Runaway Pond
Encyclopedia
Runaway Pond was a lake on the site of the former Long Pond in Glover, Vermont
Glover, Vermont
Glover is a town in Orleans County, Vermont, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 966. It contains two unincorporated villages, Glover and West Glover....

. Located 5 miles (8 km) south of what is today the central village of Glover, it is now a marsh.

Hydrology

An engineer estimated that the pond must have contained 1988000000 gallons (7,525,399,056 l) of water.

It was about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long, 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) wide, and averaged from 80 to 100 ft (24.4 to 30.5 ) deep and 150 feet (45.7 m) deep in the center.

History

On June 6, 1810 it was a dry summer and the Barton River
Barton River
The Barton River is a tributary of Lake Memphremagog, over long, in northern Vermont in the United States.It runs north from Glover through Barton, Brownington, Coventry and drains through Newport into Lake Memphremagog's South Bay.-Course:...

, which supplied the power for grist mills in Glover and northward, was running very low. At the request of Arron Wilson, the local Glover gristmill owner, 60 men and boys attempted to create a new north outlet from Long Pond to the Barton River
Barton River
The Barton River is a tributary of Lake Memphremagog, over long, in northern Vermont in the United States.It runs north from Glover through Barton, Brownington, Coventry and drains through Newport into Lake Memphremagog's South Bay.-Course:...

, but instead, they unintentionally caused the banks of the pond to give way. This resulted in a flood throughout the Barton River Valley.

The valley drops 600 feet (182.9 m) from Runaway Pond to Orleans
Orleans, Vermont
Orleans is a village in the northwestern corner of Barton, Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 826 at the 2000 census, making it the largest village in Orleans County.-Government:...

 for an average of about 40 feet (12.2 m) per 1 miles (1.6 km). The water ran out of the pond in 1 hour and 15 minutes, but the mud ran out for hours. The water reached Lake Memphremagog
Lake Memphremagog
Lake Memphremagog is a fresh water glacial lake located between Newport, Vermont, United States and Magog, Quebec, Canada. The lake is long with 73 percent of the lake's surface area in Quebec, where it drains into the Magog River. However, three-quarters of its watershed, , is in Vermont. The...

 in 4 hours and reportedly raised the level there 1 foot (0.3048 m).

The initial surge took trees and huge boulders with it, building up a logjam, stopping the flood temporarily until the water pressure behind the jam backed up, causing another breakthrough. This scenario kept recurring in the flood's progress down to Barton.

The results of the flood can still be seen today at Clark Pond, just north of the Runaway Pond site, and elsewhere in the Barton River valley.

One of the laborers, Spencer Chamberlain, ran ahead of the flood just in time to save Arron Wilson's wife, working at the mill. In fact, no lives were lost. This act is commemorated each year on Glover Day (the last Saturday of July) by a 5.5 miles (8.9 km) road race following the path of the flood.

The wayward pond was thereafter called "Runaway Pond."

On June 4,5 and 6, 2010, the Glover Historical Society sponsored a celebration of this event.
Runaway Pond was a lake on the site of the former Long Pond in Glover, Vermont
Glover, Vermont
Glover is a town in Orleans County, Vermont, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 966. It contains two unincorporated villages, Glover and West Glover....

. Located 5 miles (8 km) south of what is today the central village of Glover, it is now a marsh.

Hydrology


An engineer estimated that the pond must have contained 1988000000 gallons (7,525,399,056 l) of water.

It was about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long, 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) wide, and averaged from 80 to 100 ft (24.4 to 30.5 ) deep and 150 feet (45.7 m) deep in the center.

History


On June 6, 1810 it was a dry summer and the Barton River
Barton River
The Barton River is a tributary of Lake Memphremagog, over long, in northern Vermont in the United States.It runs north from Glover through Barton, Brownington, Coventry and drains through Newport into Lake Memphremagog's South Bay.-Course:...

, which supplied the power for grist mills in Glover and northward, was running very low. At the request of Arron Wilson, the local Glover gristmill owner, 60 men and boys attempted to create a new north outlet from Long Pond to the Barton River
Barton River
The Barton River is a tributary of Lake Memphremagog, over long, in northern Vermont in the United States.It runs north from Glover through Barton, Brownington, Coventry and drains through Newport into Lake Memphremagog's South Bay.-Course:...

, but instead, they unintentionally caused the banks of the pond to give way. This resulted in a flood throughout the Barton River Valley.

