Today’s post will provide an update on the Vermont Cabane De Sucre project, why this blog is called According to Jean, and I will provide a historical view of a particular tree, called The Watcher, in the According to Jean Sugarbush.
Funding for the project-to-date stands at $44,544 out of the $68,550 we anticipate will be needed. The savings process will slow down a bit as the coins are all sold. I do have a 1980 Motorcycle that has been fully restored that I will put on the auction block. When I was 20, I purchased a motorcycle like the one I’m selling, that I really enjoyed riding, however, the growing up process, referred to today as adulting, found me and so it was sold. When I turned 50, my version of a midlife crisis was to get a tattoo and buy a motorcycle. I saw a version of this bike on Craigslist about 8 years ago and thought I had reached a point in life that I could be an adult and have a motorcycle.
My first ride, after I had purchased it, was a little different than my twenty something recollection. The front tire was bent and vibrated horribly. This is a four-cylinder motorcycle and so the carburetor needs to be operating perfectly, which with this bike there was a major argument going on between the engine and carburetor. After 15 minutes into the initial ride, I felt my safety might be in jeopardy and so I turned around and headed home. I got the idea that maybe the argument between the engine and carburetor could be settled if I provided an incentive in the way of cleaning out the cobwebs for both of them. With RPMs approaching a new high since I started the ride, I heard a couple of pops and then silence. I looked down and found myself covered in oil. I looked at the top of the engine and could see the top of a piston bobbing up and down that I took as the equivalent of a middle finger being projected at me. Anyway, after an attempt at rebuilding it myself, I reluctantly took it to a qualified mechanic in a box and a sore ego understanding that I am a limited ability mechanic. After several months, I received the bike back. All arguments have been settled and I’m happy to say all motorcycle parts are now cooperating fully.
Okay, now to why this blog is called According to Jean. My father’s middle name was Jean. Jean in French is pronounced “Jun”, like “Run”. It is the French form of John, but also an English and Scottish form of Jane, which is a feminine form of John. I suspect that is why he didn’t necessarily like the English version. I didn’t find out the spelling of “Jun”, meaning Jean, until after my father had passed away. I always thought it was “John”. Anyway, a little research of “Jean” led me to the original Hebrew name Yochanan meaning "God is gracious". I thought this was fitting for a personal blog about growing up and bringing the homestead sugarbush back to life.
Now to The Watcher. As I mentioned in my earlier blog “streaksap-across-the-property-in-the-1960s”, all the large mature maple trees had been cut down to realize some financial income in the wake of the trees being infected by the Sapstreak fungus. The loggers had left many of the maple trees on the perimeter of the sugarbush because, I suspect, the many strands of barbed wire that had been stapled to the trees over the years would cause undo harm to the sawmills equipment. The years progressed, and my father decided to utilize the remaining trees as an additional form of income in the way of firewood. Being young in mind, and particularly body, I was up to the challenge and so we cut the remaining trees. It wasn’t until last year that I was exploring all corners of the sugarbush for potential maple trees that I found one remaining tree from the original group of mature trees. I was very surprised to see the tree.
Asking myself, and Charla, “Where did he come from?”. About 75% of the tree had died over the years, with a portion of the remaining still reaching mightily for the sky. The location of this tree is almost at the highest elevation of the sugarbush. Standing next to the tree, and looking out at the sugarbush, you can see the majority of the maple trees. This would be a vantage point for watching everything that goes on in the sugarbush, in addition to a large field next to it. So, the tree now has the nickname “Watcher”.
I wrapped my arms around Watcher to see how big it is. I caught Charla looking at me a little strangely until I stated I was measuring the size of the tree. According to the internet, you can measure the age of a maple tree by measuring the circumference. Divide the circumference in inches by 3.14 to get the diameter. Approximate the tree's age by multiplying the diameter by 3 for silver maple, 4.5 for red and Norway maple, 5 for black maple, and 5.5 for sugar maple.
My wingspan is roughly 68 inches, and I wasn’t able to reach halfway around the tree. I approximate the halfway mark around the tree to be 80 inches at ground level. Multiplying that by two gives 160 inches as the circumference. Now, divided by 3.14 provides 51 and now multiple by 5.5 for being a sugar maple yields an approximate age of 280 years. Watcher was a sapling in 1743, although I suspect the tree is older than that, only because a large part of the tree is dead and may have been for many years. I will make many references to points in time that I found in books, historical websites, Wikipedia and the like. I don’t claim to have verified the details behind each of these references.
“In 1753, the Abenakis bringing the ransomed John Stark down Lake Memphremagog and came ashore where Newport is now. Major-General John Stark (August 28, 1728 – May 8, 1822) was an American military officer who served during the French and Indian War." The watcher would have been 10 years old.
“On October 29, 1779, the state of Vermont chartered [Derby] to Timothy Andrus and fifty-nine associates. It was named after Derby, in England and incorporated in 1791 and settled in 1795. In 1791, Vermont joined the federal Union as the fourteenth state and Thomas Jefferson and James Madison toured the state. From 1791 to 1793, Timothy Hinman built what is now called the ‘Hinman Settler Road’ linking Greensboro north to Derby and Canada.” Hinman built the first house in the Town in 1794.” In 1795 Watcher was 52.
“1800 census there were 178 people in the town of Derby.” The Watcher was 57.
“In the War of 1812, an expeditionary force of Quebec Eastern Townships' volunteers destroyed a barracks built at Derby with no personnel casualties.” The watcher was 69.
“June 1816 brought 1 foot (0.30 m) of snow to the county [Orleans] followed by agricultural devastation. 1816 became known as the Year without a summer.” The Watcher was 73.
“Originally In 1774 surveyors from Canada and American (Quebec Act of 1774) were supposed to divide Canada and America on the 45th parallel north. However, they created a crooked line Derby Line (portion of Derby) should have been part of Canada, but Webster–Ashburton Treaty of 1842 stated it was part of America. In 1840, Vermont primary agricultural product was sheep wool and was the second largest producer in the country.” The Watcher was officially part of Derby/Vermont/United States at the age of 99.
“On October 31, 1866, the town erected a granite monument at Derby Center in honor of those who died in the Civil War. It lists the names of fifty-three men from Derby. It is the oldest community memorial to that war in the United States.” The Watcher was 123.
“The single largest production of maple sugar, in 1880 came from A. T. Daily in Derby, with 170 acres of woodlands that led to 2,500 pounds of maple sugar produced. In addition, that same year the town of Derby alone accounted for 22.7% of the entire state’s production of hops.” The Watcher would have been 137 at the time.
And then, the earliest property transfer (that I can find) that The Watcher is rooted came when Chester Cowles purchased the property from J. Chase on December 11th, 1890, when The Watcher was 147. And when my grandfather purchased the farm in 1948, he was 205.
The Watcher has seen many seasons come and go. I can imagine what animals traveled past him over the years: moose, bear, deer, turkeys, porcupines, grouse, horses, and cattle. I imagine people I never knew sitting at the base of The Watcher to cool off from the hot summer sun and humidity. This may have included: Native Americans, Early Settlers traveling from the lower parts of New England to Quebec City. The Watcher saw many of its relatives die over the years as well as witnessed the new generation of sugar maples come to age. I can imagine storms, drought, floods, and wind that must have shaken the arms of The Watcher to and past the breaking point. A large portion of The Watcher has died, but somehow, he keeps living day to day. The will to live is strong. The energy to keep upright with that much weight must be great. The Watcher is in the care of Charla and me now. We will do our best to provide the support needed for him to survive when we pass off the care to the next generation. We will consider this when we decided to have The Watcher participate in giving sap in 2025 or not.
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