the
Little River, now inundated by the Waterbury Reservoir, and the Ricker Mountain and Cotton Brook
areas, which encompass the two westerly valleys drained by Bryant Brook and Cotton Brook. The
settlement of these areas required constant struggle and great determination. The early settlers toiled
at great length to clear the slopes and build rudimentary homes, only to realize that their work was
far from over. After an immense amount of effort and much sweat, they discovered that the thinly
soiled hills didn't have the agricultural potential of the valleys below, but they made them succumb
anyway. Thousands of acres were cleared, tilled or pastured, and eventually abandoned, to be
reclaimed by forests once again. The history of Vermont is replete with such patterns.
The Woodward Hill, Ricker Mountain, and Cotton Brook areas of the Little River Region are jllSt
such examples. When the early settlers came, much of the low-lying area tended to be somewhat
wet and subject to frequent flooding, so many of them felt more secure building their homes on higher
ground. They cleared hundreds of acres of original tree growth west of Little River and built homes
that were to support many generations. It proved to be a battle with the elements of nature and
inadequate soil-----a struggle that was lost ever so slowly. In this respect, the Little River Region was
similar to many other areas in the Green Mountain State. Only in the final death blow was this region
different----e. watery grave for the rich farmland below, and complete isolation for the formerly
inhabited hills above.
Where once people were born, schooled, farmed, murdered loved ones in fits of anger, operated
creameries and sawmills, died and were buried, there now stand either dense forests, or many feet
of water. The history of this region is indeed a study in the longstanding struggle to farm Vermont's
hillsides, and a brief glimpse of life on small Vermont farms in the 19th century. It demonstrates the
wonderful recuperative power of nature, and gives one an appreciation of forests, our major
renewable resource.
The following account concerns the people of the Little River Region, the building of their
homesteads, and the many heartaches and hardships they endured. Stories of local residents have
been included to give the reader a picture of yesteryear's hillside farmers, their ways of life, and
quirks of personality. Some stories artd many of the names of known past residents wiii be found
under the heading: "A Listing of Sites in the Little River Region."
4
i
I
i
I
I
I
I

I
I
I
I
!
!
EARLY SETTLEMENT
There are records of homesteads being established near the mouth of the Little River in the late
1700's, and these include Daniel Bliss, Waterbury's first physician, and Seth Chandler, the area's
first blacksmith. The narrow valley, reaching north along this tributary of the Winooski River,
contained an "alder swamp," and game was plentiful there. Hunters wore a trail up through the
valley to Stowe, and eventually this became the Little River Road.
C. C. Parker in his "Early History of Waterbury," 1867, says that a man named Bashford was
probably the first to settle along the Waterbury River, "in that beautiful vale above the mills." He
was referring to the waterfall location that was later to become the Randall and Roberts Sawmill (Site
#71). The exact location of Bashford's homestead has not been determined.
It's always interesting to know who some of the mountains and brooks in a region were named for.
Ricker Mountain was named for Joseph Ricker, I who lived at Site #18. Cotton Brook was named
for William Cotton who lived at Site #51. Bryant Brook was named for either James Bryant who
lived at Site #27, or Samuel Bryant who lived at Site #74 and was the first Bryant to live in the
region. As for Woodward Hill, many Woodwards lived on it, and it's not known if the hill was
named for any one of them. It might have received its name simply because so many Woodwards
lived there over the years. As to which farm was owned by one family for the longest time, the
honors go to the John Millen Farm (Site #81) in the Woodward Hill area. This farm was about half
way up the Woodward Hill road and was bought by John Millen in 1827. Sometime before he died,
he deeded the farm to his daughter, Elizabeth, who married a Mr. Carpenter. Elizabeth sold the
property in 1915, thereby ending 88 years of father and daughter ownership. There's no other farm
or home in the region that even comes close to matching that, and as you look at the list of owners
for all the sites in the region, you'll see just how unusual an occurrence it was.
Besides the Woodwards, ;there were three other families that predominated in the region. These
were the Ayers', the Rickers, and the Demeritts, and these four names comprise sort of a "founding
fathers" list. The information on who the first settler in each of the four areas was can be found in
this book under the section entitled: "A Listing of Sites in the Little River Region."
It was in the middle 1800;s that the Irish began settling in the River Road and Ricker Mountain
areas. Names like Hurlburt, Carney, Kelty, and McCoy began to appear. At that time, the Vermont
Central Railroad Qater the Central Vermont) was pushing to finish construction of a new railroad
from White River Junction north through Northfield, then on to Montpelier, and west to Essex
Junction. In 1849, the new rail line was completed through Waterbury along the Winooski River,
reaching the Burlington area in December of that year. Irish immigrants were brought in to do the
hard work of building the new railroad, and many stayed behind to take over the little hill farms the
Yankees were barely subsisting on.
5
1
I
I
I
I
i
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
l
I
'.
I .
...

A woman making lye soap for her family. Behind her is a leaching
barrel for making the potash needed for soapmaking. Many settlers sold
surplus potash to help keep their struggling families alive .
. :
'
. '
I l \ "'
.. .t '
' . ' ,..
' "
. . I
. I .
)1 !
I I \
' . '
) ' l
J :
, j , I
i =
This is the way the early settlers gathered their sap. Note the wooden
troughs on the ground and the long, wooden spouts. Boiling was done
in a big, cast iron kettle in the open woods.
6
I
I
!
I
I
I

