Winding north through Pittsford, Otter Creek has powered the lumber, grain, and marble mills essential to this region since 1770. Chittenden lies east of Pittsford, on the west flank of the Green Mountains, where iron and manganese deposits supplied Pittsford's iron industry. To the south, Pittsford and Proctor share deep marble formations that support the economies of both towns. The first settlers were farmers drawn to the valley's fertile soil and mountain forests. They were joined by lumber barons, lawyers, merchants, and artists. European and French Canadian immigrants soon followed and farmed, built the railroad, or quarried and carved marble. Closely linked by the industries that helped build them, these communities have evolved into today's thriving hometowns of workers in Rutland.