Toponymie | Canton de Potton | Place Names

This pond is named for the Fullerton family, of whom David Fullerton (1766-1864) was the first in Potton.  History tells us that he was either a relative or associated with Colonel Ruiter.  The Fullertons were a pioneer family, who presumably lived or owned land in the immediate vicinity of the Pond that bears their name. 

Members of the Fullerton family repose in the Chapel Hill and Ruiter's Settlement Cemeteries.  Wilbur Fullerton (1894-1985), son of Archie and Aurilla Fullerton, operated a general store with his wife, Doris Smith (1900-1981), in the home in which he was born and raised at 2621 Chemin de la Vallée-Missisquoi, near Dunkin.  They retired from that business after 50 years of service to their community.  Their neighbour, Pete Aiken, wrote a touching homage to Wilbur and Doris Fullerton published in Volume 6 of Yesterdays of Brome County.

The Fullerton's only daughter, Mavis Fullerton Aiken, faithfully worked many of her own retirement years in Mansonville's popular Reilly House.  Descendants of the Fullerton family still live in Potton though they now bear different surnames through marriage and so on.

Fullerton Pond is classified as an industrial heritage site in Potton and is owned by the Nature Conservancy of Canada as part of the Sutton Mountain Range project containing nearly 16,000 acres, which is the largest private conservancy area east of Alberta.  For over forty years, the NCC has protected the natural habitats and ecosystems throughout Canada.^[1]

The headwaters of Ruiter Brook are retained by a 400' (175 meters) masonry dam, built around 1910 by Sheldon Boright, owner and operator of several surrounding woodlots in the era.  Logging in Potton was then in its heyday, particularly in the Sutton mountain range.  Loggers, working mostly in winter, would transport great loads to place on the ice of Fullerton Pond.  When spring run-off was at its highest, the floodgates of the dam would be opened thus giving Ruiter Brook sufficient flow to carry logs downstream to the Missisquoi River for subsequent transport by rail to factories in the States. 

Some of the rocks used in building the Fullerton dam are impressively large.  One cannot but marvel at the engineering and sheer determination employed in its building at a time when mechanized equipment was non-existent.  Manpower, logic, leverage and plain common sense were doubtless put to good use. 

Sheldon Boright was one of the “ Boright Brothers » of Potton; with his brother, Nelson, he was responsible for many enterprises opened in the early days of Mansonville.  Eventually Sheldon and Nelson dissolved their partnership.  Sheldon moved to Richford, Vermont where he was a merchant; however, he also maintained and managed large logging operations in the Township of Potton.  Veneer and other wood processing mills were located along the Missisquoi River near Richford, Vermont and at Newport, Vermont.  Nelson remained in Potton.