“Eighth, beginning at the foot of still water and up the cross new road as far as Laban Crandall’s house; from thence to the eight-mile tree.
“Ninth, beginning at the eight-mile tree; from thence to the Otsdawa bridge.
“Tenth, beginning at the Susquehanna River road up the Sand Hill Creek road to the north line of the town.
“Eleventh, beginning at Merriman’s sawmill; from thence to the northwest line of the town.
“Twelfth, beginning at Laban Crandall’s house; thence through the north line of the town on the Sisson road.
“Thirteenth, beginning at the river road; thence up Wheaton Creek to Joseph Peam’s house.
“Fourteenth, beginning at the Wheaton road; from thence to the Sand Hill Creek road.
“Fifteenth, begins at the west branch of the Otsdawa Creek; thence to the town of Otego [now Oneonta] at or near Thurston Brown’s.”
Such were the roads that established communication among the settlers—primitive highways the most of them, and greatly inferior to the turnpike that came in in 1800 as the model road for all this territory and which remained for many years the chief highway to many parts of central and southern New York. One of the earliest highways in the State west of the Hudson and south of the Mohawk was this one from Wattles’s Ferry to Catskill, and it stands as a historic landmark of that great turnpike era which began with the new century.
The turnpike grew out of stern necessity. So great had been the demand for roads pouring in upon State authorities from all neighborhoods, that it was impossible to meet them. The State in consequence gave to private corporations permission to open and improve roads and impose tolls as their recompense. Among the men who took stock in the Catskill Turnpike were Stephen Benton, Solomon Martin and Sluman Wattles, the price of shares being twenty dollars and the amount of stock twelve thousand dollars. Caleb Benton, who lived in Catskill and was a brother of Stephen, at one time was president of the company. Two stages were kept regularly on the road, the fare being five cents per mile, making the cost of the trip from Unadilla to Catskill about the same as the fare by rail from Unadilla to New York now, while the time consumed was three days.