Each year, thousands of Upper Valley residents take part as participants, volunteers, and donors in The Prouty, the annual fund raising effort for the Norris Cotton Cancer Center (NCCC) at DHMC. This year – the 41st for the event – is no different as preparations are well underway for another successful event. Over the years, The Prouty has become a multi-generational endeavor, with entire families involved. That is certainly the case with Quechee’s Krysta Frye Kostrubiak.

“I think of us as being a Prouty family for most of my life. When I was younger, I would walk in The Prouty with a family friend while my parents did their 100-mile tandem bike ride,” says Krysta. Prior to Prouty day, Krysta and father Milt would volunteer on course preparation. “My dad and I would usually go out a day or two before The Prouty and help to set up the route signs, and I helped him to pick up and organize the traffic cones we use along the routes.”

Krysta’s mother, Carolyn, also has many years of Prouty involvement. “My mom got involved with the Prouty steering committee after losing her mom to cancer in 1995,” says Krysta. It’s often the case with many Prouty volunteers and participants that a loved one’s bout with cancer serves as the impetus for involvement. For Krysta, her involvement hit close to home again when her mother was diagnosed.

Many participants in The Prouty form teams in honor of those battling cancer. Krysta’s team is titled ‘For The Mamas.’ “The name For The Mamas is to honor the mamas of three close friends, and my mama, and their battles with cancer. All four mamas were or are being treated at the Norris Cotton Cancer Center.” The treatments Carolyn Frye received at the NCCC have proven effective. “My mom has finished her treatments and is doing well,” says Krysta.

This personal involvement is a common theme for Prouty supporters and participants. The scourge of cancer seems to touch everyone’s lives, and having a hand in fighting it is a morale booster. “I think of it as an event to recognize and honor those battling cancer, survivors, and those we have lost to cancer,” says Krysta. “When my mom was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma and needed surgery and immunotherapy, The Prouty had new meaning for me. No one’s journey with cancer is easy, but we are so lucky to have the Norris Cotton Cancer Center close by.”

During the past two pandemic summers, The Prouty was primarily a virtual event, with participants taking part in various activities around the area, the country, even the world. (For example, this writer rode his recumbent trike in western Colorado as a fundraiser during the 2020 Prouty.) For last year’s Prouty, Krysta and mom Carolyn hiked together on local trails. Additionally, “My parents biked in the spaced-out, smaller, Covid-modified in-person Prouty,” says Krysta.

This year’s Prouty resumes as an in-person event, held on July 8 and 9, with walking, biking, golfing, rowing, and other events taking place on this weekend. As in the past, the Richmond Middle School in Hanover serves as the gathering and celebration point for the event. Still, The Prouty offers a virtual option for those not in the Upper Valley on that weekend.

Plans and training for the 2022 Prouty are going well for her family, Krysta reports. “My parents have been biking a lot already this spring. [On]April 30, Team Hope put on their first-ever official Prouty Chili Cook-Off. My amazing teammates and my parents from team For The Mamas rode their bikes there. It was a great kick-off event…”

During this year’s Prouty, “My parents plan to bike again in the in-person Prouty… I plan to walk in the event with my husband and be there to cheer on everyone participating,” says Krysta.

Individual participants and teams like Krysta’s spend much time and effort fundraising for The Prouty. It helps donors to know that the vast majority of funds raised stay right here in the Upper Valley, funding research and patient services at the NCCC.

 For a Prouty veteran such as Krysta, she has developed a successful fundraising plan. “I write a personal letter each year that I mail out to friends and family that have supported me in the past. In the past few years, I have also been able to successfully fundraise through social media and by phone. I am grateful for all support in any form or amount.” Her team has an impressive Facebook presence, and has generated substantial donations already for the 2022 Prouty.

Despite the serious nature of the cause, Prouty participants find the event great fun, and Krysta is no different. “When I picture The Prouty, I picture a large community working together toward a common goal. I picture a fun and eventful day where people are getting out and enjoying themselves with friends and family.”

The modern roads and bridges that crisscross the Quechee/Hartford/Woodstock area allow visitors and residents easy access to almost anywhere they wish to go. Want to go to dinner in Woodstock? Maybe attend the Quechee Balloon Festival? Or get to Northern Stage in WRJ for a performance? If you allow a bit of time to find a parking spot, or compensate for possible inclement weather, the actual travel is usually fairly easy and pleasant. Of course, being so familiar with quick travel, minor inconveniences get us frustrated.

