True Vermonter Quiz: The Questions & the Answers The Results Are In Geography/ Natural History here are a lot of people who know a lot about Vermont. TThat’s one of the conclusions we at Vermont Life came to �. How long is Vermont, from Canada after reviewing the answers submitted for our True to Massachusetts? Vermonter Quiz (Winter 2005–2006). A: About 150 miles long. �. Knowing that, just how long is We also learned list of heroes, so we accepted a variety Vermont’s Long Trail? quite a bit from this of answers to this one (see page 10). A: About 270 miles; the distance var- exercise too. One of Another question that proved to be ies because of trail relocations. Hal Mayforth the things we learned tricky — though we didn’t intend it to �. In which town is the rocky sum- was that there’s no fact be — was number 9: “How thick was mit of Mount Mansfield, Vermont’s about Vermont that the ice sheet that covered Vermont highest mountain? can’t be bent a bit roughly 13,000 years ago?” The an- A: Underhill. by interpretation. swer was one mile, but some readers �. What is the largest lake entirely Precious few, any- ignored our weasel-word “roughly” and within the borders of Vermont? way. answered that there was no ice sheet A: Lake Bomoseen. Consider ques- because the ice that had covered Ver- �. What is the largest town tion 18: “How do mont 13,500 years ago had completely (in geographical area) in Vermont? you know sugaring melted by then. A: Chittenden, in Rutland County. season is over?” Our answer was tra- Several people thought that the first �. What is the smallest (organized) ditional: when the peepers (tiny tree name given to “the area that later be- town in Vermont? frogs) sing. But many contestants chose came Vermont” was “New Connecti- A: St. George, in Chittenden County. a more scientific answer: when the cut,” which was the title accorded the �. What percentage of Vermont’s trees bud. So we accepted that answer state in 1777, but rarely used. Before territory is forest? as correct too. that, the area was widely referred to as A: About 80 percent. Likewise question 12: “What is a “the New Hampshire Grants,” because �. What percentage was forest in 1850? gore?” Our answer — an unorganized New Hampshire Governor Benning A: About 25 percent. town, such as Buels Gore — was cor- Wentworth issued grants of land for �. How thick was the ice sheet that rect, but most readers used the survey- towns throughout the region, much to covered Vermont roughly 13,000 ors’ definition — a small, triangular the outrage of New York officials, who years ago? piece of land that results from survey felt the region belonged to them. A: About one mile. errors or irregular land contours. We One thing the True Vermonter Quiz ��. On the Vermont–New Hamp- accepted that answer also. proved: One characteristic all true shire border, the Connecticut River A few people grumbled — probably Vermonters have in common is a fas- belongs to: with some justification — that it was cination with their state’s past and A: New Hampshire, to the low-water misleading to term the Bennington present! line on the Vermont side. Monument the tallest “building” in — Tom Slayton ��. The worst weather in Vermont’s Vermont. We wanted to exclude struc- history occurred in 1816. It snowed tures such as radio towers, which are in every month of the year. We now much higher. One contestant added, call this episode, caused by the global with a note of pique, that “a court deci- spread of volcanic dust, “Eighteen sion” would be required to define the Hundred and …” Bennington Monument as a building. A: “Froze to Death.” (Well, it does have an elevator.) ��. What is a gore? Name one. Even a seemingly straightforward A: A gore is an unorganized town question like number 5 caused de- such as Averys or Buels gore. bate. Is Chittenden the largest town ��. The beautiful blue waters of Lake in Vermont in geographical area or is Champlain flow in what direction? it Stowe? Most references say that it’s A: North. Chittenden, and that’s the answer we ��. The most devastating Vermont considered correct. flood in the last century occurred in Question 31 also caused consterna- what year? tion. It is widely believed that North A: 1927 (November). and South Hero — the largest islands ��. Complete this couplet: “When in Grand Isle County — were named the wind’s in the west, the sap…” after Ethan and Ira Allen. But readers A: Flows best. pointed out that when the islands were ��. You are driving on Vermont’s named the legislature appended a long Skyline Drive. Where are you?