I
I
I.
I
i
1
I
I
I
!
i


I
i
PRIMITIVE FARMING
Clearing land for the new farms was a slow process, and living conditions were difficult and
trying. Early plantings of grain or grass were first cut with hand tools, such as sickles or scythes,
and other necessary chores were accomplished with the most rudimentary tools. Gardens were
planted in small cleared areas, or among the many stumps that remained after the initial clearing was
done. Unless the weather cooperated, pantry shelves tended to look like "Mother Hubbard's
Cupboard."
Most of these farms were basically subsistence homesteads, and only a small percentage of the
dairy or vegetable products produced on the farm could be sold outside for supplementary income.
The average farmer owned about three or four milking cows, a yoke of oxen, a horse or two, a half
dozen young cattle, a couple of pigs, and a few chickens. In later years, some farms were able to
increase to a dozen or more cows. Oxen were a common sight on many farms in the 1800's,
especially those with hillsides, where the ground succumbed more grudgingly to the crude farm
implements. Many farms kept a dozen or more sheep in the early to mid 1800's, and some even had
sheep in the early 1900's.
Potatoes, com, barley, rye, peas, and oats were usually planted, plus whatever vegetables the hard-
working farm wife could put up in the cold cellar to last the year. Daniel Dalley (Site #4) planted
an early variety of potatoes called Valley Whites, that he boasted would produce 20 bushels for each
bushel of seed. During the summer, a variety of fruits and berries were preserved, and when winter
came, these delectables would bring back memories of pleasant days and berry picking. Trees that
bore plums (red, yellow and blue), cherries, butternuts, and apples, were said to flourish on Rufus
Place's homestead (Site #1) near the Barber Covered Bridge. Hay crops were not very bountiful on
these small, sidehill farms, and many times the yield fell far short of what was needed. The 12 acres
of grassland on Rufus' homestead, however, was said to yield eight tons of hay at times. Many early
settlers planted apple trees on their farms, since the apple and its derivatives were considered
necessary staples. The McCaffrey Farm (Site #40) had one of the largest and finest orchards.
Most families took a great deal of satisfaction in being able to provide most of life's necessities
,from the farm. Beyond this, some were even able to earn a little outside income. It might be from
part-time labor on lcr..a!logging operations, at one of the small sawmiiis down in the valley, or on
one of the larger farms along the Little River. The farmer might cut a few logs to sell or hire himself
out with his team whenever possible. The brooks offered a few good privileges for establishing small
water powered saw and grist mills. The only grist mill in the area was at the Randall and Roberts
Sawmill (Site #71), and when that wasn't operating, it meant taking a trip to Waterbury or Moscow
to get home-grown com, wheat, or oats ground into meal to be used for making hardy cereals,
muffins, and breads. Many farmers, however, were unable to earn any extra money, so they used
bartering as a means of acquiring necessary items they couldn't afford to buy. For some, it was
practically their sole means of survival. As an example, one farmer might give ready-to-use flax to
another farmer's wife, and receive part of it back as woven cloth. Some swapped food items for
needed equipment parts while others swapped labor for food staples they didn't grow on their farms.
7
A RELIANCE ON WOOD
The early settler had a great reverence for wood. He depended heavily upon the abundant wood
resources around him to fashion almost any tool he might need. He made tools from wood that
helped him deftly accomplish some task, quietly perform an extraordinary feat of strength, or do
something that required a soft and gentle touch. His reliance on wood was astounding. The farmer
knew just what Idnd of wood he needed to make a particular tool and the best way to use this valuable
resource. He gained this knowledge from personal experience and whatever was handed down to him
from preceding generations. He had a profound respect for what nature provided.
The early settlers also made potash pits. The men would gather together to pile and bum
hardwood logs and then leach the ashes to get potash. One such pit was said to have been made
above the Jerry Ayers Sawmill (Site #3A) by the fork in the road. From the potash, they made a type
of soft soap that was sometimes called "Grandma's lye soap." It was very strong, and the children
of those days had no great love for it. Charcoal was another occasional cash crop, once produced in
large quantities at the so-called "Coal Pit Bottoms" on the east slope of Ricker Mountain, somewhere
near or above Site #8.
When Hemlock trees were felled, their bark was peeled off, loaded on wagons, and taken down
to C. C. Warren's tannery in Waterbury's "Mill Village." There the bark was processed to extract
the tannic acid used in the tanning process. Spruce and hemlock shingles were rived and shaved, not
only for the farmer's own use, but also as an occasional cash item. Shingles were also fashioned
from cedar.
Even young children on the farm had to help out with part-time income, when it could be found.
In the winter, they might be seen weaving baskets from brown ash splints which they would later sell
to stores or farmers for as much as$ .30 per bushel basket. The Sweetser families, who settled in
the region, were known far and wide for their sldll in maldng baskets, and they kept the community
supplied with some of the finest baskets money could buy.
Most of the farms had a sugarbush, and some of them contained as many as 800 to 1,000 maple
trees. Maple sugar and syrup were popular items back then, for home use as well as a cash crop.
The building of an arch and brick chimney for a sugarhouse required the services of a skilied worker.
Jasper Ayers (Site #17) was often called on to frame and raise sugar houses, and even do the arch
work. In the spring of 1870, he built a new sugar house for Sanford Eddy that must have set some
sort of record for speed of construction, or at least he thought so. He raised the new sugar house on
April 2, started work on the arch on the fifth, completed it on the seventh and immediately started
a fire in it. The first pan began to boil ten minutes after it was full. Jasper finished the building on
the ninth by completely boarding it in. Even today, those who'd like a new sugarhouse would be
delighted if someone could guarantee them similar results in the same amount of time!
Surprising as it may seem, wood also served at times as feed for cattle. When a farmer ran out
of hay before winter ended, he would go into the woods and cut browse, especially birch, if it was
available. He would draw it into the bam and let the cows "have a go at it." This saved many a cow
from starvation in those days.
8
I
I
THE STORY OF JASPER AYERS
Either because they didn't want to talk about it, or for some other reason, parents in the 1800's
didn't tell their children or grandchildren what life was like when they were children. As a result,
knowledge of the day-to-day activities of the region's residents from th.e 1790's to around 1900 was
almost non-existent until the three diaries of.Jasper Ayers came to light. Jasper was bomjn 1.811,
and from 1834 to 1836, 1844 to 1861, and 1862 to 1890, he wrote three diaries. These dimes are
of tremendous importance, for because of them, one ca:n peek into the everyday life of one of the
region's best known and most industrious residents during those years.
Keeping three diaries for over 48 years was a prodigious feat in itself, and must have taken a great
deal of persistence. Each daily, one-line entry indicated what work or other activity was
accomplished, and what the weather was like. His entries on attending the funerals of those he knew
in the region are invaluable, because some of these deaths are not recorded anywhere else. He notes
activities pertaining to some of the schools in the region and also records what he considered
important events at the Little River Baptist Church.
These entries show a man who possessed a great many skills so necessary for existence in'those
. . -
harsh times. On the home front, he was, among other things, a shoemaker; a farmer who could make
most of the equipment needed on a farm; a sugarmaker; a maker of home remedies; a maker 0f
shingles; a borer and layer of pump logs, and a maker of buttertubs, which he would sell for extra
income. He was constantly being hired by others to construct houses, barns, and sugarhouses,
including all the arch and chimney work; do plastering; do pump log and crop work; draw logs, and
repair virtually any farm equipment. He was also knowledgeable at working in and running a small
sawmill. Sorrie of the wood used to build many of the region's buildings came from the small
sawmills he worked in. He owned one mill for a time, and was able to build and repair miny of its
inner workings himself instead of having to pay' someone else to do it.
Jasper was known to be a strict father and a "hard man" at times. There were many intervals when
he worked away from home for others, and his wife and children hac[ to run the farm in his absence.
He seems to have been cold and unfeeling on some family matters. Nis diaries mention by name
those he came in contact with, and those, including children, whose funerals he attended. But all that
- appears in the diaries on the days his children were born is the notation, "Meiissa confined," or "M
Sick," and no child's name. Of the three wives he hacj, the first died giving birth to her twelfth child,
the second divorced him, and the third also died. At times, life with Jasper must have been hard
indeed. ln affairs of work, he wouldn't hesitate to sue if someone didn't pay him, and was himself
taken to court by those who believed he had wronged them. Once, one of his sons took him to court
for damages, and Jasper had to pay. As for Jasper's court cases, justice appears to have prevailed.
Everything considered, he was highly respected, and many of the region's residents needed his
numerous skills at one time or another. For this, and the fact that he was the only one known to have
kept a lengthy written record of how life was lived then, Jasper Ayers deserves a special place in the.
annals of the Little Rjver Region.
9
!
I
! .
l
I
I
I
I
I
I
!
: !
l I
'
I
l
I
' I
'
I
I
j
I
!'
I
I
l
I

I
I
I
l
l


~ .. ..,_,_ .f
THROUGH THE SEASONS WITH JASPER AYERS
The following daily entries are taken from the diaries of Jasper Ayers, and describe life on a small,
mountain farm. Jasper lived at Site #17 for a time, and worked throughout the region for many
years. What follows art: excerpts taken from his diaries of the 1830's on t h r o ~ h the 1880's, and
arranged by seasons of the year to show the variety of activities in the daily life of a farmer during
that era.
SPRING
Gathered and boiled sap, 70 pails
Cut brow_se for .cattle, hay all gone in bay, snow
being plump 12"
Sugared off 50 pounds
Picked stone and harrowed to old house
Finished planting potatoes and washed sheep
Mended fence and plowed in west field
Sawed to Jerry's mill from noon till midnight
Cut school wood, hewed timber for c. s. Wrisley
SUMMER
FALL
Hoed corn, sowed India wheat, took oxen to Brown's
Framed and raised shed for T. Chesley
Chopped wood in the swamp
Worked on the town road, dug stumps
Tapped boots and shoes (rainy)
Finished haying in the upper field
Bound oats and peas and drawed them in
Drove Moody's sheep home
Drawed in and threshed and cleaned 20 bushels
India wheat
To Waterbury street to officers' drill
Dug potatoes on the ri4ge - Total of 265 bushels
Swapped cattle with Pike - Repaired wagon
Lathed buttery - Killed the old cow
Shingled shed - Shaved shingles
Sunday - To prayer meeting to hear the woman preach
To Daniel Demeritts with wife for a visit
WINTER
Drawed wood for Stephen Ayers, to Henry's mill
Shod the horse sled, made broom
Drawed logs for Jerry Ayers
Unwell with a bile
Made horse sled - Altered bull
Butchered the hogs
To Waterbury with ashes, 11-1/2 bushel
Broke open roads
S)lnday - To schoolhouse to meeting, Elihu Lord
preached, 16 baptized
Built traverse sleds, made yoke for Sanford Eddy.
12
!
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
<
I
I
'
I
~
!
!
I
I
..
'
I
I
I.
i
!
!
!
~ .
'it""'
i
CURES AND RECIPES USED IN THE REGION
Jasper Ayers made many "home remedies" to cure both man and beast. Those shown below were
taken from his diaries, and his recipe for com beer (a mild "home brew") and tips for cutting alders
are included. As near as possible, the wording appears as it did in the diaries.
Cure for Summer Complaint (Dysentery)
I. Take I part of Podophyllin, 2 parts cream tarter, mix. Then take a powder as small as
1/2 of very small pea in teaspoonful of cold water before eating.
2. Take smart weed (or what is called azthsmart), make a strong tea and drink freely.
Destroying Bed Bugs
Take one ounce of quick silver to the white of 6 hens eggs, well beaten together, and applied
to bedsteads by means of a feather, well ointing the holes where the bugs hide.
Waterproormg Leather
To tum water on leather- take sharp vinegar and rusty iron, well saturated with iron rust, put
on when leather is dry.
Or take castor oil (I/2 pine) and clean tallow, a lump as large as a hens egg. Melt
tallow and then mix with oil -apply it cold and rub it in with the hand.
Cow's Loss of Cud
For loss of the cud, divide another creature's cud.
Dehorning Cattle
For hom ail, wind the horns with cloth near the head, well saturated with tar.
To Cure Scours in Cattle
Steep mullein, give it strong.
Or, steep hen dung in cold water, give it strong and freely.
The Season to Cut Brush
The time to cut alders, bushes and brakes to have them die is the three last days of the old
moon in August.
Recipe for Corn Beer
Recipe to make 1 barrel of CORN BEER.
Take 6 or 8 quarts com, boil till soft
Take. one pound hops, steeped and strained
Take 2 gallons molasses or its equivalent in sugar
Take 1 quart yeast and ginger to taste
Fill the barrel with water, blood warm
13
!.
!
j.
!
I
'
!
I
j
I
I
I
I
I

