Hartford, Vermont is located on the border of Vermont and New Hampshire. It is almost in the middle of the state on the eastern border. Hartford has five villages: White River Junction, Wilder, West Hartford, Hartford Village, and Quechee.
Hartford has three major rivers: the Connecticut River, the White River, and the Ottauquechee River. These rivers played an important part of Hartford's history. They had a big affect on the people that lived there. The most important affect was on the growth of Hartford's economy.
Rivers have always played an important part in Hartford's history. They have supplied power for all the mills and factories which provided jobs for people. Many people settled in Hartford because of all the mill jobs. Hartford became popular for manufacturing in the state. Transportation was needed for its businesses so they mainly used the rivers until the railroads were built.
The Connecticut River was important because of the dam that gave power to the businesses.
A wing dam was built near Wilder, which provided power for grinding grain. A wing dam is a dam that goes only partway into a river, and makes the water at the side of the river more calm, and the water in the center of the river flow more rapidly. This made it easier for the people of Hartford. They didn't have to travel on the dangerous narrow roads to Charleston, New Hampshire for two days just to have the grain ground into flour. It saved time and energy.
They also built a pulp mill which manufactured paper for city newspapers. The Connecticut River provided a major waterway for the people of Hartford. It went from Vermont through Massachusetts and Connecticut before dumping into the Atlantic Ocean.
The White River influenced the history of Hartford in many ways. It provided recreation, energy, and transportation. The water from the White River provided energy for different mills. Some types of mills that you could find along the White River were woolen mills, paper mills, and sawmills. There mills provided jobs and supplied materials necessary for daily living like paper lumber, and wool.
The river also provided transportation for the logs brought in and out of the saw mills. They floated the logs down the river. This allowed them to transport the logs quickly and easily throughout New England.
The rivers also transported people. People were transported by boat until the railroads were built. People also used the river for recreation such as swimming, hunting and fishing, just like we do today! The White River played a major part in the history of Hartford.
The Ottauquechee River, found in the village of Quechee, was also influential in the history of Hartford. The mills in Quechee used the power from the waterfalls to operate the mills. Around 1774, a man named John Marsh built the first two mills by the river falls in Quechee. There was a saw mill, fulling mill and a grist mill. That allowed Hartford to make its own flour, lumber, and fabric.
Around the 1870's, Vermonts woolen mill produced the country's finest flannel. The Ottauquechee River was important because of all the manufacturing, which drew many wealthy people to Hartford.