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Quiz Answers.indd 8 5/11/06 9:42:22 AM A: Manchester (and for part of the 21 and females over 18 and provided A: The first Tuesday in March. drive, Sandgate and Sunderland). for universal manhood suffrage (the ��. What is the Vermont State ��. How many gallons of sap does it vote for all men, but no women) and House made of? (This is a hard one!) generally take to make one gallon of public education in every town. A: Primarily of Vermont granite. maple syrup? ��. The two largest islands in Lake ��. Bag balm is a popular hand salve A: About 40 gallons. Champlain, North Hero and South Hero, made in Vermont. What was its ��. How do you know sugaring sea- are named for what early Vermonters? original purpose? son is over? A: There is some debate about this A: Salve for cow’s udders, to prevent A: Traditionally, when you hear the one, but the first two names listed chapping. peepers (tree frogs) peeping. when the land was granted are ��. What was Calvin Coolidge’s ��. What is Vermont’s fifth season? Ethan Allen and Samuel Herrick, fol- middle name? A: Mud season. lowed by 363 others, all 365 consid- A: Calvin; he was christened John ��. How many counties in Vermont? ered heroes of the Revolutionary War Calvin Coolidge. A: 14. and including Ira Allen. So, we gave ��. What is the tallest ��.Which counties make up the credit for Ethan, Ira and Samuel and building in Vermont? Northeast Kingdom, the state’s most for the list of heroes. A: The Bennington Monument, rural region? ��. What Battle of the Revolutionary 306 feet tall. A: Caledonia, Orleans and Essex. War was fought completely on ��. What is a stone boat? Vermont soil? A: A sledge dragged behind horse or History/Vermontiana A: The Battle of Hubbardton, July 7, oxen for a farmer to throw rocks onto 1777. while clearing his fields. ��. What was the predominant In- ��. Where in Bennington was the ��. What is a spikehorn? dian group in Vermont before the Battle of Bennington fought in 1777? A: A deer with unforked antlers. coming of European settlers? A: It wasn’t. It was fought across the ��. What is rowen? A: The Abenaki. border in Hoosick, New York, on A: Second cutting of hay in a season. ��. What was the first name given to August 16, 1777. ��. In what town is the World’s Fair the area that became Vermont? ��. Who was the first governor of held every year? A: Before 1777, it was known as the Vermont? A: Tunbridge! A New Hampshire Grants or, depending A: Thomas Chittenden on your point of view, as part of New ��. Where was he born? York! A: In Connecticut, like many of ��. What two presidents were born Vermont’s founders. in Vermont? ��. How many of the last seven A: Calvin Coolidge, Chester A. Arthur. Vermont governors were born in ��. Where was the first European set- Vermont? tlement in Vermont? For extra credit, A: One, Deane C. Davis. The out-of- in what year was it established? staters: Philip Hoff, Thomas Salmon, A: The French established Fort Ste. Richard Snelling, Madeleine Kunin, Anne on Isle la Motte in Lake Howard Dean and the current gover- Champlain in 1666. nor, James Douglas. ��. What was the first town char- ��. What was “Snowflake” Bentley’s tered in Vermont? real first name? A: Bennington, chartered in 1749. A: Wilson. ��. The nation’s first ski tow was ��. Vermonters at the Battle of located in what Vermont town? Gettysburg were credited with mak- A: Woodstock (in 1934). ing one of the most decisive maneu- ��. Where in Vermont was the Dec- vers of the Civil War. What was it? laration of Independence first read? A: Flanking and firing into Pickett’s A: At Mount Independence in Orwell. Charge, helping break it and thus Several thousand American troops, helping turn the tide at “the high- there to repel British invaders from water mark of the Confederacy.” Canada, heard the declaration read ��. In Bennington in the 1700s, Ethan and immediately named their hilltop Allen and the Green Mountain Boys fortress on Lake Champlain Mount used what tavern as their headquarters? Independence. A: The Catamount Tavern. ��. The first Vermont Constitution, ��. The poet Robert Frost is buried written in 1777, established Vermont in the cemetery of Bennington’s Old as what sort of political entity? First Church. What does the inscrip- A: An independent state, sometimes tion on his grave say? referred to as the republic of Vermont. A: “I had a lover’s quarrel with the ��. What innovations in human world.” rights did it contain? ��. When is Town Meeting Day? A: It outlawed slavery for males over

reprinted with permission from m a g a z i n e spring 2006 • 

Quiz Answers.indd 9 5/11/06 9:42:22 AM