134 



GAZETTEER OF VERMONT. 



Part III. 



OTTA QUECHEK RIVER. 



OTTER CREEK. 



2,000 acres in the south part of the town- 

 ship, which is somewhat broken and hilly. 

 The remaining purt is very level, hand- 

 some land, and produces abundant crops 

 of all kinds of grain. The principal 

 streams are East creek, which rises in 

 Benson and falls into lake Champlain on 

 the north side of Mount Independence, 

 and Leinonfair river, which here consists 

 of two branches, running parallel with 

 each other, along the eastern border;'and 

 uniting near the north line of the town- 

 ship. On these streams are several mill 

 privileges, which are good during a part 

 of the year. The waters where the land 

 is clayey are slightly impregnated with 

 Epsom salts, or the sulphate of magnesia. 

 There is a spring on the lake shore, about 

 100 rods south I'rom the northwest cor- 

 ner, tlie waters of wliicli are very strong- 

 ly impregnated, and, from these, salts have 

 been manufactured in considerable quan- 

 tities. In the compact limestone in this 

 township are shells of various kinds. 

 In the compact limestone on Mt. Inde- 

 pendence, Hint is found. Specimens of 

 blende, or the sulphuret of zinc, have al- 

 so been found in this townsliip. The 

 width of the lake between Mt. Indepen- 

 dence and Ticonderoga is about 80 rods. 

 A mile further south, at a place called 

 Sholes Landing, it is only 40 rods wide. 

 I'he average width of the lake against Or- 

 well is about one mile, and tiie widest 

 place 2 miles. May 13, 1820, a piece of 

 land in this township, of more than ^ 

 acres area, sunk about 40 feet, and slid 

 into the lake. The impulse made upon 

 the water was so great as to raise the lake 

 3 feet at the opposite shore, a mile and a 

 half distant. The ground was partly cov- 

 ered with small trees, some of which 

 moved ofFcrect, while others were thrown 

 down, '["here was formerly a furnace 

 here, which did considerable business, but 

 it is now in ruins. There are two small 

 villacres. Sfiili.itics q/"]840. — Horses, 325 ; 

 cattle, 2,066 ; slieep, 30,275 ; swine, 802; 

 wheat, bush. 3,702 ; oats, 6,273 ; r3'e, 2,- 

 049; buckwheat, 153; Ind. corn, 6,456 ; 

 potatoes, 16,060 ; hay, tons, 7,053 ; sugar, 

 lbs. 5,. 525 ; wool, 77,485. Pop. 1,504. 



Otta Quf.chee River, (called also Wa- 

 ter Quechee and Quechee river,) rises in 

 Sherburne, runs nearly east through the 

 south part of Bridgewater; thence cast 

 northeast through Woodstock into the 

 south part of Hartford, and llience soutli- 

 east through the northeast corner of Hart- 

 land into Connecticut river, about two 

 miles above Quechee falls. In Bridge- 

 water it receives two considerable branch- 

 es, namely, north branch, whicli rises in 

 the north part of this tov.'nship from the 



north, and south branch, which rises in 

 Plymouth from the south, both consider- 

 able mill streams. In Woodstock it re- 

 ceives two other branches of considerable 

 size ; one rising in the northeast corner 

 of Bridgewater and southeast corner of 

 Barnard, falls into Quechee river from 

 the north just below the north village in 

 ^Voodstock, the other rising in the south 

 part of Woodstock, passes through both 

 the villages in that town, and empties in- 

 to it from the south just above the mouth 

 of the last mentioned stream. Botli these 

 streams afford excellent mill seats. Que- 

 chee river, in its course, receives numer- 

 ous otiier tributaries of less note. It is a 

 clear and lively stream, with a gravel or 

 stoncy bottom. There are eight bridges 

 across this river after it leaves Sherburne, 

 viz: four in Bridgewater, two in Wood- 

 stock, one in Hartford, and one in Hart- 

 land ; and 8 dams, on which mills and 

 other machinery are erected, viz : two in 

 Bridgewater. three in Woodstock, two in 

 Hartford and one in Harlland. This 

 stream is about 35 miles in length, and 

 waters about 212 square miles. The name 

 of this stream is of Indian origin, and is 

 said to signify quick whirling motion, and 

 was probably given on account of ap- 

 jjcarances exhibited at the falls near its 

 mouth. 



Otter Creek, is the longest stream in 

 Vermont. It originates in Mount Tabor 

 Peru, and Dorset, within a few rods of 

 the head of the Battenkill. In Dorset it 

 turns suddenly towards the north and re- 

 turns into Mount Tabor, running nearly 

 north through the western part of this 

 township and Wallingford, and through 

 the central part of Clarendon into Rut- 

 land ; it then takes a north westerly Course 

 through Pittsford and Brandon; between 

 Leicester and Salisbury on the east, and 

 Whiting and Cornwall on the west ; 

 through the western part of Middlebury ; 

 between New Haven and Weybridge ; 

 tliroughthe northeast corner of Addison ; 

 between Waltham and Panton ; and 

 through Vergennes and Ferrisburgh into 

 lake Champlain. From the southwest it 

 receives in Ferrisburgh a large creek 

 which originates in Bridport ; in Wey- 

 bridge Lemonfair river, from Orwell and 

 Shoreham ; in Rutland Little West riv- 

 er, or Furnace brook, from Tinmouth ; 

 and in Mount Tabor Mill river, from Dan- 

 by. From the east it receives New Ha- 

 ven rivei-in New Haven, Middlebury river 

 inMiddlebury,Leicesterriverin Leicester, 

 Furnace river in Pittsford, East creek in 

 Rutland, and Cold river and Mill river in 

 Clarendon, all of which are considerable 

 mill streams. Otter Creek above Middle- 