!,
I
I
'
I
I
I
1

J
I
I
!
!
r,
I
!


r
!!
i.
i
FARM BUILDINGS AND WELLS
The homes on these small subsistence farms were often quite crude and poorly insulated against
the cold winters. Fortunately, there was an abundance of firewood to be had, and the settlers didn't
worry about running out of fuel. What did concern them, though, was the ever-present danger of
fire. Many homes and barns burned down over the years, and it's a wonder more weren't lost,
considering the condition of many of these buildings and the lack of fire safety training back then.
When a house, shed, or barn was built, each wall would first be framed while lying flat on the
ground, and then the sections would be raised and joined together. Frames were constructed from
hemlock or spruce timbers hewed in the woods and mortised and shaped on the job to make a tight-
fitting frame. These skilled jobs were called "framing" and "joining," and, as previously stated,
Jasper Ayers was an expert in both, and instrumental in building many of the region's structures.
The willingness of neighbors to help each other was strong in those days, and when the time came
for these framed sections to be lifted into place, a "raising bee" would be called for. Folks for miles
around would come, eager to share a good time and the sumptuous feed that would be spread before
them, though some were undoubtedly coaxed on by the promise of a little strong drink. These
"raisings" were usually done on a voluntary basis, but there were farmers who hired the job done,
and a good framer and joiner could demand top wages for his skills. Jasper Ayers charged from
$1.50 to $2.00 per day when framing buildings during the 1860's. If he was plastering, the charge
was $1.50. If hewing timber or doing farm work, the rate dropped to $1.25 per day.
Not all residents of the region had this neighborly spirit, however. In the spring of 1863, Jasper
Ayers built a 56' by 36' barn and a 18' by 26' shed for William Moody of Waterbury Village, in
addition to moving another barn and clapboarding the three buildings. After the work was completed,
Moody refused to pay Ayers all that was due, claiming he was obligated to pay only what had been
specified in a verbal contract. Ayers became quite upset over the matter, accusing Moody of lying
and cheating while at the same time professing religion. Jasper seemed to have had his share of
collection problems, and when he did, he "went to court" to get justice done.
What follows is an itemized bill of costs that Jasper Ayers submitted for the Moody barn, showing
the money needed to materials and build a large barn in November of 1863:
1
27,000
3
500
7,000
1,500
9,000
48
150
132
Bill of Lumber and Time furnished for William Moody:
Barn frame, everything furnished
and raised (56' X 36')
Shingles, at cost at stowe
Days to draw said shingles
Pounds nails
Feet Clapboards ($3.50/thousand)
and drawing ($4.50)
Feet Spruce, planed and split
($15.00/thousand)
Feet common boards and plank at
$6.00/thousand, delivered
Lights of windows at $ .08 per
light
Feet pine boards for doors
Days work, boarded self ($1.50/day)
15
$100.00
42.59
9.00
22.75
29.00
22.50
54.00
3.84
18.00
198.00
$499.68
i
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
!
I
I
I
I
l
I.
I
I
I
I
I
!
I
I
I
[
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
II
I
I


i
i
i
r
FOOD PRICES
If families had any field or garden crops left over after they put away what was needed for the
coming year, they would sell this surplus in order to provide much-needed income. The following
prices give an idea of food sale values in the early 1860's:
Corn $ .75
Beans 1. 00
Wheat .67
Oats .25
Potatoes .25
Apples .17
Hay per ton
Swarm of bees
Hive
- 1. 00
- 1.50
- .33
- .33
- .20
per bushel
"
II
II
"
"
$6.00
7.00
1. 00
II
II
"
II
"
Pork $
Dressed hog
Beef
Cheese
Butter
Lard
sugar
Jersey calf
Pig
Shoat
.06 -
.05
.04 -
.05 -
.14 -
.12 -
.13
In the winter of 1864 prices took a rise:
corn $ 2.00 per bushel Pork $ .18
oats .75 - .80
" "
Salt Pork .25
Rye 2.00
" "
Butter .50
Potatoes .60
"
"
Live hogs,
Cow 35.00 to 45.00 fattened .12>, -
Stove length Wood, Hay,
per cord $2.00 - 2.25 per ton $10.00
.10 per
"
.05
II
.07
II
.18
II
"
"
$10.00
2.00
4.00
lb.
"
II
II
"
"
"
per lb.
"
"
"
"
.13
"
II
- 20.00
Speaking of food, farmers in those days did much more of their work by hand, so the amount of
food they consumed for breakfast would be equivalent to the average dinner or supper of today.
Meat, potatoes, bread or muffins, com bread (called "Johnnycake" or Journeycake"), doughnuts, and
hot drinks were suitable fare. For sweetners, maple sugar or possibly honey served the purpose, and
homemade butter a.nd cheese were available in most cases. Dinner at noon a11d supper in the v ~ n i n g
usually consisted of meat and potatoes along with one or more vegetables. Cookies, cake, or pie
served as dessert when available. Surprisingly, even poor families ate reasonably well except in the
most desperate of circumstances. During those times, a family might have to survive on two or three
scant meals of oatmeal, cornmeal mush, or beans. One woman said that at times her grandfather was
sent to school with nothing but two pieces of bread spread with lard for a sandwich. People managed
to survive these hardships, however, and even became better individuals because ofthem.
Not all persons acquired their food through honest labor, however. There were times when
occasional homeless itinerants wandered through the region. Most were harmless "bums" who in
return for a little bite to eat would relate some interesting information, but some were not. In July
1882, a newspaper in Waterbury warned the residents of a tramp that was seen along Little River
laundering his clothes and basking in the sunshine, accompanied by a small dog. He had apparently
entered some dwellings and demanded food, threatening violence on the inhabitants if it wasn't
provided. Most farm families would gladly help someone in need, but they certainly wouldn't
tolerate that kind of treatment. The tramp could have had a most unpleasant experience if he had
threatened the wrong person.
14
I
I
I
I
!
I
j_
I
I
All Moody would pay on this barn was $325.00. Unfortunately, the outcome of this dispute was
not recorded in his diary.
In 1862, Jasper Ayers built a sawmill building in Colbyville for Ephraim Deuel, and charged
$1.50 per day for framing work. He had some collection problems here also, but the account was
settled by lawsuit in Ayers' favor.
Homes were built as near to a spring as possible, but often it was necessary to build a pipeline
from the spring to the house, using hollowed out logs specifically cut to fit together. The work of
boring these "pump logs," as they were called, was a somewhat specialized skill, and required a 10-
foot pod auger to bore out the center of the log. Logs of a little over nine feet in length were first
bored out with the pod auger, then sharpened like a pencil on one end and reamed out on the other
end to exactly fit the "pencil" end of the next log. When fitted together, two logs measured about
16 feet. The pump logs were then properly laid and buried. After the last log was hooked to the
spring, water began running through the system, causing the wood to swell and form tight-fitting
joints. A properly made pump log system lasted for many years, and water rarely froze in it since
wood provided good insulation from the frost.
One of the old timers remembered as a pump log borer was William Pratt, who lived up near Lake
Mansfield in an area called "Michigan." He learned the trade as a young man, and travelled
throughout the Little River Region, boring pump logs for only fifty cents per day. Jasper Ayers, on
the other hand, would bore, fit, and lay pump logs for a fee of twenty-five cents per rod---a linear
measure of 16
1
h feet, commonly used in those days.
If the farm didn't boast an already existing natural spring, the individual would be forced to dig
a well. This meant finding a suitable spot as near to the house as possible and digging down as much
as 10 to 20 feet or more. To do this, a large circular area was dug out, and as the hole got deeper,
it would be tapered in. At every four or five-foot interval, a shelf was made to relay the dirt up to
the top. If desired, a smaller sized hole could be dug, and the dirt hauled out by means of a bucket,
which was lowered down into the well using a combination of ropes and pulleys or a windlass.
Once sufficient water was found, a circular stone well was carefully constructed, and dirt was
packed in around it as it progressed toward the surface. Those who built no higher than ground
level would cap it with a big wooden cover. The well at Site #27 is a good example of this. Those
who wanted more protection from surface water and small animals would continue building the well
to a height of three or four feet and then cap it. Natural springs were often finished off this way for
the same reasons, and somewhere on the hill west of Site #54 is a spring constructed just this way.
Instead of just covering the well, some farmers built a little shelter
over it, and installed a rope windlass with a bucket attached, to draw
the water up. Others constructed a more primitive, levered, balance
pole for the purpose, or simply threw a bucket with a rope attached
to it into the well. Later, a farmer might install a cast iron well pump
with a long, curved handle. This device must have been welcomed by
many a child who had been drawing water from a well the "old-
fashioned" way. Along with the "joy" of using a cast iron well pump
came that ominous warning that generations of children heard from
their parents during the wintertime: "Don't touch your tongue to the
pump handle!" Unfortunately, some children just had to see whether
this warning was some kind of parental joke. As you might imagine,
they sure didn't try it a second time!!
19
Ward Knapp with a pump log he found at
the Ann White Farm (Site #54). The
spring was somewhere on a hill west of
the farm, and this log was one of many
connected to it. There is a strong
possibily it was bored by William Pratt.
The family well on the Thomas Hurlburt Farm (Site #27). This is an
example of a ground-level well of moderate depth. It still has water
in it too.
18
l
I_

