NORTHEAST KINGDOM

The 'Northeast Kingdom' is a term used to describe the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Vermont, comprised of Essex, Orleans and Caledonia Counties. The term is attributed to the late George D. Aiken, former Governor of Vermont (1937-1941) and a U.S. Senator at the time of a 1949 speech, the first recorded use of the term. The area is often referred to by Vermonters simply as "The Kingdom," or more commonly, "N.E.K.".

Residents of the Northeast Kingdom are sometimes referred to as "Nekkers", particularly by younger generations of Vermonters.

Contents

Geography

Economy

Transportation

Railroads

Bus

History

Geologic

Early human history

Media

Newspapers

Radio

Television

References

See Also

Geography

The Northeast Kingdom is bisected by Interstate 91/U.S. 5, on the east it is bordered by the Connecticut River. The highest point is Jay Peak at 3,858 feet (1,176 m).
The NEK encompasses 56 towns and gores, with a land area of 2,027 square miles, about 21% of the state of Vermont.^[1]
The area is a year-round recreation destination known for skiing, fall foliage, and maple syrup.
As of 1997, the last year for which there are statistics, 80% of the Northeast Kingdom was covered by forest.^[2] 59% was northern hardwood, 29% spruce or fir.
The Northeast Kingdom has been listed in the North American and international editions of "1,000 Places to See Before You Die," the New York Times best-selling book by Patricia Schultz. In 2006, the National Geographic Society named the Northeast Kingdom as the most desirable place to visit in the country and the ninth most desirable place to visit in the world.^[3]

Economy

Transportation

Railroads

Two railroads traverse the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont:
Washington County Railroad (The Vermont Railway System) - WACR has just recently been awarded a 30 year contract to operate the track running from White River Junction North through St. Johnsbury and Newport.
The St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railway - Six trips a day between Island Pond and Maine. Four trips a day between Island Pond and Canada. Lumber is the principal freight.^[4]

Bus

The RCT (Rural Community Transportation) runs out of Saint Johnsbury and services Caledonia, Essex, Lamoille and Orleans Counties.

History

Geologic

Two land masses collided at the end of the Ordovician Period about 466 million years ago. This collision first formed what are now the Green Mountains which extend into the westernmost part of the Northeast Kingdom. ^[5]It also created great pressure within the earth resulting in active volcanos. The resultant eruptions produced igneous rock which became the granite often seen near the mountains and in the Connecticut River Valley.^[6]
The remaining geology was created during the Silurian-Devonian Period, about 400 million years ago, and left behind slate, with some granite, schist, and limestone.^[7][8]
An expansion of the polar glaciers resulted in an ice age which greatly affected the geology. A one mile thick sheet of ice covered the Kingdom for several million years until 13,500 years ago.^[9] It brought the many boulders seen in the area and created many prominent features, including Lakes Memphremagog, Willoughby, and Crystal Lake.^[10]
The retreat of the glacier allowed the Green Mountains again to arise, but much eroded.^[11] A saltwater incursion from the Atlantic covered much of Vermont including what is now Lake Memphremagog. This incursion stopped 11,000 years ago and became fresh water. Forests appeared.

Early human history

The retreating glacier allowed the northern migration of mankind in 9300 BCE, descendants of Asian immigrants during the Ice Age. By 7300 BCE, man and a changing environment had eliminated large game from the area such as caribou and mastodons.^[12]
From 1000 BCE to 1600 CE, Abenakis inhabited the Kingdom..^[12]
Perhaps as many as a thousand Cowasuck Indians lived in Essex County near the Connecticut River in 1500. This tribe included all people from the Cahass, Cohassiac, Coos, Coosuc, and Koes tribes.^[14] The Cowasucks were Abenakis, themselves members of the Wabanakis, the Algonquin pact of five tribes which banded together to combat Iroquois aggression perhaps about 1500, though the exact date of the Iroquois pact is unknown.^[15][16]
European diseases, such as typhus, contracted from exposure to traders, killed many of the Cowasucks until only a few hundred were left in the Northeast Kingdom by 1600.^[17]

Media

Author Howard Frank Mosher has written numerous works of fiction set in the Northeast Kingdom.

Newspapers

★ ''The Caledonian-Record'', the areas largest newspaper, is published in St. Johnsbury

★ ''The Chronicle'' - published weekly in Barton

★ ''The Newport Daily Express'' - published daily except Sundays in Newport

Radio

^[18]

★ WSTJ - 1340 AM; Saint Johnsbury, VT - Standards

★ WIKE - 1490 AM; Newport, VT - Country

★ WVPA - 88.5 FM; Saint Johnsbury, VT - Vermont Public Radio

★ WCKJ - 90.5 FM; Saint Johnsbury, VT - Religious - "''The Light''"

★ WWLR - 91.5 FM; Lyndonville, VT - Lyndon State College - "''Impulse 91.5''"

★ WMOO - 92.1 FM; Derby Center, VT - Hot Adult Contemporary - "''Moo 92''"^[19]

★ WJSY-LP - 96.1 FM; Newport, VT - Religious

★ W243AE - 96.5 FM; Orleans, VT - Religious - "''The Light''"

★ WGMT - 97.7 FM; Lyndon, VT - Hot Adult Contemporary - "''Magic 97.7''"

★ WDER-LP - 98.3 FM; Derby, VT - TIS

★ W257AU - 99.3 FM; Saint Johnsbury, VT - Rebroadcast of WMOO

★ WKXH - 105.5 FM; Saint Johnsbury, VT - Country - "''Kix 105.5''"

Television

★ UHF Channel 20, WVTB (PBS), St. Johnsbury, Vermont Public Television

★ Channel 14 W14CK Newport, ion, Rebroadcast of WWBI-LP

References

1. http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:LB073dRgvx8J:www.nvda.net/transportation/pdf/rtp.pdf+abandoned+railway+track+in+%22orleans+county%22+vermont&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us#44
2. http://www.nvda.net/pdf/regionalplan/Volume%20II.pdf
3. The National Geographic Society Press Room
4. http://www.nvda.net/transportation/railroads.html#slr
5. Shelburne Geology
6. Digital Commons - Middlebury
7. About Geology
8. Geological Society of American Conference
9. The University of Vermont
10. America's Volcanic Past
11. The Mountains of Vermont
12. The Flow of History
13. The Flow of History
14. First Nations Histories
15. Native Languages
16. Native Languages
17. Manataka American Indian Council
18. http://radiostationworld.com/Locations/United_States_of_America/Vermont/radio.asp?m=nor compiled by Thomas C. Hokenson
19. http://www.moo92.com retrieved on May 13, 2007

See Also

★ Essex-Orleans Vermont Senate District, 2002-2012

★ http://www.vermontrailroads.com/Trainframe.htm