THEN AND NOW: 1927 FLOOD
Nov. 3 was the 90th anniversary of
the flood in Cavendish. Instead of staying in its course
down through the Cavendish Gorge, the Black River broke through the power
company's pond dike above the gorge dam and by 9 pm, there were two feet of
water in lower Main St. and four feet covering Depot St (now called Mill St.).
The river then cut a deep and wide
gully down through lower Main St, once part of an ancient river bed. The gully
was one-quarter mile long, 100-600 feet wide, and 25-150 feet deep. Note that
this was a similar path that took place during Irene in 2011. Swept away
by the raging river were seven houses, ten barns, four garages, eight
automobiles, land, trees, the lower part of Main St., and a section of the
River Rd. The wreckage piled up in Whitesville, a mile downstream.
This past year, we
received a collection of photographs taken during the flood. In the week
leading up to the flood anniversary, we posted the pictures to the Cavendish VTFacebook page. One photograph in particular
caught people’s attention. This house still stands off Carlton Rd down by the Black River
THE FIRST PEOPLE OF CAVENDISH
At the end of October, the 4th and 5th
grades from Cavendish Town Elementary School (CTES) spent the day at Plimoth
Plantation thanks to the Carmine Guica Young Historians Program (CGYH). One 5th
grader, Andre wrote, “ I have a question for you, do you know when the Wampanoag
arrive in Plymouth?”
To Andre’s question, as well
as acknowledging Vermont’s adoption of Indigenous Peoples Day as a replacement
for Columbus Day, we are including a more in-depth look at who the 1st
people of Cavendish were and how they
came to be here. However, to answer Andre’s inquiry, it appears that the Wampanoag
arrived in New England around 15,000 years ago.
Where did America’s 1st
people come from and when? A much debated topic in the scientific community, most
archaeologists and other scholars now believe that the earliest Americans followed
Pacific Rim shorelines from northeast Asia to Beringia and the Americas. A
prehistoric land bridge formed between Siberia and North America and for years it
was believed that the first peoples walked over the bridge about 13,500 years. However,
by the time this would have been possible the Americas were already populated.
In fact, the dates for first humans in the Americas is about 20,000-15,000
years ago.
The
Beringia theory is being replaced with the “kelp highway hypothesis.” Melting
of the glaciers on the outer coast of North America's Pacific Northwest, about
17,000 years ago, created a possible corridor rich in aquatic and terrestrial
resources along the Pacific Coast, with productive kelp forest and estuarine
ecosystems at sea level and no major geographic barriers. Using boats and
fishing tools, humans made it all the way from Asia to the Americas, founding
many coastal communities along the way. More and more evidence supports this
theory. It is possible that over a 2,000 year period, the people who would
become the Wampanoag made their way from the west coast to the east coast.
As
far as when the first peoples occupied Cavendish, there is archeological evidence at Jackson Gore in Ludlow
that dates back 11,000 years, shortly after ice age ended. Judging from the
tools uncovered, these hunter/gatherers were highly skilled craftsmen whose
travels were far and included trading with other groups, as a high percentage
of the stone used for the tools came from Maine. Cavendish would have had
Indians traveling through the area via the Black River and/or what became known
as the Crown Point Rd. The Paleo-Indians would have stopped to fish and hunt depending on the time of year, and may have
spent days or weeks here if food was plentiful. They traveled hundreds of miles
each year.
The most practical group size was large enough to hunt
cooperatively but small enough to be
self-sufficient and mobile. It was probably
an extended family of men, women, and
children totaling 10 to 25 people. The
human population in this part of the
world at that time was low, and the territory that a few dozen groups like this shared may have included hundreds or even thousands of
square miles. At times several groups probably gathered together to hunt or
fish; to exchange information, goods, and stories; to celebrate, to make
friends, to resolve conflicts; and to meet potential spouses. Links were formed
among the groups through these activities and through family ties. History & Culture Mashantucket Pequot Museum &
Research Center
Tools used about 5,000-7,000
years ago, called the Archaic period, have been found in Cavendish fields,
indicating there might have been an Indian settlement away from the river and
in close proximity to where Cavendish’s first European settlers built homes.
Just 37 miles to the South of Cavendish in Keene, NH there is evidence of a
winter settlement that is over 12,000 years old. Even closer is Bellows Falls,
where petroglyphs can be found.
The first people of Cavendish would be part of the
Abenaki Nation, which is part of the Wabanaki Confederacy, and not dissimilar
to the Abenaki described in A Brief History: From the Koas Meadows to You
Today. The Abenaki Native Americans have been living in the same region for
10,000 years. Today, this area comprises Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and
southern Quebec. The Abenaki Alliance in Vermont and New Hampshire consists of
four tribal bands, much like America is divided into states. These tribal bands
include the Missisquoi (St. Francis/Sokoki) [Swanton], the Elnu [southern Vt],
the Nulhegan [Northeast Kingdom] and the Koasek [central and . Each individual tribal
band is governed by a Chief and a Tribal Council, yet they are all part of the
Abenaki Alliance....