I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
l
I
I
I
I
'
I
'
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
ROADS
The earliest roads through the area tended to follow the higher ground rather than the low-lying
areas, because the early settlers considered it to be safe from floods, not as swampy, and probably
less costly. Even into the early 1800's, the most travelled road from Waterbury to Stowe passed over
Blush Hill, down across Alder Brook just east of Little River, and up over the "wilderness' of Gregg
Hill. Joshua Hill built a tavern close to this Alder Brook crossing, and it became-a favorite resting
spot for generations of travellers until it was tom down in 1866. Oliver Luce stopped here to rest on
his way to Stowe, where he became that town's first settler.
Supposedly, a very early road went through the hills west of the Little River, passed over the lower
slopes of Woodward Hill, went across the upper end of Bryant Brook and Cotton Brook, and
continued northward into Stowe. If so, it was not an improved road and no trace of it exists now.
The road that followed the Little River northward began as a path for hunters, and later became the
major route for freight wagons travelling between Stowe and Waterbury.
The road building feats that were accomplished back then with nothing but crude equipment were
truly amazing. Rocks would be drawn out of the way or moved to an abutment or embankment
construction by means of a stone boat or sled. It might be only two tree crooks cut in the woods that
would be used as sled runners to convey something as heavy as a boulder. The clever placement of
a chain could enable a horse to easily roll a large rock around, even right onto the improvised sled
runners. Later on, a "new and improved" rock mover was developed. A cart with large wheels and
an arched axle was made that could be backed over a large rock to be moved. A chain was wrapped
around the rock, or even a stump to be pulled out, and large gears on the cart easily cranked it off
the ground. The cart was moved to wherever the rock or stump was to go, and promptly unloaded.
Farmers were constantly building new roads and repairing existing ones. Jasper Ayers mentions in
one of his diaries that he had to work on the road and pull stumps. In the winter, all able-bodied men
were expected to shovel out or break a path through their section of road.
Besides building and maintaining roads, the farmers had to build many bridges across the various
streams in the region. The type of bridge they built depended on the size of the stream to be crossed.
Long covered bridges were built across the Little River, Bryant Brook, and Cotton Brook. Later,
two iron bridges v.:ere built, one across the gorge above the fa11s near the RaJldal1 and Rober+..s sawmil!
(Site #71), and the other across the lower end of Cotton Brook. Remains of the latter can still be seen
when the water in the reservoir is low.
Roads like those going into the Woodward Hill, Ricker Mountain, and Cotton Brook areas crossed
many small streams, and stone culverts were built across these to serve the purpose. A large capstone
or two would be used for the top, and other sizeable stones served to hold it up on either side. Stone
culverts were generally built to last for many years, and examples of them still exist in all but the
River Road area. Unfortunately, these bridges, culverts, and roads were constantly being washed out
during floods or after torrential downpours, and the local residents seemed to be forever repairing or
rebuilding them. Time spent doing this would definitely not be considered the "good old days!'
In those times, conveyances of travel were at the complete mercy of the weather and resultant road
conditions. When heavy snows plugged up the roads, no town-owned machine came to clear them.
It was up to the residents of each district to break open their roads if they wanted to get down to
Waterbury Village (called the "Street" back then) or even down to a neighbor. Some of the residents
remember seeing the Town of Waterbury roll the roads in the early 1900's, much to the delight of
the children, who would then use them for some excellent sledding.
35
-
I
i
I
I
'
I
I
I
'
I
!
I
I.
i
' I
l
I
I
l
I
I
I
I
1
I
I
I
'
I
f
,.
I
'
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
' I
'
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
'
' I'
I
I
A westerly view of the Hedgehog Hill Road as it heads to farms farther
up the road. This is the way most hill roads looked then.
A view taken south of the present dam in the early 1920's looking north
up the Little River Road. This area looks much the same today.
34
I
I
I
I
I
l
I
I
I
I
I
I
!
I
I
I
'
I
School activities were obviously not as well scheduled as today. An 1888 diary found in a Little
River house contained the following entries: May 7- School begun; July 16 -The teacher came to
board; December 3- school begun.' The two schools in the Cotton Brook area (Districts #6 and #18)
were said to have had the two Lyon sisters, Martha and Mary, as teachers sometime in the late
1870's. Many daughters, and even a few sons of the regions's early settlers, taught school in these
districts at one time or another, sometimes at the tender age of 16. A true story is told about a boy
around that age who went to one of the schools in the region. He had been attending school for a few
years, and that particular year, his school had a new teacher. When he discovered that he was the
same age as she was, he promptly fell in love with her and ended up marrying her after school was
over. It would be highly unlikely for this to happen in today's elementary schools, but in the 1800's
it was not that uncommon an occurrence.
Schools in the region were, at times, filled with children having the same last name. This
interesting situation occurred when fathers and sons, brothers, and cousins came to the region
together and settled near each other. They would raise large families, and their children in tum had
families themselves. Some notable examples of this were the Ayers brothers, Jerry and Jasper; the
Ricker brothers, Joseph, I and Gideon, I; Richard and Daniel Demeritt, who were close relatives;
and the many Woodwards who were related to each other. For quite a span of years, the Ricker
Mountain and Little River schools must have been filled with Ayers'and Rickers, the Cotton Brook
schools with Demeritts, and the Woodward Hill School with Woodwards. Some schools in the
region would temporarily close now and then for lack of pupils, and would reopen when a family with
many children settled in. When this happened, the teacher would find her school filled mostly with
children from one family, and if she happened to board with them besides, she may have found
herself a willing (or maybe unwilling) member of the family. Such occurrences would not be possible
in the educational systems of today, but situations like this, and the one in the preceding paragraph,
made life interesting back then.
One by one, the various district schools in the region shut down for lack of pupils. The first to
close was the Upper Cotton Brook School, and the last one to operate during the final years of
settlement was the Little River School, which opened first. In this case, the biblical saying: "The first
shall be last," indeed came true. With the closing of this school in 1935, over a hundred years of
teaching the "three.R's" to children of the Little River Region came to a quiet and dignified end.
1
Pauline Moody, "Little River," Vermont Quarterly, (October 1949), p.98.
33
A view towards Moscow from a hill above the George Randall Farm
(Site #67) in 1928. This shows what the River Road Area just north of
the dam looked like before 1936. The Little River School was located
across the road from the last farm in the background.
A view looking south from a hill above the George Randall Farm. The
road passes through the Randall and Roberts Sawmill settlement at left
of center as it winds its way towards Waterbury.
32
SCHOOLS
Each town in Vermont was divided into districts, and each district was responsible for building and
maintaining its own roads and schools, as well as providing room and board for the teacher. Birth
records were kept in each district by an appointed squire. The area covered by the Little River
Historical Map involved five such school districts: #18 (Upper Cotton Brook), #6 (Lower Cotton
Brook), #10 (Ricker Mountain), #9 (Little River) and #13 (Woodward Hill). District #9 was said to
be the first to have a schoolhouse. In some old school records, #18 was listed as Cotton Brook and
#6 as Eddy.
In the mid 1800's, it appears that only two terms of school were held in the region, a winter one
and a summer one, together lasting around 24 weeks. In the late 1800's, there were three terms of
school per year, each lasting from eight to 12 weeks, for a total of around 30 weeks. These were
usually referred to as the spring, fall, and winter terms. During that time, schools with fewer pupils
(or "scholars" as they were called then) had only two terms at times. Occasionally, a school with
only a handful of students might have only one term. School terms began any time the district
decided, and town records show them beginning in practically every month of the year. Pupils who
went to school for only one term were probably envied by other children who disliked school and had
to go for a longer time, and pitied by the ones who couldn't get enough of it. Some teachers were
especially kind to their pupils and even gave them food at times. Children from very poor families
who were fortunate enough to have one of these teachers were reluctant to go when the school day
was over.
From the early 1800's to Civil War times, schooling was rudimentary and often subservient to the
more basic needs of feeding the family. Boys big enough to work attended school primarily during
the winter months when there was much less work to do. As time went on, boys, regardless of size,
would attend spring and fall terms too, provided they weren't urgently needed at home. Girls
generally attended school whenever it was held, and only extreme necessity kept them away.
Children were allowed to stay home during the worst of "mud time," and the teacher would adjust
her schedule accordingly.
Children weren't the only ones to attend the little schools. Parents also came now and then in
order to gain some extra knowledge or check up on the teacher or their children. Even older brothers
and sisters and grandparents came now and then. Although there were high schools in many towns
in the 1800's, very few children living in remote areas were able to attend them, primarily because
of economic hardship and lack of transportation. This changed in the early 1900's, when many more
"country" children were able to attend these schools and gain the benefits of a higher education.
Walking, or "shanks mare" as it was known, was the principal method of getting to school, even
when the distance was great. A "ride to school" was seldom provided by the individual districts in
the early days, but in winter when the snow got too deep, children were sometimes transported.
Terrible snowstorms struck the region at various times. Some who lived in the Ricker Mountain area
tell of having to walk on top of stone walls to find their way to school or home. Some in the Cotton
Brook area tell of an older brother having to break a trail ahead of the little ones in order to get them
home safely. Jackson Ricker drew the tots to the Little River School in his ox-drawn sled, and in
later years, Charles Ricker did the same with an old bus. Sometimes, an enterprising pupil would
transport some far-distant children to school with a horse and buggy or sleigh, and another would get
appointed "janitor," which meant coming to school early to start the fire or do other chores. In either
case, these children could earn some money for themselves, or even their families, if times were
hard.
31
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
'
i
I
I
i
I
I
I
!I
I
I
I
I
I
il-.
[
I
I
ii
'
'
i
The Lower Cotton Brook School (Site #32A) in the early 1920's. This
small school served many generations of Cotton Brook residents.
' .... ~
. '

