THE CONNECTICUTT VALLEY. 9 



hundred years later, in the hills and valleys of Colorado 

 and Nebraska. 



The earliest town settled in this county was Deerfield, in 

 1663, then Northfield, Sunderland ten years later ; Greenfield, 

 Montague, and New Salem came next; and the remaining 

 towns, down to the close of the last century, were incorpo- 

 rated, being made up of offshoots from the older towns about 

 here, — from Dedham and its vicinity; while many of the 

 best families in our county trace their ancestry back into 

 the sister-colony of Connecticut, which was early settled 

 with brave, God-fearing men, who never failed us in time of 

 need. 



In 1799, the county being pretty well populated, it was 

 thought desirable to have better communication with the 

 cities of Boston and Albany and Troy ; accordingly, a turn- 

 pike was built easterly to connect with Boston, and, in 1802, 

 westerly, toward Troy and Albany. 



In order to make the Connecticut River navigable for flat- 

 boats, in 1794 a dam was built at Turner's Falls ; and a canal 

 three miles long, to avoid the falls and rapids, was dug down 

 the river through what was called Montague City. A com- 

 pany of Dutch from Saybrook, believing, that, at the comple- 

 tion of the canal, it might be made a place of great impor- 

 tance, bought the land, laid out streets and city lots. Events 

 did not justify their expectation. The canal for more than 

 fifty years did a large business, but left no great results on its 

 line. Railroad transportation has dried up the canal, which 

 has become like Tadmor in the wilderness ; and a couple of 

 dozen of neat cottages constitute the " City." 



In 1846 the Connecticut-river Railroad was built through 

 the county from the south; in 1850, the Vermont and Massa- 

 chusetts from the east ; from the west, about 1876, after a 

 parturition of nearly thirty years, came to us the Troy and 

 Greenfield, a child of many prayers. 



The only public institutions in the county are the jail and 

 court-house. We have never been favored with a lunatic- 

 asylum, a reformatory school, state almshouse, college, nor- 

 mal school, nor any other State institution, partly because we 

 are out of the way, and partly, perhaps, from lack of persis- 

 tency in asking governmental favors. 



Franklin County covers about six hundred and fifty square 