The valley drops 600 feet (182.9 m) from Runaway Pond to Orleans
Orleans, Vermont
Orleans is a village in the northwestern corner of Barton, Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 826 at the 2000 census, making it the largest village in Orleans County.-Government:...

 for an average of about 40 feet (12.2 m) per 1 miles (1.6 km). The water ran out of the pond in 1 hour and 15 minutes, but the mud ran out for hours. The water reached Lake Memphremagog
Lake Memphremagog
Lake Memphremagog is a fresh water glacial lake located between Newport, Vermont, United States and Magog, Quebec, Canada. The lake is long with 73 percent of the lake's surface area in Quebec, where it drains into the Magog River. However, three-quarters of its watershed, , is in Vermont. The...

 in 4 hours and reportedly raised the level there 1 foot (0.3048 m).

The initial surge took trees and huge boulders with it, building up a logjam, stopping the flood temporarily until the water pressure behind the jam backed up, causing another breakthrough. This scenario kept recurring in the flood's progress down to Barton.

The results of the flood can still be seen today at Clark Pond, just north of the Runaway Pond site, and elsewhere in the Barton River valley.

One of the laborers, Spencer Chamberlain, ran ahead of the flood just in time to save Arron Wilson's wife, working at the mill. In fact, no lives were lost. This act is commemorated each year on Glover Day (the last Saturday of July) by a 5.5 miles (8.9 km) road race following the path of the flood.

The wayward pond was thereafter called "Runaway Pond."

On June 4,5 and 6, 2010, the Glover Historical Society sponsored a celebration of this event.
Runaway Pond was a lake on the site of the former Long Pond in Glover, Vermont
Glover, Vermont
Glover is a town in Orleans County, Vermont, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 966. It contains two unincorporated villages, Glover and West Glover....

. Located 5 miles (8 km) south of what is today the central village of Glover, it is now a marsh.

Hydrology


An engineer estimated that the pond must have contained 1988000000 gallons (7,525,399,056 l) of water.

It was about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long, 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) wide, and averaged from 80 to 100 ft (24.4 to 30.5 ) deep and 150 feet (45.7 m) deep in the center.

History


On June 6, 1810 it was a dry summer and the Barton River
Barton River
The Barton River is a tributary of Lake Memphremagog, over long, in northern Vermont in the United States.It runs north from Glover through Barton, Brownington, Coventry and drains through Newport into Lake Memphremagog's South Bay.-Course:...

, which supplied the power for grist mills in Glover and northward, was running very low. At the request of Arron Wilson, the local Glover gristmill owner, 60 men and boys attempted to create a new north outlet from Long Pond to the Barton River
Barton River
The Barton River is a tributary of Lake Memphremagog, over long, in northern Vermont in the United States.It runs north from Glover through Barton, Brownington, Coventry and drains through Newport into Lake Memphremagog's South Bay.-Course:...

, but instead, they unintentionally caused the banks of the pond to give way. This resulted in a flood throughout the Barton River Valley.

The valley drops 600 feet (182.9 m) from Runaway Pond to Orleans
Orleans, Vermont
Orleans is a village in the northwestern corner of Barton, Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 826 at the 2000 census, making it the largest village in Orleans County.-Government:...

 for an average of about 40 feet (12.2 m) per 1 miles (1.6 km). The water ran out of the pond in 1 hour and 15 minutes, but the mud ran out for hours. The water reached Lake Memphremagog
Lake Memphremagog
Lake Memphremagog is a fresh water glacial lake located between Newport, Vermont, United States and Magog, Quebec, Canada. The lake is long with 73 percent of the lake's surface area in Quebec, where it drains into the Magog River. However, three-quarters of its watershed, , is in Vermont. The...

in 4 hours and reportedly raised the level there 1 foot (0.3048 m).

The initial surge took trees and huge boulders with it, building up a logjam, stopping the flood temporarily until the water pressure behind the jam backed up, causing another breakthrough. This scenario kept recurring in the flood's progress down to Barton.

The results of the flood can still be seen today at Clark Pond, just north of the Runaway Pond site, and elsewhere in the Barton River valley.

One of the laborers, Spencer Chamberlain, ran ahead of the flood just in time to save Arron Wilson's wife, working at the mill. In fact, no lives were lost. This act is commemorated each year on Glover Day (the last Saturday of July) by a 5.5 miles (8.9 km) road race following the path of the flood.

The wayward pond was thereafter called "Runaway Pond."

On June 4,5 and 6, 2010, the Glover Historical Society sponsored a celebration of this event.

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