The Ricker Mountain School (Site# 21A) in the early 1920's. This
school opened and closed many times during its long history.
30
I
I.
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
!
I
I
I

I

~
I
,,
Many of the earliest sawmills were powered by overshot waterwheels like this one on the left. The
drawing on the right shows one way a turbine could be installed to run a sawmill. Notice how
much gearing is involved in the process.
Lane Monitor Water-Wheels were used
extensively in the region. Lane products
were made in Montpelier, Vermont by
Lane, Pitkin, and Brock which later
became the Lane Manufacturing Co.
27
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
l
I
I
,.
I
I
I
I
l
I
I

I
I
The Randall and Roberts Sawmill (Site #71) in 1899, showing a horse-
drawn lumber cart loaded with finished beams in the foreground. This
was a water-powered sawmill that used a circular saw.
A good example of a steam-powered sawmill that used a circular saw.
This is believed to be the sawmill that was in use in the early 1900's at
Site #8, and it's not known who owned or operated it.
26
EARLY SA WMILLING
The Little River was harnessed early as a source of industrial power. In 1796, Josiah Hurlburt
built a saw and grist mill on the upper reaches of the river in the lower Village of Stowe. In 1822,
Alexander Seaver built a sawmill and iron foundry farther down the river in Stowe. This convenient
waterfall site eventually became the village of Moscow. In all probability, the first sawmill run by
waterpower in the area covered by the Little River historical map was the one built in the 1820's at
the base of a 25-foot waterfall on Little River. This location (Site #71) is where George Randall, I
and Luke Roberts once operated a sawmill. The site is now buried under the dam.
These early .sawmills were small, and barely made a dent in the local timber supply. They were
all powered by water and used an up-and-down sawblade, a heavy blade that moved in a vertical
fashion while being supported inside a framework. This type of sawing was very slow, so slow that
other chores could be done while each board was being cut. The machinery was a product of old-time
ingenuity and generally made from the more dense species of wood. Since it took only one or two
men to operate an up-and-down mill, the owner could make a modest living. When the faster, more
more efficient circular saw came along in the mid 1800's, most small sawmills quickly adopted it.
Two of the best-known, small, up-and-down sawmills in the region were the Jerry Ayers Sawmill
(Site #3A) on Bryant Brook, run by Jerry Ayers for 25 years, and the David Lord Sawmill (Site
#35A) on Cotton Brook, which was run at one time by Jerry's brother, Jasper, for six years. The
brothers helped each other in both mills, and this arrangement enabled them to survive for a longer
period of time. Most farmers in those days cut their own logs for constructing and repairing farm
buildings, so custom sawing was an important service. Jasper charged $2.50 per thousand for
softwood logs, and $3.00 if sawing 112 inch stock. Hardwood logs went through his upright saw
much slower, so he charged $3.00 to $4.00 per thousand to custom saw them. Small mills such as
these could only operate when there was sufficient water in the. brook to fill the small pond behind
the dam, and keep the water turbine turning. Because of this, they were sometimes referred to as
"thunderstorm mills." More on the operation of these two mills can be found under the sites named
above, and Jasper Ayers described some of the business transactions and day-to-day affairs of the
Lord's mill in his diary.
If he had enough logs on hand, the mill owner would count on fall rains to provide sufficient water
to keep his sawmill running, even into the wintertime when the water wheel or turbine would freeze.
Winter meant a time for mill repairs, possibly a new gig shaft and gig wheel, a track replacement
under the log carriage, or new cogs in the rag wheel shaft. Some mill equipment sure had strange-
sounding names! The small sawmills that had been so important to the earlier settlers were eventually
abandoned as the bigger, more efficient steam-powered mills came on the scene.
Lumber values of the 1860's can be appreciated by noting the prices received by Jasper Ayers for
rough lumber (prices per thousand board feet).
Spruce boards
Clear spruce
Spruce casing
Hemlock boards
Hemlock common
boards
Poor hemlock
boards
$ 6.50
$10.00
$ 6.00
$ 5.00
$ 4.50
$ 3. 00
25
Floor
Hardwood
Ash plank
Basswood
Basswood
boards
$10.00
$10.00
$10.00
$ 8.00
$10.00
Slabwood $ .50-$1.00
per cord, delivered.
A gasoline-powered Lombard Hauler used by C. E & F. 0. Burt Co.
to haul logs from Cotton Brook to their large sawmill in Stowe during
the 1920's. This type of tractor had the ability to haul many loaded
traverse sleds hooked together, saving time and effort.
An "up-and-down" sawmill showing the carriage and saw frame.
Though very slow in operation, the earliest sawmills were usually of this
variety since they were relatively easy to build and run.
24
I
r
I
!
I
I
i
I
I
r
I .
I
I
i
l
I
I
I
I
I
I
i
I