Imagine the frustration, then, that might have occurred with those making trips throughout the area 100 or more years ago. Prior to the advent of rail travel, which took hold in the area in the middle of the nineteenth century, most travel throughout our region took place via horse and carriage or wagon. Transporting people or goods was a slow and tedious process over the trails and roads that existed at the time. The thinly populated area, consisting mostly of farmers, had little in the way of transportation opportunities away from the Connecticut River. The river was the major transportation conduit at the time, allowing goods and raw materials, especially lumber, to move downstream to the larger population centers, and upstream, to supply needed goods to area residents. As a result, the first Upper Valley population centers grew up along the river’s banks.

Of course, boat and barge travel on the Connecticut was not smooth and unencumbered. Rapids existed, including in the Upper Valley region, necessitating the need for a series of locks to bypass the rapids, for shipments on the way downstream to Hartford, CT. Olcott’s Falls, near White River Junction, was the major obstacle that needed to be addressed in our region. In 1796, approval for the building of locks and a canal around Olcott’s Falls, along with a bridge to span the Connecticut, came about. With the completion of the canal and lock project, river travel opened up as far north as Wells River, VT.

The Advent of Rail Travel

Rail travel to the Upper Valley became a reality in 1848, as rail lines connected the area to the region’s larger cities, and beyond. White River Junction became the hub for the area’s rail traffic. It took a bit longer to connect Quechee and Woodstock with rail service, however.

Farmers, business owners, and residents of Hartford, Quechee and Woodstock saw the economic opportunities created by rail service, and
joined together to establish a rail line between White River Junction and Woodstock. Work began on the project in the late 1860s, but a national economic downturn in 1871 halted the project. Finally in 1875, the line was completed, and the first trains operated on the fourteen-mile long stretch of rail line.

Freight was an important part of the work of the new Woodstock Railroad. Farm products and lumber traveled on the freight cars, as did raw and finished products to and from the numerous Quechee mills in operation at the time. The largest of these mill operations, Dewey’s Mills of Quechee, saw tremendous growth with the rail line. Mill founder A. G. Dewey also served as president of the Railroad, signifying the rail lines importance to his mill operation.

The Woodstock Railroad opened up the area to passenger and tourist traffic as well. Business moguls such as Frederick Billings, who established the state-of-the-art Billings Farm in Woodstock, entertained many prominent people in Woodstock. News of the beauty of the area, and the recreational opportunities spread, and soon Woodstock became a popular vacation destination. Vacationers rode the trains from the cities to White River Junction, then rode the Woodstock Railroad (later the Woodstock Railway) to the growing lodging establishments in and around Woodstock. After arriving at the Woodstock station, it was horse, coach and buggy that delivered the arrivals to the doors of the inns and resorts.

Summer and fall were not the only seasons visitors flocked to the area for rest and recreation. Winter sports, including skating, horse and sleigh riding, skiing and snowshoeing grew in popularity, making the region a year round destination, and adding to the viability of the businesses that served these visitors. Travel to the area in winter made for some difficult work for those running the towns, railroads, and resorts. Snow removal, then as now, was a constant ordeal. Extra help and equipment was necessary for keeping the rail lines and roads passable in the winter. Devices could be attached to the front of the locomotive to clear snow from the rail tracks. Before the advent of trucks, town roads were kept passable by means of a huge wooden roller. Pulled behind a team of horses, the roller packed down the snow instead of moving it off the road, which left a good, packed surface for the horse and sleigh travel. The idea behind these snow-packing rollers is far from outdated today – that same technology is used out west, where extreme snowfalls occur.

A side note here about the role of the horse. While the work of the teamster (the term for men moving cargo with horses and wagons) declined somewhat with rail service, horses, carriages and sleighs were still necessary for road travel in and out of town, and transporting guests to the burgeoning resorts and inns. As mentioned the horse teams also pulled those huge, wooden cylindrical snow rollers, making winter road travel possible.

Rail travel in the area peaked in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. But by the second decade of the twentieth century, the introduction of mass-produced gas powered trucks and automobiles signaled its downfall. The local Woodstock Railway fell on hard financial times in the 1920s, and the last run by a locomotive pulling railcars over the tracks took place in 1933.

The Age of The Automobile

The end of rail traffic between White River Junction and Woodstock did not decrease visitor traffic to the area, but increased it. The path of the old Woodstock Railway was designated the route of a new paved road, Route 4. Rail track was pulled up, and in its place a new concrete highway was built. The formidable Quechee Gorge bridge, built and rebuilt to handle more and more rail traffic, As was true at the turn of the century, winter recreation activities brought in many visitors. In the 1930s, skiing was becoming more and more popular, in part because of a local innovation. In 1934, the first rope tow went into operation on Gilbert’s Hill in Woodstock. Ski hills became much more accessible as a result, bringing an even greater influx of winter enthusiasts.

