“While the community of Hatfield was being established on the west bank of the Connecticut River, the land farther west was left to the animals and the Indians. Alone, that is, until about the year 1735 when a noted hunter and trapper, John Miller of Northampton, erected a log house on a hill in the eastern portion of the “Hatfield Woods.” He purchased a tract of 900 acres, bounded on the south by the Northampton line and embracing what later became a thriving village.”

”For seventeen years Mr. Miller hunted and trapped in solitary splendor. Game was plentiful, with deer, bear, wolves, catamounts, wild turkey, and smaller animals to be had, and the streams were filled with trout. Indians were there , too, but obviously Mr. Miller was successful in evading their raids. Then Capt. Samuel Fairfield settled close by and ended Mr. Miller’s solitary domination, but this probably was not too onerous since Captain Fairfield was his nephew. Between 1745 and 1750 a stage road was opened across the region between Northampton and Pittsfield and Captain Fairfield opened a tavern to accommodate travelers over the route.”