I

j
! -
J
f
Commercial lumbering on a bigger scale began after the tum of the century with the establishment
of large, steam-powered sawmills (Site #'s 8, 43, and 53), and improved methods oflog hauling. In
the 1920's, the C. E. and F. 0. Burt Company of Stowe logged off the Howard Shaw property
beyond the end of the Cotton Brook Road. They loaded the logs onto horse-drawn traverse sleds and
drew them down the Cotton Brook Road to the River Road where they reloaded them onto larger
tractor sleds. Each of these sleds had a carrying capacity of 2 1/2 thousand board feet, and after
several of them were hooked together, they were pulled seven miles to Burt's mill in Stowe by a
gasoline-powered machine called the Lombard Hauler. This powerful tractor had skies on the front
and long cleat-tracks on the back that supplied excellent traction in any kind of winter weather.
A man named Stevens, who operated a foundry in Essex Junction, reportedly owned a large piece
of property in the region. He had loggers cut spruce from it and draw the logs to the Randall and
Roberts Sawmill. There they were sawed into lumber and shipped to his foundry for use as crating.
Patrick Herbert (Site # 15) did considerable Jogging in the area in addition to his farming, and
purchased many softwood lots with the financial help of Fred Smith. He sledded the Jogs up the Little
River Road to Smith's buttertub and butterbox mills in Moscow. It was a common sight in the early
1900's to see large wagonloads ofbuttertubs travelling down the Little River Road toward Waterbury
to be loaded onto railroad cars. The high quality spruce found in these old growth forests sometimes
yielded five or six Jogs per tree and produced excellent butt logs for clapboard manufacture. An
exceptionally tall spruce tree was once cut on top of Hedgehog Hill and drawn all the way to Essex
Junction with a pair of horses for use as a flag pole.
Logging activities around the time of the First World War and the decade after, removed what was
left of the "old growth" timber. Even many of the fine old sugarbushes were cut down at this time,
reflecting the newly expanding market for maple lumber. Today, there's a fine stand of second
growth hardwood in the region, with a much smaller percentage of spruce evident. Some of the
stands have been partially cut three of four times and are still in thrifty condition due to proper forest
management. Also noteworthy, are the natural stands of young trees now growing on sites where the
hard-working farmers ofthe Ricker Mountain area had once planted, mowed, and eked out a Jiving.
23
I
I
'
I
I
I .
I
I
I .
'
I
j
I
I
'
I
I
I
I
'
'
[
L
I
I
I
I
1
!
,,
I
I
I
.
I
'
'

li
li
Bobsledding with a yoke of oxen. Note that oxen were harnessed
differently than horses were. Though oxen were slower, they could
pull large loads through deep snow easier than horses.
A team of horses hauling a loaded traverse sled to a nearby sawmill.
Horses were faster than oxen, and were used for hauling logs long
distances over travelled roads.
22
LOGGING HISTORY
Logging played a major part in the lives of the region's inhabitants, as it did in all farming
communities nestled among forested hills. At ftrst, the timbered slopes that weren't cleared for
pasture provided a livelihood for farmers and other seasonal laborers during the winter months.
Later, the heavily forested areas provided the resources for large-scale lumbering and sawmilling
activities that brought many changes to the Little River Region.
Most of the farms had logging roads which traversed the back pastures and led into wooded areas
beyond. These woodlots were usually large enough to supply the farmhouse with plenty .of wood for
the winter, and the farmer with additional income from Jogging. A woods laborer, using only an axe
at times, would receive $ . 75 per cord to chop and pile cord wood.
Extensive logging roads reached westerly from the Jasper Ayers Farm (Site #17), and the David
Austin Farm (Site #9), to enable the vast area along the upper slopes of Ricker Mountain and
Woodward Hill to be logged. One such road went from the Daniel Blush Farm (Site #10) to Camp
#4 (Site #lOA) of the Waterbury Last Block Company. The long logging road that went westerly
from the upper end of the Cotton Brook Road, tapped a vast, heavily timbered area, and serviced at
least one large logging camp, and perhaps other smaller ones.
Logging in the early days was done mostly during the winter months, because it was much easier
to haul the sleds over the snow. Logs would be skidded from the stump to openings along the sled
roads, either by dragging a single log with horses or oxen, or by "bobbing." The bobsled was a
single sled that held the front end of the log up on a bunk, and allowed the rear end to drag on the
ground. At landing points along the sled roads, the logs were loaded onto a larger sled with two sets
of runners called a "traverse sled." The traverse sled could carry a large load, possibly 600 to 700
board feet of logs. Pulled by one or two teams, it took the logs down the mountain to a nearby
sawmill. A traverse sled with iron pins and a set of runners cost about $20.00 to build. There were
also one horse traverse sleds, and one of these, made in 1870, well built and shod with steel, brought
the maker $35.00.
Sometimes the logs on a traverse sled would not be taken allthe way to the sawmill, but instead,
unloaded and piled in an open field, awaiting a time when some local far-mer}s team was not busy and
could haul them the rest of the way to the mill. In this manner, some logs were loaded onto sleds
three times before they finally reached the sawmill.
In the 1860's, before the days of heavy lumbering, timber prices were understandably low.
Stumpage would vary from $ .60 to $1.50 per thousand board feet, and logs delivered to the mill
brought $2.50 per thousand for hemlock or birch, $2.90 for spruce, and up to $5.00 per thousand for
high quality basswood Jogs. Basswood was preferred for many uses by both artisan and farmer
because of its workability. In the early 1900's, an average load of logs was worth around $7.00 to
$8.00 per thousand board feet at the sawmill.
Spruce was the species used most in this area, and those trees suitable for making framing timbers
demanded premium prices. Stumpage values for rafter logs in the mid 1860's averaged around $2.00
per thousand board feet. If bought by the stick, prices ranged from $ .05 for a ten-foot Jog suitable
for hewing a seven-inch by seven-inch beam, to as high as $ .40 for a forty-foot log suitable for
hewing an eight-inch by eight-inch beam. These were the times when a man and his team of oxen
hired out on a log job for $2.00 per day. An ox yoke cost the teamster $1.25, and a cross cut saw,
$5.00. It was definitely not a path to riches for the average farmer.
21
I
I
I
I
I
'
I
!
I
I
I
I
I
l
I
I
i
!
I
I
I
J.
Lunchtime for Patrick Herbert's logging CI"ew on Ricker Mountain.
Logging provided much needed income for the hard-pressed farmei"S,
and CI"ews such as this wei"e active in the I"egion from earliest times.
A yoke of cattle pulling a loaded log sled out of the woods.
20
I
'
I
I
I
I
!
'
1
!
I
I
! .
~
I
1
f
l
I
I
~
1
~
I
I

