The views from this section of Province Hill Road are some of the bests in Potton Township. Beyond the fields and hills that form the landscape in the foreground, Jay Peak to the south and the Sutton Mountains to the north stand in the background.
These peaks are part of the Green Mountains, a mountain range attached to the Appalachians that stretches for more than 400 km and of which the Sutton Mountains constitute the northern limit. This range includes the Gagnon, Singer, Echo, Glen, Gauvin and Foster mountains. To the northeast, other mountains geologically related to the Green Mountains complete the mountainous landscape of the Township, the best known being the Pevee,Elephant (or Elephantis as it is also called locally) and Owl's Head Mountains.
Formed over 45 million years ago, these mountains were shaped during the last ice age by the slow movement of huge ice sheets. These glaciers, which disappeared nearly 11,000 years ago, eroded the mountains, rounded the hills, and carved out the valleys. They also scraped away organic sediments, thus limiting the agricultural potential of the region.
Despite comparatively poor soil, the township attracted many settlers in search of good farmland by the end of the 18th century. In 1792, the colonial government opened the land to settlement by subdividing the territory into square lots, or townships, each side of which was 10 miles long. Contrary to popular belief, it was mostly American settlers, not Loyalists, who made up the bulk of the migratory contingent during this period.
Starting in the 1830s and under the impetus of the British American Land Company, Potton Township, named after a town in England, opened up to British immigrants, thus consolidating the presence of English speakers in the region. In fact, until the end of the 19th century, the population of the township was almost exclusively of British or American descent.
It was also at this time that rich mineral deposits were discovered under the Potton Mountains. In the early 20th century, copper was mined at Hog's Back Mountain and asbestos was mined in the southern part of the township. Talc deposits were also mined by the Baker Talc Inc. company in the southern part of the township. On the south side of Owl's Head Mountain, silver and lead were extracted from the Potton subsoil for a few years.
Today, place names such as Mine Road, Baker Talc Road or Leadville Road remind us of the mining past of the Township and the hidden wealth of its mountains.