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NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



14.725 and the township 1215, and in 1900, the city was 21,696 

 and the township 1159. The township of Painelia had a popula- 

 tion in 1860 of 2789 and in 1870, 1292, the difference in this case 

 being chiefly due to the absorption of a portion into the city of 

 Watertown. As in the case of Watertown township, however, 

 the population of Pamelia has been gradually lessening during 

 the last three census decades. Since the incorporation of Water- 

 town as a city, the development of its manufacturing industries 

 has been very rapid. 



In addition to Watertown, the other chief water-power points 

 of the Black river valley are Dexter, Brownville, Black River 

 village, Felts Mills, Great Bend, Carthage, Lyon Falls and Port 

 Leyden. There are also extensive water powers on the Beaver 

 and Moose rivers, tributaries of the Black. 



The chief object of this chapter is to present a concise view of 

 the relation which the development of the Black river water power 

 has had to the growth of the region as a whole, such discussion 

 leading to a broad consideration of the effect of materially inter- 

 fering with the development of the manufacturing interests. We 

 will endeavor, in short, to discuss the economic proposition in- 

 volved in seriously interfering with the productive industries of 

 an extensive manufacturing community. 



Without going into an extended account of the early manu- 

 facturing establishments of the Lower Black river, we may still 

 give enough to show that manufacturing has always been a lead- 

 ing occupation of the Black river valley population. 



Dexter. At Dexter manufacturing improvements were begun 

 in 1811 by Jacob and John Brown, who built a dam across the 

 river which, however, was carried away by high water the next 

 season. It was replaced and in 1813 a sawmill put in operation. 

 In 1826 John E. Brown erected a gristmill. James Wood & Sons 

 began the erection of a woolen factory about 1830, and in 1836 

 the Jefferson Woolen Company was formed with f 100,000 capital 

 for i lie construction and operation of a woolen mill. The mill 

 was built in 1837, but the investment soon proved a failure. Sub- 

 sequently the mill was operated by private parlies. 