The chapel that served the CCC camps. The house on the Dennis
Downing Farm (Site #75), which can be seen to the far right of the
chapel, served as an office or living quarters.
The pumphouse and small dam that provided water for the CCC camps.
It was located on a hill overlooking the camp area.
43
The first survey of the actual damsite done in February 1935. The
Randall and Roberts Sawmill can be seen just behind the man in the
middle.
The north plateau of CCC camps located just south of the present dam.
The camps of the south plateau were farther down the road towards
Waterbury. Together they comprised a small city.
42
THE BillLDING OF WATERBURY DAM
Sometime in the early 1920's, the Green Mountain Power Company investigated the possibility
of constructing an electric power dam somewhere in the narrow part of the Little River valley. They
began purchasing lands in the region, and the first one to sell was Herb Pike, who sold the Gideon
Ricker Farm (Site #29) in December, 1921.
Their ambitious plans were rudely interrupted, however, when nature intervened with the terribly
destructive flood of 1927, forcing a decision that completely changed the face of the Little River
Region. On November 3 and 4, 1927, the New England area was visited by the most devastating
torrential downpour of modern recorded history, which totally paralyzed Vermont. In the Winooski
Valley alone, 55 persons lost their lives, and property damage was estimated at $13,500,000----il huge
sum for those days.
To hopefully prevent the recurrence of such a catastrophe, the United States Engineering
Department surveyed the region soon after the flood, and proposed plans for flood control and power
development for several streams in Vermont, including the Winooski and the Little River. Of all the
rivers in Vermont, the Winooski received the most comprehensive plan. Because of its history of
frequent flooding and subsequent loss of life and property, seven earth fill dams were proposed for
this river and its tributaries.
At that time, there were no funds available to begin construction, and nothing was done about these
projects until early in the summer of 1933, when the Engineering Department was asked if it could
use about 5,000 men from the newly formed Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Since the surveys
and plans had been completed in 1928, it was possible to put these men to work immediately on flood
control projects in the Winooski Valley.
The first projects completed were the earthen dams at East Barre and Wrightsville, plus the
completion of the Montpelier Clothespin Dam, a dam with adjustable gates in the City of Montpelier.
This dam replaced an old timber crib dam which had been a serious river obstruction. It was at the
dedication of this last dam that Governor Wilson formally requested the director of Emergency
Conservation Work, Robert Fechner, to make the CCC available for the construction of the Little
River Dam. President Roosevelt gave his approval to the request on condition that the State of
Vermont acquire the large flowage area, and shortly afterwards the State authorized its Public Works
Board to obtain the land. The State acquired about 10,000 acres, which came primarily from the
Green Mountain Power Company, who had been accumulating the land so they could build their own
power dam.
The first sign of activity along the Little River was in April 1934, when CCC men from Camp
Mead in Middlesex moved in and began to break ground for a large camp. Trees and brush began
to disappear on the abandoned farm lands along the Little River. As other dam projects were
completed, more men were moved in, and by the end of November 1934, 13 CCC companies of
experienced engineers were at work clearing the flowage area.
The formal opening of this huge project was celebrated in a big way on June 1, 1935, and a large
throng was on hand to witness the ceremony. Director Robert Fechner and Vermont Governor
Charles M. Smith turned the first soil of the Little River valley with silver spades. Camp Smith,
named after the Governor, was built on the flat above the old Downing place (Site #75), and was
capable of housing 2,500 men. Over 100 buildings sprang up, providing all the necessities for camp
41
THE FINAL YEARS OF SETTLEMENT
With the decline of small subsistence farming around the end of the 19th Century, and the exodus
of farmers from hilltop farms in most parts of Vermont, the foothills of Ricker Mountain were soon
to see a big change. They were losing their inhabitants and the well groomed look the little farms had
given them. Some stragglers stayed on, but their unkept and unproductive farms were dying a slow
and painful death.
The first area in the region to be vacated was the Cotton Brook area. Farming was not as easy on
this steep land as it was in the next valley to the South or down along the Little River, and most of
the residents had left the area by the tum of the century. Even though much of the farmland was still
being used as remote pasture, only a few people still resided here by the time World War I began.
Outside of the Daniel Demeritt Farm (Site #34) near the mouth of Cotton Brook, the Frank Ladd
Farm (Site #42) was the last one to be actively farmed up in this valley. When large-scale lumbering
commenced, some of the houses were used as camps by lumbermen operating in the area. When the
large flood control dam was begun in 1935, the Daniel Demeritt Farm was the only one still in use.
The farms in the River Road, Ricker Mountain, and Woodward Hill areas continued to operate for
a few years longer. There was a mildflurry of activity on Woodward Hill in 1907, when a good
granite deposit was discovered on the properties of George Randall, I and Thomas Devine. Samples
were taken, but no commercial activity ever resulted. Even the farms along the rich and level lands
bordering the Little River began to diminish after the First World War. A watery grave was soon
to be the fate for these once-productive farms.
Many of the old farmhouses and barns had been tom down prior to World War I. In most cases,
those that remained were in rather poor condition. They made good deer hunting camps, however,
and were often used as such by either descendants of the previous owners, or others who simply
"occupied" them. Fred Smith's mill in Moscow would shut down at the beginning of deer season,
and some of the crew would head for their camp on Ricker Mountain, first using the house at the
Patrick Kelty Farm (Site #22), and later the house on the Almeron Goodell Farm (Site #14), which
still stands.
They had foresight enough to keep an old truck at the Goodell camp, so when the valley filled with
water and the roads were closed off, they were able to drive from the boat landing to the camp, and
travel the old, abandoned roads at will. Skulduggery was soon to end their fun, however. While the
camp owners were visiting Waterbury Center for supplies one day, a gang of envious hunters made
their way to the boat landing and pushed the old truck into the reservoir, leaving it there to "rust in
peace." Easy come, and easy go!
40
I
I
THE STORY OF GEORGE RANDALL, I
There weren't many residents of the Little River Region who went on to achieve su=ss and
wealth in the bigger world outside. Since George W. Randall, I stood out in this category and
figures so prominently in the history of the region, his story bears telling.
George I was the son of Oliver C. Randall, and the grandson of William Randall, I. William I
was the first Randall to settle in the region. He was a cooper from Moultonboro, New Hampshire,
and is reported to have fled his debts there and travelled to Canada. He refused to swear allegiance
to the British, and when the Indians burned his Canadian home, he fled across the border and down
to Waterbury where he leased some land on the south side of Ricker Mountain at Site #21 in 1815.
He also owned Site #25 where George Randall, I was born on September 18, 1825.
A story was told that as a young boy, George became lost in a snowstorm and burrowed into a
snowdrift, where he managed to stay alive until someone found him. When he was 16, he took up
the trade of blacksmithing. After being ldcked by a horse, however, he gave up that line of work and
was said to have taught school on Ricker Mountain for a while. At 24, he went to California to take
part in the gold rush of 1849, and came back with a bundle of money (some said $5,000, others even
more) and some said he obtained it by questionable means, but it staked him to a good start as a
successful Vermont farmer. He went out West again in 1853, but failed to succeed that time.
George owned some prime agricultural land, including a fine section in the center of Waterbury
Village, where a street is now named for him. He had as much as 700 to 800 acres under cultivation,
and was a breeder of cattle and horses. He also owned considerable timberland, in excess of 3,000
acres, located mostly in the Ricker Mountain and Cotton Brook areas, and owned and operated a
sawmill on the Little River (Site #71) for many years.
As time went on, he purchased many of the farms in the Little River Region, then leased them out
on "shares" or "halves" to anyone brave enough to try and scratch out a living. In this arrangement,
he had his herdsmen take a great many cows, which he wintered in his large barn in Waterbury
Village, drive them up the Little River Road in the springtime, and distribute them to his farms along
the way. A humorous story concerning one of these springtime cattle drives relates how, on one
occasion, George stopped to inquire from his two herdsmen how many cows they had left at tJ'ie
Robinson Farm. It was late in the day and the men, as was the habit of some, had consumed so much
hard drink they were unable to think straight. Their reply to Randall was that a pair of oxen had
gotten mixed into the herd and thus they weren't able to count them!
As his farmers produced milk, they sent it to the creamery to be processed. Instead of sending the
milk check to the farmers, the creamery would send it directly to Randall. After deducting half the
