Page:American Anthropologist NS vol. 22.djvu/228

 2l6 AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST [N. s. f 22, 1920

very tortuous stream, abounding in extensive bends and loops. Of those shown here the most northern, extended towards the west and forming a long and narrow loop, is occupied by the settlement of Hadley, founded in 1659, which consists essentially of two streets, running north and south, connecting the two ends of the loop. Further down, near the southern limit of the map, as given here, is a second large loop or "ox-bow", more typical in its shape than the one at Hadley, and still at this time forming an integral part of the Connecticut river, its enclosed meadow, "Hockanum," being directly connected with the land upon the east side. Ten years after the drawing of this map, in the early spring of 1840, this ox-bow was cut off by the familiar action of rivers in such cases, and the new course connected the two banks at the mouth of the loop, leaving the ox-bow as a quiet lagoon, known locally as the "old-bed," and a famous fishing ground. A more careful scrutiny of the map at this point will show that in prehistoric times a similar ox-bow was cut off, situated farther to the west, and that its remnant, also in the form of a still more shrunken lagoon, cut into two pieces, was plainly seen in 1831.

If attention is now directed to the smaller stream, "Mill river," its earlier course, and the one used at the coming of the whites, as indicated here by the double dotted lines, caused it to form an extensive loop, almost surrounding "Fort Hill," and finally empty- ing into the prehistoric ox-bow. This stream, more than the larger Connecticut, caused the early English settlers much annoyance by frequently flooding its banks, so that, not only in the spring, but almost continually in some seasons, the meadows between this loop and the Connecticut were under water. This soon caused the settlers to dig a new course directly to the Connecticut (1720), cutting off one whole side of the loop, and effecting a juncture directly to the side of the ox-bow as in this map. Since the sever- ance of the ox-bow, ten years later, the lower course of Mill river was again changed, and it now empties into the main Connecticut.

The traditional site of the Indian town, where the purchase was probably made for the present town of Northampton by John Pynchon, was the sightly piece of raised ground lying in the

�� �