Transcript Mill Frequency and Sediment Load in Bennington, Caledonia, and Chittenden Counties, Vermont Andrew Boule and Miles Sturm December 10, 2003

Mill Frequency and Sediment Load in
Bennington, Caledonia, and
Chittenden Counties, Vermont
Andrew Boule and Miles Sturm
December 10, 2003
How A Mill Works - The Wheel House
Introduction
- counties
chosen for
varying
geography
-painting of
mills, dams,
and ponds
Methods
• Looked for mills on Walling’s maps, 1856 - 1858
• Calculated mill frequency for each town (per square mile)
• Looked for relationship between mill frequency and
population and relief
• In the field, we looked for sediment deposits behind
former mill sites and other evidence of landscape change
Sample Town – Woodford, 1856
Population:
423
Mills:
20 saw mills
(orange)
4 ocher mills
and 1 oil mill
(pink)
Area:
123.28 sq. km
Mill Frequency:
.2028 mills/sq. km
(highest of towns
sampled)
Results
Bennington County
142 mills
-predominantly saw mills
-mill frequency
Bennington 0.03 /sq km
Caledonia 0.03 /sq km
Chittenden 0.02 /sq km
4%
3%
2%1%
9%
Saw Mills
Grist Mills
Paper Mills
Ocher Mills
81%
Flax Mills
Oil Mills
Caledonia County
133 mills
Chittenden County
75 mills
4% 1%
4% 3%
14%
17%
81%
Saw Mills
Saw Mills
Grist Mills
Grist Mills
Woolen Mills
Woolen Mills
Oil Mills
76%
Paper Mills
Results
Burlington
Woodford
-slight inverse relationship
Affect On Stream Path
Upon Removal Of Dams
1857
Jericho
1996
Conclusions
• Higher mill frequency was found in mountains
with higher average slope and less population
density.
• Sediment trapped behind dam was likely
transported downstream after the destruction of
the dam.
• Change in Browns River displays the impact
humans have on landscape change as far as the
construction and destruction of dams
Old Red Mill, Jericho
Circa 1895
Yesterday