With the new highway bringing in more tourists, particularly those of more modest means, motor lodges and motels sprang up along the route. Along with those, diners and other tourist related businesses resulted. These new economic opportunities brought about new energy for the region.

The biggest change for Vermont and our region with regard to auto transportation was the building of the interstate system. Between the
late 1950s and the 1970s, the construction of I-89 and I-91 further increased the ability of urban dwellers from the metropolitan areas of the east coast to visit and settle in the region. It also affected the economic face of places such as Quechee and White River Junction, as the mills, railroads, and manufacturing concerns gave way to more service and tourist orientated businesses.

…and the Way It Still Is for Some

Boiling sap outside, circa 1906

There is a romantic feel for many today when talk turns to how farming once was. That feeling is accentuated by visiting places such as Billings Farm in Woodstock, where visitors learn about farms and farming techniques from years back. One aspect of New England farm lore of particular interest to many is the art of maple sugaring.

Today, most often in the early spring, Upper Valley residents and visitors have the opportunity to visit working maple sugaring operations and see how maple syrup and candy is made today. Many are also intrigued by the old fashioned methods of tapping trees and making syrup. Yet one does not necessarily have to go to a museum to learn about old-time sugaring techniques. Many sugaring operations, particularly small and hobby operations, still incorporate those techniques of the past.

Sugaring in the past

One of the basics of sugaring is tapping the sugar maple trees, and collecting the sap. Modern sugaring operations use a system of plastic tubing to collect sap, but in times past, taps and buckets provided the means of sap collection. Dale Lyman of Hartford, whose family has produced maple syrup in the Upper Valley for generations, began his sugaring career about 40 years back by drilling the trees with an auger, setting the tap in the hole, and hanging the metal bucket from the tap. When the sap buckets filled, they would be emptied into a larger vat for transport to the sugarhouse and re-hung on the tree for further collection.

Metal buckets and metal taps were the common tools used for decades. Before that, staved wooden buckets and wooden taps were used. As those would decay and break down over time, the metal taps and buckets were a welcome improvement for early sugarers.

Coopers, who made the staved buckets for sugaring in the 19th and early 20th centuries, also made large staved vats for storing the sap before boiling it down for syrup. Bill Stinson, who operates a western New England vegetable farm, has one of these large staved vats sitting next to his early New England sugarhouse. Measuring about three feet in diameter, and over ten feet long, Stinson estimates the early staved vat held about 300 gallons of sap, which was gravity fed from the vat to the evaporator for boiling down

Sugaring now

Tapping maple trees, circa 1940

Stinson began sugaring in the late 1970s, using a local sugarhouse and equipment that had not been used for decades. The area sugar maples he tapped were the same ones used in previous decades, and the area still showed evidence of tracks from the oxen and wagons that once traveled through the sugar bush (the grove of maple sugar trees) to collect the sap from the buckets.

Jeff Luce, of Sugarbush Farm in Woodstock, also began his sugaring career in the 1970s, as a youngster. Much like Stinson, Luce and his family used the older methods of collecting sap at the time, before boiling it down to make the syrup and maple candy sold from the farm. “We didn’t use power tools, but used a bit and brace for tapping the trees,” says Luce. The sugarhouse they used at the time was an old one existing on the farm, which had sat dormant for many years.

Farm work never ends, it seems. Luce recalls that he and his father would head to the sugarhouse for the boiling down process after milking the cows, usually around 8pm. They then spent several hours in the sugarhouse. The old wooden sugarhouse was missing a door for a while, Luce says, and he recalls sitting on a bench while the evaporating process took place, feeling the cold night air and wind circulating through the structure. Having some structure for the boiling off process still beats the out-of-doors scenario.

Besides the hard work of trudging through the snow to tap the trees, collect the sap, and get it to the sugarhouse for the syrup production, Dale Lyman reminded me of another part of syrup making requiring hard, physical labor; the cutting, splitting, and stacking of the firewood used in the boiling off process. Lyman says before the modern, more efficient wood-burning heaters for the evaporation process came about, his family would use 40 to 50 cord for a sugaring season. For those of us who’ve cut, split, and stacked three or four cord for home heating, that amount of wood is impressive indeed.

