Part III. 



GAZETTEER OF VERMONT. 



197 



WINOOSKI RIVER. 



15, 1761, containing by charter 23,040 

 acres. Mr. Nathaniel Brown, from Mas- 

 sachusetts, commenced the settlement of 

 this township, during tiie revolutionary 

 war. The town was organized about the 

 year 1796. Asa Beebe jr. was first town 

 clerk, and Asa Beebe was first represent- 

 ative. The religious denominations are 

 Congregationalists, Methodists, and Bap- 

 tists. The Rev. B. Barrett was settled 

 over the Congregational church about the 

 time the town was organized, who died 

 about two years after. There has been 

 no settled minister since. There is a 

 small union meeting house situated near 

 the centre of the township, and another 

 in the eastern part, belonging to the Con- 

 gregationalists and Baptists. The Con- 

 gregationalists are supplied by the pre- 

 ceptor of Burr Seminary, and the Metho- 

 dists by circuit preachers. The town is 

 watered by Winhall river which affords 

 a great number of good mill privileges. 

 There are in town five school districts, 

 and four school houses,one grist and seven 

 saw mills, one store, three taverns, and 

 one tannery. Statistics of 1S40. — Horses, 

 172; cattle, 6f)3; sheep, 815; swine, 279; 

 wheat, bu. 579 ; oats, 2,775 ; rye, 36G ; 

 buckwheat, 647; Ind. corn, 564; pota- 

 toes, 17,388; hay, tons, 1,466; sugar, lbs. 

 11,000; wool, 1,590. Population, 576. 



WiNiiAi.i. River is a small mill stream 

 which is collected in Winhall, and, after 

 running easterly through the corner of 

 Jamaica, unites with West river in the 

 south part of Londonderry. 



WiNoosKi RivF.K, called also Onion riv- 

 er, is formed in Cabot by the union of sev- 

 eral small streams, and taking a souther- 

 ly course, enters Marshfield where it re- 

 receives a large tributary from the east, 

 which originates in Onion river pond in 

 Peacham and in Molly's pond in Cabot. 

 On this stream is a remarkable cateract, 

 where the water falls about 500 feet in the 

 distance of 30 rods. Through Marshfield, 

 the river continues a southerly course into 

 Plainfield, where it bends to the south- 

 west and crosses the corner of the town- 

 ship into Montpelier. Here it receives 

 Kingbury's brancli, from Calais. After 

 crossing the southeast corner of Montpe- 

 lier, the river takes a northwesterly course, 

 which it continues till it falls into lake 

 Champlain, between Colchester and Bur- 

 lington, five miles north of Burlington 

 villacre. Its most considerable tributa- 

 ries are Dog river and Steven's branch in 

 Berlin, North branch at Montpelier vil- 

 lage. Mad river in Moretown, Waterbury 

 river in Waterbur}', Huntington river in 

 Richmond, and Muddy brook between 

 Williston and Burlington. The alluvial 



flats along this river are narrow, till the 

 river has passed through the western 

 range of the Green Mountains, when they 

 become much more extensive. In Bolton, 

 where it passes the range, the mountains 

 approach very near the river. The chan- 

 nels which have been worn in the rocks 

 by this river are a great curiosity. One 

 of these between Middlesex and More- 

 town, is about 80 rods in length, 60 feet 

 in width, and 30 feet deep ; the rock ap- 

 pearing like a wall on each side. Anoth- 

 er of these channels is between Waterbu- 

 ry and Duxbury, four miles below Water- 

 bury village. Its depth is about 100 feet, 

 and the rocks on the south side are per- 

 pendicular. The rocks have here fallen 

 into the chasm and forme da. natural bridge^ 

 which is crossed by footmen at low water. 

 Among the rocks here, are also, seve- 

 ral curionss caverns. Holes also of 

 cylindrical form, are here worn into the 

 solid rocks several feet in depth. This 

 chasm is but a few steps from the turn- 

 pike leading from Montpelier to Burling- 

 ton, and is worthy the attention ofthe cu- 

 rious traveller. A third channel ofthig 

 kind is between Burlington and Colches- 

 ter, about three fourths of a mile above 

 Winooski lower falls. The channel here 

 is about 40 rods in length, 70 feet in 

 width, and 65 feet deep. Across the 

 channel a bridge has been thrown which 

 is perfectly secure from floods. There is 

 abundant evidence, both here and at the 

 natural bridge above mentioned, that 

 there formerly existed a large pond at 

 each place, whose waters were drainedoff" 

 by the wearing-down ofthe channels. In 

 Winooski river are several falls which af- 

 ford excellent sites for mills. The turn- 

 pike from Burlington eastward along this 

 river affords the best passage ofthe Green 

 Mountains in the State. Winooski river is 

 one of ilie largest in the State, being about 

 70 in'les in length, and watering 970 

 square miles.* 



Woi.coTT, a post town in the east part 

 of Lamoille county, is in lat. 44° 34' and 

 long. 4° 31' and is bounded north by 

 Craftsbury, east by Hardwick, south by 

 Elmore, and west by Hydepark. It lies 



* Winooski is an Indian name, composed of two 

 wolds in the Ahinaqui, or Algonquin tongue, ini- 

 noos, onions, or leeks, and Ai, land, so that its lit- 

 eral signification is land of onions. Tlie spelling 

 comes to us through the French, and the i having 

 the sound of long e, it is pronounced VVenooskee. 

 Considering the Indian name prefcrahle, in every re-" 

 spcct, to its translation, onion, we have given it the 

 preference through the whole of our work, and we 

 hope the time is not distant when it will he in gen* 

 eral use. During the cidonial wars the I-'rench and 

 Indians often made their descent upon the English 

 through the valley of this river, and hence it was 

 often called French River. 



