Part III. 



GAZETTEER OF VERMOiNT. 



117 



MISSISCO BAY. 



MISSISCO RIVEK. 



MONKTON. 



centre of Milton, are a considerable curi- 

 osity. In running 50 rods, the whole 

 river falls about 150 feet. Near the mid- 

 dle of the cataract is a small island, upon 

 each side of which the water rushes down 

 with the greatest violence, rebounding 

 from rock to rock, tossing its spray into 

 the air, and stunning the astonished spec- 

 tator by its successive concussions and 

 incessant roar. These falls are often vis- 

 ited by the curious. The surface of this 

 township is gently diversified with hills 

 and vallies, but contains no mountains of 

 consequence. Cohhlc hill in the south, 

 and Rattlesnake hill, in the north part, are 

 the most remarkable. They rise 4 or 500 

 feet above the adjacent plains, and "afford 

 a fine prospect of the lake and surround- 

 ing country. The soil is various, being, 

 in some parts, sandy pine plains, in oth- 

 ers clay, and in others a warm loam 

 ;The lumbering business has, heretofore, 

 engrossed much of the attention of the 

 inhabitants ; but, the pine timber being 

 mostly exhausted, their chief attention is 

 now given to agriculture. The rocks 

 here are mostly limestone. Iron ore is 

 found here in considerable quantities, and 

 is thought to be of good (juality. On the 

 bank of the Lamoille is a small cavern. 

 There is a thriving little village at Milton 

 falls, which afford eA'cellent sites for mills, 

 containing 2 meeting houses, a paper and 

 other mills, a tavern, stores and mechan- 

 ics' shops. There is another pleasant lit- 

 tle village, 2 miles vi'est of the falls, called 

 Checker- Berry. The town contains three 

 meeting houses, 9 stores, 1 paper mill, 2 

 grist, 2 saw and 3 fulling mills and 3 tan- 

 neries. Statistics q/"1840. — Horses, 482 ; 

 cattle, 2,863 ; sheep, 16,600 ; swine, 1 ,617; 

 wheat, bus. 4,425; oats, 11,266; rye, 10,- 

 288; buck-wheat, 1,230; Indian corn, 

 16,603 ; potatoes, 49,791 ; hay, tons, 5,978 ; 

 sugar, lbs. 19,204 ; wool, 31,686. Popu- 

 lation, 2,136. 



MiNDEN. Name altered to Craftsbury, 

 October 27, 1790. See Craftshunj. 



MiNEHEAD. Name altered to Bloom- 

 field, Nov. 9, 1830. See Bloomfield. 



Missisco. Name altered to Troy, 

 October 26, 1803. See Troy. 



Missisco Bay is a large arm of lake 

 Champlain, which extends into Canada 

 between Swanton and Higiigate on the 

 east, and Albnrgh on the west. Its width 

 from east to west, on Canada line, is 

 about five miles, and it extends four or 

 five miles into Canada. This bay covers 

 an area of about 35 square miles. 



Missisco* River rises in Lowell, and, 



* This name i^ doulitless tleiived from the Indians, 

 but there is not perfect agrsement with regard to 

 its signitication. Sume consider it as coming from 



pursuing a northeasterly course through 

 a part of Westfield and Troy, crosses the 

 north line of the state into Potton in Can- 

 ada, where it receives a large stream from 

 the northeast. After running several 

 miles in Canada, it returns into Vermont 

 about a mile west from the northeast cor- 

 ner of Richford. Thence it runs south- 

 westerly through the corner of Berkshire, 

 where it receives Trout river, into Enos- 

 burgh. It then takes a westerly course 

 through Sheldon into Highgate, where it 

 bends to the south into Swanton, and, af- 

 ter performing a circuit of several miles 

 in that town, returns into Highgate, and, 

 running northwesterly, falls into Missis- 

 co bay near Canada line. There are sev- 

 eral falls and rapids in this stream, but 

 the current is, generally, moderate, and 

 the river wide and shallow. It affords a 

 considerable number of valuable sites for 

 mills, and the alluvial flats, along its mar- 

 gin, are extensive and very fertile. Be- 

 sides those above mentioned. Black creek 

 and Taylor's branch are its most consid- 

 erable tributaries. Tiie length of thia 

 river, including its windings, is about 75 

 miles, and it receives the waters from 

 about 582 square miles in Vermont. This 

 river is navigable for vessels of 50 tons 

 burthen, six miles, to Swanton falls. 



Molly's Pond. See Cahot. 



MoNKTON, a post town in i.he north part 

 of Addison county, is in lat. 44° 13' and 

 long. 3° 55', and is bounded north by 

 Hinesburgh and Charlotte, east by Starks- 

 borough, south by Bristol, and west by 

 Ferrisburgh. It lies 18 miles southeast 

 from Burlington, and 27 west from Mont- 

 pelier. It was chartered June 24, 1762, 

 and contains 24,000 acres. This township 

 was settled in 1774, by John and Ebene- 

 zer Stearns, Barnabas Burnham and John 

 Bishop. They left during the war, but 

 returned in 1784. There are no large 

 streams in this township. The western 

 part is watered by Little Otter creek, and 

 the eastern part by Pond brook, which 

 rises from a considerable pond nearly on 

 the line between Monkton and Bristol, 



wse, signifying much, and mskeco, gras?— abound- 

 ing in gras.s ; and olheis, from missi, much, and 

 klscoo, waterfowl. Both of these names are descrip- 

 tive, as ihere are here extensive tracts of wild grass, 

 anil both the bay and the lower par) of the river are 

 favorite resorts lor waterfowl. The name is usu- 

 ally pronounced J/(Si(\sco, and my reason for sjielling 

 il ,'^lissisco, besides its near conformity to the orisin- 

 al, is the unsettled orthography of the word, which 

 may be seen by the following various spellings, all 

 of which are copied from printed books, or periodi- 

 cals. 

 Missisque Missisquei IMisssiskow Masiska 

 Missisqui iVlissisco Mis^iskay IVIiehlscoui 

 Rlissisqna Missiscoui Misreiskoy Michiscouie 

 Missisquay JVIissiscoe Missiskoue Michisqui 

 Missisquoi Misaiski Missiskoui 



