132 WINOOSKI RIVER. 



even to tho summit level, between Lewis Creek and Huntington Kiver. We have nowhere seen so curious 

 a place for distinct terraces as at this height of land. Usually the valley is filled with moraine terraces 

 at these watersheds ; but here at the highest point there are two terraces, at least 50 feet high, one on each 

 side of the valley, or meadow. More than this, they are continuous, or nearly so, with the highest terraces 

 belonging to the streams on the two sides. Evidently there has been some stream of water across this 

 valley, but what one we are at a loss to determine. The top of the terrace No. 5 in Hinesburg is 570 feet 

 above Lake Champlain, and the top of the terrace at the summit level is 702 feet above the same level. 

 We could imagine that a stream crossed this valley and emptied into Lake Champlain, when its level was 

 higher than at present, say to the height of the large terrace. We could comparatively easily account for 

 its formation, but not so with the formation of the highest one. We will defer the discussion of this point 

 till we speak of old river beds. 



Laplop River rises in Hinesburg and empties into Lake Champlain at Shelburn Bay. It lies in the 

 Champlain clays, and has cut a much deeper channel for itself in those deposits than any of the other 

 streams already mentioned. The assignment of two terraces to this river on the map is eminently just. 



TERRACES ON WINOOSKI RIVER AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 



Winooski River, called also Onion River, rises in Cabot, passes through Marshfield, Plainfield and Mont- 

 pelier, whence it takes a northwesterly course, until it unites with Lake Champlain between Colchester and 

 Burlington. It is 70 miles in length, and waters about 970 square miles. It has at least five basins of ter- 

 races upon its banks, which may be divided into several sub-basins, on account of the variety of circum- 

 stances under which they were formed. It is the first river we have met with, in our survey of the different 

 rivers, that cuts directly across the Green Mountain range and, excepting the La Moille and Missisco rivers, 

 there is no other stream in the State thus situated. The nearest approach we found to be in Castleton 

 river, which crossed the Taconic range in Ira. We should suppose that it would have been easier for the 

 Winooski, La Moille and Missisco rivers to unite and flow to the south, forming a stream larger than the 

 Connecticut, and parallel to it, east of the Green Mountains. Why they chose to cut through the high 

 ranges instead, is entirely a matter of conjecture. But there is no doubt that the present routes were the 

 best adapted to the wants of the inhabitants of the State, for had the course been otherwise had the three 

 rivers united and formed a grand rival to the Connecticut, the modes of communication between the east 

 and west parts of the State would have been extremely difficult. It is much easier to pass down the easy 

 grades of the Vermont Central Railroad, upon Winooski river, than to ascend mountains 2,000 or 3,000 

 feet high. And we cannot doubt that the course of rivers, as well as the deposition of beds of iron and 

 coal, was designed for man's benefit, by the same Infinite Wisdom. 



The first basin extends from the mouth of the river to Jonesville, containing three sub-basins. The first 

 sub-basin extends from the lake to the gorge east of Winooski Falls village. It is particularly interesting, 

 not merely for the scenery exhibited from some of its highest terraces in Burlington, but also from the 

 union of two kinds of deposits fluviatile and oceanic or the terraces and Champlain clays. Upon the map 

 it is seen that the land runs out to a point, just beyond the mouth of the Winooski. The extreme point is 

 composed of Utica slate ; then there is no rock seen until we reach a north and south line, connecting Mal- 

 lett's Head and Lonerock Point, where a tough dolomitic limestone appears the Winooski marble or 

 limestone. The space between these two ledges is filled up with sand and loam, forming an extensive 

 meadow, with a second terrace resting upon the ledge at the point, the northeast part, and in the south part 

 parallel to the river. Probably these together constitute a delta, brought down to fill up the former vacant 

 space between Colchester Point and the Winooski marble ridge. There are similar deltas at each mouth of 

 the three large northern rivers. Upon Plate VII, Fig. 3, where the first sub-basin is represented, it will 

 be seen that the first terrace is broad until we reach the railroad bridge of the Burlington Branch of the 

 Vermont Central Railroad from Painesville. Then it grows narrow, and at the high bridge ceases entirely, 

 its place being occupied by silicious limestone from which a deep gorge has been excavated. North of the 

 river the third and fourth terraces are unusually large, each forming a plain several miles square. The 

 highest is continuous from Richmond, gradually expanding from a point at Richmond to several miles in 