grain bill and paying any other necessary expenses, he split the profit with his farmers on a 50/50
basis. In addition, he required them to give him half of all field crops and produce they grew on the
farm, including maple sugar or syrup, and to pay half the property tax besides. He also expected
them to do their own repairs on these farms, which by then were probably in deplorable shape. Given
these overly one-sided terms and the generally poor growing conditions on mountain land, many of
his struggling farmers were unable to make a go of it and left his farms to seek greener pastures.
George W. Randall eventually sold his numerous holdings in the region, most of them going to
the predecessors of the Green Mountain Power Company who wanted to build their own dam for
power generation. George had a son, George W. Randall, II, who apparently didn't handle the
financial affairs of the family as well as his father had, and the family fortunes soon dwindled.
39
George Randall, I, who at various times, owned many of the region's
farms and much of the woodland.
38
I
I
I
I
I
!
I
I
I
I
l
I
I
j
I
I
I
,,
I
I
I.
I
!
!
"
..
~
I
I
~
~
~
The daily stage travelled the main roads and always made an effort to run. In a winter with
fluctuating freezing and thawing, the stage would continually switch over between runners and
wheels. A mild winter could really make for difficult travelling. The winter of 1889-1890 was one
of the mildest ever known in the region with never more than three or four inches of snow on the
ground and only two days when the temperature reached -12. There were reportedly no occasions
of sleighing over two days at a time, so that meant a lot of sloppy travelling in muddy ruts.
A cutter (one-horse sleigh) with bells cost about $75.00, and a fancy robe for the proud traveller
as much as $17.00. No doubt the Ricker Mountain residents appreciated a winter of steady cold
weather that allowed them an easy glide down the steep roads to visit a neighbor, and possibly show
off a prize horse. The one-horse lumber wagon, a common vehicle on all the farms for general
freight use, cost $45.00 in the 1870's.
In 1897, an electric railway, called the Mount Mansfield Electric Railroad, was built from
Waterbury to Stowe. When plans were being made for its construction, one of the proposed routes
was along the Little River Road. This route claimed to offer the advantage of electric power
generation along the path, but the route eventually chosen was the one through Waterbury Center.
The railroad opened for business on December 18, 1897, and did well for many years. The advent
of the automobile and the effects of the Great Depression took their toll however, and the little
railroad was forced to shut down. With much fanfare and sadness, the company announced that on
May 2, 1932, it would offer free rides to one and all, and at the end of the day it would close for
good. Many took their final ride that day, and the Mount Mansfield Electric Railroad took its final
ride into the pages of history, never to run again.
As time progressed, the town of Waterbury gradually took over the care of the roads in the region,
and in the 1920's, horse-drawn road graders were seen scraping the main roads. By the time the dam
was begun, trucks and gasoline powered equipment had taken over for good.
37
What the view looked like from just above the Randall and Roberts
Sawmill looking towards Moscow. The barns at the George Randall
Farm are seen in the background.
An old stone culvert on the Hedgehog Hill Road. This one is in
excellent condition and shows how the residents of those days built
things to last.
36
I
t
I
I.
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
Dragline excavation of the damsite. This was one of the early steps
in the long process of building the dam.
A view from the western end of the damsite looking north up the Little
River Road. Notice the long line of trucks snaking their way up the
road to unload fill on the dam.
44
:.:-'-
it,.
~
life such as barracks, stores, a chapel, a library, a hospital, and a movie theater. What a drastic
change was suddenly being imposed on this quiet valley of sagging old farmhouses and abandoned
farm lands.
Over 2,000 men worked vigorously through the adverse winter conditions of 1935-1936, and on
June 27, 1936, water began to gush through the 900-foot-Iong concrete diversion conduit. No longer
would the waters of Little River rush down through the narrow little gorge, where for generations it
had turned the water turbines of the Randall and Roberts Sawmill. Now the beautiful falls would
soon be covered with thousands of tons of earth fill.
Day and night through the summer of 1936, about 160 trucks, with a large complement of
bulldozers and power shovels, worked around the clock, gouging out the valley bottom and depositing
their loads of fill on the ever rising dam. About 20,000 cubic yards of earth fill were deposited daily
over the top of what had once been the Little River sawmill settlement. On August 1 of that year,
President Roosevelt was numbered among the large crowd of visitors that viewed the unbelievable
scene each day from the observation terrace on a hill at the west end of the dam.
The 2, 130-foot-long dam was constructed of rolled earth fill, each layer spread and rolled before
the next was dumped on. The dam is 175 feet high with a maximum width of 900 feet. Borrow pits
up along the valley provided the needed 2,200,000 cubic yards of selected materials, including
490,000 cubic yards of clay for the core. A layer of gravel was placed on all surfaces and topped
with a heavy rock fill. The stone rip-rap on the face was hand placed, a tedious and back-breaking
job.
To provide protection for the earth embankment in case of a large flood, a spillway of reinforced
concrete 252 feet long and 15 feet high was constructed at the end of the dam. The normal water
level of the reservoir (conservation pool elevation) is 592 feet above sea level, and at this level the
reservoir has a surface area of 1,600 acres. When the water is at the spillway crest (625 feet above
sea level), it forms a lake about six miles long up the Little River valley. The water line of the
reservoir at 625 feet above sea level is indicated on the historical map to show how much of the
former settlement area along the Little River is now inundated.
The dam was completed in 1938 and formally delivered to the State of Vermont on October 19 of
that year. There was still a large area of state-owned land not under water, and State Forester Perry
Merrill suggested to Vermont Governor George Aiken that this area be turned over to the Vermont
Forest Service. This arrangement was consummated on May 15, 1939, and the 9,100 acre tract
drained by Bryant and Cotton Brooks became part of the Mount Mansfield State Forest.
ACTIVITY AFTER THE DAM
The Camp Smith buildings were used as a National Youth Administration School for a short while
after the dam was completed, and youths were trained here in machinist and radio skills. Today, only
a few stone chimneys remain as reminders of the sprawling camp that once housed the hard-working
members of the CCC.
After the reservoir was built, the State considered building a new road up the west side of the
valley above the new waterline. The idea was discarded, however, and as a result, this area has
remained remote forest land, excluded from those who travel only by car; a mini-wilderness
reclaimed from the agricultural community of yesteryear.
In 1954, a road coming in from the northern end of the valley was built along Cotton Brook for
logging purposes and state lands maintenance only, and no pubic automotive travel is allowed on it.
Logging activities have been conducted periodically throughout the region since it became a state
forest, testifying to the fact that trees are a renewable and remarkable resource. Trees have been
recently harvested on the very soil that was once plowed back in the late 1800's.
A power plant capable of generating 15 million kilowatt hours yearly was added to the dam in
1956. In 1962, a State Park was built within the State Forest, on an area that had once been a hill
overlooking the now-inundated Martin Barber Farm (Site #64). This area is known as the South
Camping Loop. In 1976, another camping area known as the North Camping Loop was created.
Each area contains a beach and many camping sites, some with leantos and others for tents. The area
from Site #3 through Site #31 has been preserved and one can walk the old roads and see the remains
of these places as they look today.
The Little River Region that once played a very important part in the lives of hundreds of people
has now changed completely. With the exception of Almeron Goodell's house (Site #14) north of the
dam, and Garry Crossett's house (Site #77) south of the dam, the buildings on all sites covered in this
book were either destroyed or moved to new locations. Generations have come and gone since the
first settlers arrived here and cleared much of the land of trees. Now the cycle completes itself as
these agricultural lands slowly revert to the forest lands they once were. It's difficult to imagine that
the woods one sees today were once some farmer's open pasture.
If you walk the still-existing horse carriage roads and farm lanes and look carefully here and there,
you can still see foundations that supported a house; bam, or shed; a well that still has water in it;
a lane between two stone walls where cows walked out to pasture; a few remaining lilac bushes where
some farm wife had her flower garden; some diseased apple trees scattered here and there where an
apple orchard stood; and a few aged maple trees that had been part of a productive sugarbush. By
reading this book and studying the historical map, one can relive a way of life that exists today only
in the pages of history books, and in stories the "old timers" tell.
49
. _f
l
I
I
I
'
i
I
i
I
1

I
I
f
I
I
l
!

I


I
I

!
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I

l
I
I
I
I
'
'
I

I
I
I
I
[
!
'
I
1.
I
I
I
I
I