While mountains may seem eternal, rivers can change a landscape drastically in a matter of years. The view of the Connecticut River from Brattleboro has seen such change. For a picture of what the river was like in the nineteenth century, the publication of a new book, “Early Maps of Brattleboro Vermont, 1745-1912” offers up a glimpse of what the Connecticut has carried away.

Rivers as much as mountains posed formidable barriers to travel in the early days of New England. Between Brattleboro and Hinsdale, N.H., an island in the middle of the Connecticut offered the opportunity to bridge the River in two shorter spans instead of one long span. In 1804 a toll bridge was constructed from Brattleboro to the island.
Today the island continues to help bridge the gap between Vermont and New Hampshire, yet many motorists and pedestrians alike are unaware that the island is but a small remnant of its once much larger self.

Many early maps of Brattleboro, Vt., including those in the book by the same name, fail to show the island at all. This is because the island, and in fact all of the Connecticut River, are technically in New Hampshire; the state line is the high water mark on the River’s western bank. Still, the book’s author provides ample evidence of the island’s existence (often through the use of New Hampshire maps), along with another island just downstream from, or south of, the one that serves the Route 119 crossing.
An 1830 map by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shows a Chapin’s Island opposite downtown Brattleboro, as well as Spruce Island to the south. By 1860 they were mapped as Goodhue’s and Root’s Islands.

This 1830 map, from a series of maps produced by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers depicting canal routes along the Connecticut River, shows the two islands between Brattleboro and Hinsdale

Birds's eye views, as well as photographs from the top of Mount Wantastiquet, document agricultural use on the island. Soon recreation took over, as Island Park, with its pavilion and ball park, came into being.

In 1909, construction of a dam at Vernon, six miles downstream, was completed, and with the dam came higher water levels. Several disastrous floods and ice damage whittled away the island, spelled the end of Island Park and its buildings, and in 1920 took out both bridges connecting the island to Vermont and to mainland New Hampshire.

Two new highway bridges were built in 1920, and they survive today. Much of the island, however, does not. Subsequent flooding all but eliminated the southern island and reduced the main northern island down to two pieces of land that total less than a quarter of its former size. Their names have disappeared as well, and most people refer to the land between the two bridges generically as “The Island.”

You can explore the changes in the islands between Brattleboro and Hinsdale in the accompanying images, a number of which come from “Early Maps of Brattleboro Vermont, 1745-1912” (available in bookstores in Brattleboro). For an up-close look at the area surrounding the island, consider a ride on the tour boat “The Belle of Brattleboro,” where on-board narration and a collection of historic photographs will enhance your appreciation of the area’s past. Should you wish to venture out on the River yourself, launch your canoe or kayak from the south side of the island, or rent one from Connecticut River Safari.

Walking is also a great way to see the island and the River. A walkway parallels Route 119 from downtown Brattleboro across both bridges and the island. For a bird’s-eye view of your own, turn left on Mountain Road at the far end of the second bridge and continue to the gate and a small parking area on the right. From this parking area, another gate marks the start of an old road up Mount Wantastiquet. Follow it, and after rounding two turns and passing yet another gate, look for a path on the left leading a short distance to a lookout and a view of River and the island. Much of the River between the foot of the mountain and downtown Brattleboro was dry land one hundred years ago. The viewpoint is less than a ten minute walk from the parking area. If you’re energetic, forty-five more minutes of stiff climbing will bring you to the summit.

Those in downtown Brattleboro can get a view of the River without much effort at all. The deck behind the RiverGarden on Main Street, like the lookout on Wantastiquet, offers a view of the now-diminutive island.

Writer: Jeff Nugent