Jeff Luce says he can remember stacking ten to 15 cord of wood in the old sugarhouse his family used in the 1970s. Luce says with the advent of modern, draft controlled wood heating units used in the evaporation process, Sugarbush Farm can produce 100 gallons of syrup per cord of wood. Using the old-style heating units, production per cord of wood was a mere ten gallons.

Though there are no records to indicate it, one can imagine that with an old, wooden sugarhouse, filled with multiple cords of wood, and having an old style stove burning steadily throughout the sugaring season, a significant number of sugarhouses fell victim to fires over the years.

In the past, even If one did not have a sugarhouse, or their own sugar bush, it did not necessarily mean they could not make their own syrup and sugar products, says Bill Stinson. He says he has heard many stories from old-time sugarers about folks that would hike into an area containing a sugar bush, set up tents and an outdoor cauldron, and stay for a week or two tapping trees and boiling off sap for syrup.

Of course, syrup makers know that achieving the proper temperature of the evaporating sap is key to making quality syrup. Before efficient burners and sensitive thermometers, this was a bit more of a challenge. To keep sap from boiling over, which it is prone to do at too high a temperature, Stinson says old-time syrup makers might have added fat or bacon to the sap during the boiling off process. This was effective at the time, but likely would not sit well with today’s consumer, particularly if they are vegan or vegetarian. “For lunch, and as a way to pass time during the boiling off, they would also cook boiled eggs in the sap,” Stinson adds.

lugging sap buckets, circa 1940

I asked Dale Lyman, who produces Lyman Family Maple Syrup on the family farm on Jericho Street, if he – despite the modern efficiencies in producing syrup – misses using some of the old methods of syrup making. “I do. If I had the time, I’d still hang buckets,” he says. I asked Jeff Luce if he has a warm, nostalgic feel for the old methods, or whether he says “good riddance,” to those. Laughing, “Definitely, it’s more the latter,” he says. No surprise Luce feels this way, as he finds today the farm produces 50 gallons of syrup in the same time period that produced seven gallons in the past.

One thing about syrup making hasn’t changed: it is still hard work. Jeff Luce says that instead of trudging through the snow emptying sap buckets, he is still trudging through the snow, checking sap lines. Sugaring, particularly in the old days, was a physical test, adds Dale Lyman, getting through a sugaring season, “You knew you were physically fit.”

Despite the influx of businesses and organizations devoted to the arts, the prevalence of good restaurants, and the interesting happenings occurring in the town, White River Junction, Vermont, was first a major railroad center for Northern New England. After the Civil War, when the growing dependence on railroads spurred a rail boom around the nation, White River Junction emerged as an important rail hub. Several rail lines, and rail companies found the town a critical junction for their services. Many of these rail lines extended hundreds of miles in all directions from White River Junction making it a connector to the major cities in the region. One local rail line, dwarfed in size by the major railways, proved an essential component to the Upper Valley. The Woodstock Railroad, stretching roughly 14 miles from White River Junction to Woodstock and running directly through Quechee remains a special part of the rail history of the Upper Valley.

In his book, Over The Hills To Woodstock (Stephen Greene Press, 1967), author Edgar Mead Jr. lays out the history of the local railway, from its tenuous beginnings, through its years of financial success, to its final demise during the Great Depression. As with so many of the area railways, the Woodstock line got its start in the post-Civil War period. As railways opened up freight and passenger movement in the Upper Valley region, local businesspeople, farmers, and townsfolk in Woodstock and Hartford felt a local line serving these towns (including Quechee) would provide an economic boost to the region.

Building the railroad

A local rail historian who is familiar with rail activity in the Upper Valley, Chris McKinley, says actual construction work got underway on the Woodstock Railroad in the late 1860s. Before construction, much work was done forming a rail corporation and raising funds for the project. Local mill owners, farmers, and townspeople all purchased shares in the new rail company, and the town of Woodstock contributed a substantial amount in the project. Engineers determined the course of the track, which took it over Hurricane Hill, Shallies Hill (which proved to be the steepest grade on the line and required the most rock and dirt displacement), and over the Quechee Gorge, a formidable obstacle.

Grading and creation of the rail bed commenced in 1868, but in early 1870, work stopped the result of a regional, national, and international economic slowdown, which turned into a depression. More money was needed to continue the project, but raising these funds during this time was difficult. Finally, by 1874, work was able to resume on the railroad. In the spring of 1875, the first section of actual rail was laid, and the finished product was well within sight.