Historians have often confused which band or tribe
some of the eastern Indians were from. If they saw an Indian in one location,
they assumed that person was a member of the local tribal band. Many historians
have called all Abenaki “St. Francis Indians.” Other historians have used that
term just to refer to the Abenaki of Odanak, who reside in Southern Quebec.
This has often led to confusion about the history of the Abenaki people.”...
Hollywood moves have portrayed all Native Americans as
having copper skin, dark brown eyes, and long black hair. This is far from the
way the eastern tribal people looked. In 1542, sieur e Roverval, Governor
General of New France, described the appearance of the Abenaki people in his
letters. He wrote, “They are a people of goodly stature and well made; they are
very white, but they are all naked, and if they were appareled as the French
are, they would be as white and as fair, but they paint themselves for fear of
heat and sun burning.” In 1637, Thomas Morton of Massachusetts wrote, “Their
infants are borne with hair on their heads and are of complexion as white as
our nation: but their mother in their infancy make a bath of walnut leaves,
husks of walnuts, and such things as will stain their skin forever, wherein
they dip and wash them to make them tawny.”
Between 1500-1609, it’s
estimated that there was a minimum of 10,000 Abenaki in VT. With the arrival of
the Europeans, by 1760, the population in VT and Southern PQ had dropped to
1,200. Reasons included disease, the Europeans pitting one tribe against the
other, involvement in various wars, and movement into Quebec. The Abenaki were
a peaceful people and were not well suited to war.
Vermont has a very dark
history when it comes to its native peoples.
With the arrival of the Europeans, life changed dramatically for the
Abenaki. They lost their land, were persecuted, and/or died from diseases they
had no immunity to. Consequently, those
of Abenaki descent would be known as “dark” or “colored” French or gypsies.
Many would have changed their name and it was very common for parents not to
tell their children of their Indian heritage until they were adults.
 |
| Gratia Belle Ellis |
Along with French Canadians, poor people and those
with disabilities, the Abenaki were coerced into sterilization. In 1931,
Vermont passed the eugenic sterilization law, "A Law for Human Betterment
by Voluntary Sterilization." Vermont's eugenic solutions -- in the form of
identification, registration, intervention in families with problem or backward
children, and sterilization of those deemed unfit to conceive future
Vermonters-was in effect until 1957, though the majority of sterilizations
-200- took place between 1931 and 1941. A total of 253 people were sterilized,
80% of whom were women. However, though the sterilization was reported to end
in 1957, the Abenakis continued to be sterilized in the United States,
including Vermont
We have confirmed one former
Cavendish resident, Gratia Denny, as being of Abenaki dissent. Her Grandmother
Gratia Belle Ellis, born 1843, was an Abenaki and spoke Algonquian. It is expected
there are others in town that share similar heritage, some of whom may not be
aware of it.
CARMINE GUICA YOUNG HISTORIANS
The CGYH program is
in full swing at the Cavendish Town Elementary School. Thanks to the generosity
of Stein van Schaik, it was possible for CHS to sponsor a day long workshop
with the fourth graders with cultural archeologist Charlie Paquin so that they
could experience how the 1st peoples of Cavendish would have made
stone tools (flint knapping) rope, and pottery as well as how they hunted with
atlatls. The 4th and 5th graders were able to spend the
day at Plimoth Plantation in Massachusetts.
Thanks to Bruce and Betty McEnaney’s
Blueberry Fund, the 6th grade spent the day at Sturbridge Village,
which is a great way for the kids to learn why Cavendish developed along the
Black River as the water powered the machines in the 1830s.
In December, we will
hosting our annual holiday workshops at
CTES based on the heritage of people who have settled in Cavendish. This year
we will be celebrating the Polish, many of whom came to work at the Gay
Brothers Mills. At the
suggestion of one of the teachers, we will be adding a special luncheon so the
students can try kielbasa, perogies, stuffed cabbage and more.
We could not run the
extensive programming we do at the school without the generous support of the
community, including our drivers and volunteers. Special thanks to Pang Ting,
Peggy Svec, and Carolyn Solzhenitsyn
BECOME A MEMBER, RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP,
DONATE
If
you have not joined the Cavendish Historical Society, need to renew your
membership, and/or would like to be a volunteer, please complete the form below
and sending a check, payable to CHS, to CHS, PO Box 472, Cavendish, VT 05142.
All contributions are tax deductible.
Name: _______________________________________
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serving on the following committee(s):__ Program Planning __ Fundraising
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