Norma has made a few references to the brook names of Vernon on this blog, and to the project of unravelling how those names have changed over time. I can now present what we believe is the definitive rundown on the names of the principal brooks in town. There are, of course, smaller unnamed brooks, not long enough, or not big enough, or too seasonal, to have ever acquired a name. But the brooks on our list have all had names since the earliest days of white settlement in Vernon — and before.
So join us on our exploration, north to south. All of these brooks flow east into the Connecticut River — the Kwenitekw. You might want to open, in another browser tab, or download and print out, this map of water resources in Vernon, created by master cartographer Jeff Nugent of the Windham Regional Commission for the current Vernon Town Plan. All the brooks are shown on the map, but not all the names are indicated. Also useful is the 1869 F. W. De Beers map of Vernon.
Here we go:
Broad Brook: The biggest brook in town, it starts in the middle of Guilford, where it crosses Route 5 under the bridge in Algiers Village, and then down a picturesque gorge into Vernon and to the Connecticut River. You can drive along it on Broad Brook Road. This name seems to have been used since the earliest days of white settlement. Its Native name is Wanascatok (which means "end of the river" and refers more specifically to the point of confluence with the Connecticut than to the brook as a whole). This brook formed the northern boundary of the original grant, in 1672, that created the town of Northfield, Massachusetts, and was the northern bound of the land purchased by the settlers from the Indians.
Witch Gutter: This brook crosses Route 142 near the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. It is so called on the reports of a 1972 archaeological dig in that area, as well as on the 1869 De Beers map; also known as Witches Gutter (so called on the highway sign — now gone — that used to be on Route 142). The name has been in use since before 1869; but it is not much of a brook, more of a runoff ravine. If the Department of Transportation wants to re-install the sign, we suggest using Witch Gutter rather than Witches Gutter. The origin of the name is lost — we've come across no references to witchcraft in Vernon.
Jack's Brook: This is the old name of the brook that crosses Route 142 just south of the North Cemetery (and just north of the intersection with Tyler Hill Road). The name itself appears to have been forgotten — the Miller family, who have lived nearby for over 100 years, have never heard of it. But it is mentioned in the 1875 History of the Town of Northfield, a very well-researched history that included a listing of the Vernon brooks by virtue of the fact that most of Vernon was originally part of Northfield. For the Vernon brook names, the authors (J.H. Temple and George Sheldon) drew on the knowledge of Vernon residents A. H. Washburn (who later penned a history of Vernon, in co-authorship with his wife Lucinda W. B. Washburn), and John Stebbins. So the appellation Jack's Brook appears to be reliable — let's start calling it Jack's once again, even though we have no idea who Jack was.
Cold Brook: Because of the Cold Brook store, we all know where this is now — it drains an area north of West Road, crosses through culverts deep under the railroad tracks and 142, then under Governor Hunt Road, and enters the river just below the dam. The name, according to the Northfield history, derives from the "coolness and purity of its water, which seldom or never freezes." An alternative name for it, since the early settlement days, was Upper Salmon Brook. The Connecticut River from Stebbins Island (just south of the Vernon Green nursing home complex), northward as far as Brattleboro, contained a series of rapids (it descended a total of 13 feet over that stretch) in which Native Americans as well as the early white settlers caught copious quantities of Atlantic salmon during their annual up-river spring migration. Some of the fish entered the larger brooks to spawn, including this brook, and the adjoining Lower Salmon Brook (see below, now known as Town Brook). Due to overfishing and then blockage by the dams constructed on the river, the salmon disappeared from the river by the late 1800s, so new names came into use for these brooks.
Town Brook: This is a substantial brook with large watershed and several branches. It crosses Pond Road, and then runs below Route 142 into the mill pond at the post office complex and thence into the river. It was known as Lower Salmon Brook, or just Salmon Brook, at least until 1891 when it was mentioned in the Washburn history of Vernon. But by then, salmon had begun to disappear and certainly were gone after 1916 when both the Vernon and Turner's Falls dams were in place. The name Town Brook then came into use, most likely because to the extent there was a "town" in Vernon, it was centered around the spot where the brook crosses 142, with the town hall, tomb, a hotel, store, church, and several houses all clustered nearby. A mill existed at the post office location beginning before 1768. Note that the Upper and Lower Salmon Brooks entered the river quite close together and at the area of rapids just below the present dam.
Island Meadow Brook: This brook begins in the woods behind the Vernon Recreation Center, and flows east and then north from there, crossing Route 142 just south of its northern intersection with Stebbins Road. A highway sign with the name of the brook marks this crossing. From there, it crosses Stebbins Road just below a fire pond, and then enters the river, not far below the former Salmon Brooks. The "Island" might refer to Stebbins Island, in the Connecticut just below the mouth of this brook (earlier called Clary's Island). This name was used on early deeds, so it appears to have been in use since early settlement times.
Newton Brook, which begins at Hatchery Pond and other branches near Newton Road, flows south into the Dunklee Farm, crosses Route 142 between the two farm complexes, then crosses into Massachusetts and flows into the river just south of the state line. (Opposite the main Dunklee farm buildings, there is a short stretch where the brook has carved out set of snakelike curves like the Mississippi River.) This was referred to as Belding's Brook in the 1891 Vernon history. In a 1910 history of Northfield, it is also known as Belding's, with the former name being cited as Little Meadow Brook. The Little Meadow was the name of the field or plain where the brooks enters the river. The Belding name dates back at least to 1875 since it is also mentioned in the 1875 history of Northfield, with the same notation that it had then become Little Meadow Brook. E. E. Belding was an early owner of the land surrounding the brook on the Connecticut side of the state line. Some (if not most) maps show a branch of the brook originating at Lily Pond, at the fire pond off Scott Road. However, during research for the 2018 Town Plan, it was determined that no water exits Lily Pond at that location (or anywhere else) except in highly unusual flood conditions. The current town plan maps reflect this. A small unnamed brook does enter the Scott Road fire pond, but then flows into Lily Pond, not eastward under the road.
A few unnamed (as far as we know) brooks or seasonal runoffs that come off Fox Hill, north of the Dunklee Farm, shown on the 1869 map as well as on the water resources map linked above.
To be complete, this list should also include Roaring Brook, which flows west rather than east, from the Roaring Brook Wildlife Management Area, into the Fall River, which doesn't reach the Connecticut until opposite Turner's Falls. The origin of its name is obvious: it roars over a series of waterfalls and cataracts as it heads down toward the Fall River valley.
A few other small brooks flow west into Guilford, but we have not been able to track down their names, if they have any. - Martin Langeveld
Roaring Brook flowing west to the Fall River in early March.
Newton Brook, from the southern end of 142 at the fire pond, looking west.
Here is the "Mississippi River" of Vernon — Newton brook (formerly known as Little Meadow Brook and before that as Belding's Brook), east of Route 142 opposite the Dunklee Farm.
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