Constructing the trestle bridge over the Quechee Gorge

One major project was still required, and that was the building of the trestle bridge over the Quechee Gorge. Though some elements of the bridge foundation were constructed years earlier, the bridge itself needed to be assembled, which happened in the summer of 1875. Surprisingly, the bridge went up in just a few weeks time. Noted area railroad historian Jay Barrett says the process went quickly because the bridge was prefabricated before being installed. The bridge was wooden, though iron connectors were used to add to its strength.

Photos courtesy of Frank J. Barret

Once the bridge was up, the wood-burning locomotive Winooski was brought on site to test the bridge. In his book, Edgar Mead wrote that the testing of the bridge turned out to be quite a spectacle, with crowds of local folks gathering to watch the engine pass over the newly constructed bridge.

On September 29, 1875, the first train ran the entire distance of the railway, from White River to Woodstock.

Railway brings prosperity to local businesses

The Woodstock Railroad proved a boon to the businesses along its route. Farm products, including wool, livestock, and timber made their way in the freight cars. Mills along the route, particularly Dewey’s Mills in Quechee, saw business grow dramatically. Not surprisingly, the Dewey family was involved heavily in the railroad, with Mr. A. G. Dewey serving as the railroad’s president for several years. Two of the engines that regularly hauled freight and passengers on the rail line were even named after him.

Building the first trestle bridge over the
Quechee Gorge

Another well-known local business mogul, Woodstock’s Frederick Billings, also served as railroad president, until his death in 1890. Afterward, his brother, Frank, became president. Frederick Billings established Billings Farm in Woodstock, which today The Woodstock Foundation operates, and is open to the public.

The year 1890 also brought about a restructuring of the rail company, and at this time, McKinley says the company name changed from the Woodstock Railroad to the Woodstock Railway. During this period, upgrading the equipment on the rail line became necessary. Newer, heavier engines and cars were needed to keep up with the technological changes occurring in the industry, and the older iron rails needed to be upgraded to steel. Despite these extensive capital outlays, the railroad was financially stable into the 20th century.

Woodstock Railway transports goods and passengers

Though transporting goods to and from mills such as Dewey’s Mills was important to the railway, so was transporting passengers. Barrett points out that rail lines in New England, such as the Woodstock Railway, opened up the region to tourists from the cities, and grew towns such as Woodstock into resort destinations. Resorts such as the Woodstock Inn sprang up to cater to the tourists coming to the region.

As mentioned, trains and equipment were upgraded to meet the needs of business clients and passengers, as was one very critical element of the Woodstock Railway – the Quechee Gorge Bridge. By the mid part of the first decade of the 1900s, the heavier trains, and heavier loads, were taking a toll on the bridge. Engineers hired to assess the bridge’s structural integrity reported back that the 30+-year-old structure had problems. At first, the wooden structure was strengthened, but by 1911, the railway made the correct decision to replace the bridge, averting potential disaster (in fact, during the 58 years of operation, there were 0 deaths from accidents on the line). The steel bridge over the Quechee Gorge, erected in 1911 and still standing today, cost $26,000 at the time of construction.

The remaining days for the Woodstock Railway were numbered by the late 1910s, however. Barrett says 1916 was a pivotal year for railroads. That year marked the apex of rail track mileage in the country, and was also the year that saw strong increases in auto production for everyday folks (particularly Ford’s Model T), and the year Congress authorized a spending bill to increase road construction.

The 1920s saw a drop in traffic, both passenger and freight, for the Woodstock Railway. Declining revenues were accompanied by increasing needs for service and repairs. The great flooding that hit the Upper Valley in 1927 took a toll on the rail line. Then in 1929, the Great Depression began.

The end of the Woodstock Railway

In 1932, Railway stockholders voted to sell the rail right-of-way to Vermont, for the building of a new road, Route 4. The final train run on the Woodstock Railway was on April 15, 1933, and Edgar Mead states in his book that 350 tickets were sold for that last ride.

Not much remains of the Woodstock Railway. McKinley says there are still a few spots where remnants of the old rail line exist, though most of the line is under the pavement of Route 4. The Woodstock Historical Center does have antiques and artifacts from the railroad in its collection, he adds. Of the six rail stations that served the railroad, only the station on Pleasant St. in Woodstock, and its nearby freight house remain, says Barrett.

Interested in reading more about this historic local railroad? Though Edgar Mead’s book is out of print, you can find a copy at the Quechee Library, or possibly online through used book dealers. Jay Barrett’s book Woodstock (Arcadia Publishing), part of the Images of America series, is available at the Yankee Bookshop in Woodstock and includes a chapter on the Woodstock Railroad.