This was the name given to a projected village by Lucien Murat, in honor of his father, Joachim Murat, king of Naples and marshal of the empire under Napoleon who said of him, "he is the right arm of my defense; a Paladin in the fold, the best cavalry officer in the world." He bore aloft the imperial eagles on a hundred fields of victory; and it has often been said that, had his plume waved and his sabre flashed amid the dun smoke of Waterloo, Wellington might have spared his famous invocation, for neither Blucher not night could have saved him. And now this chieftain's name had descended upon a country saw-mill and tract of land surrounding it in the quiet agricultural town of Le Ray! The location was upon the Indian river, below the bend, and within a short half-mile of the town-line of Philadelphia. At this point a saw-mill had been built in 1822, by Arnold Miller, from whose possession it has passed to that of Samuel Makepeace. From him it was purchased, with the land belonging to it, by Murat, who in 1834 rebuilt the mill, as the first step towards the establishment of a village. The next was the erection of a grist-mill, which for a time was used for dancing parties and other merry-makings of a more questionable character. A large hotel was commenced, but never brought to completion.

A number of small frame dwellings were put up, and with such rapidity as to cause the remark among the townspeople that Joachim was growing at the rate of a house every day. A residence was built for Murat's own use, at which, during the periods of his occupancy, he held a sort of protracted carnival. A capacious store was also among his enterprises, and he filled it with a very large stock of goods, purchased on credit in New York. In this an extensive trade was carried on and continued for a considerable length of time; but at last the inevitable end came. The matter-of-fact creditors from the city seized on remaining goods, store, and whatever else they could find uncovered, and the prospects of the village of Joachim were obscured in permanent eclipse. From the inception to the final collapse of the enterprise was a period of nearly three years. The machinery of the flour-mill was sold, and removed to Salmon river. The hotel project was abandoned, and its cellar has been filled up. The unsubstantial dwellings, so rapidly build, have all disappeared. The store has been remodeled as a dwelling-house, and is now occupied by Isaac Sixbury. Another store languished there for a time, under proprietorship of Mr. Shattuck, but this was soon abandoned. The saw-mill alone remains. It has been repaired since the days of Lucien Murat, and is now owned and operated by Robert Sixbury, a grandson of the centenarian of the same name.

This name is applied to a neighborhood and cross-roads located about two miles southeast of Evans' Mills. It is so called from Mr. Isaac Ingerson, the first settler at this point. Near him was settled Mr. Elisha Schofield. In the very early days it was supposed that this would become the site of a village. A wagon-shop and blacksmithy was started here by Aaron Rose, and a considerable business in that line was done. One of the apprentices of Rose was Harry Weed, who afterwards established business at Evans' Mills, and Rose himself also removed there at a later time. A small tributary of West creek passes this place, and on this small stream a saw-mill was built about 1822, by Job Anthony and Alvin Clark. It was, however, one of the kind known as "dry mills," and was of short continuance. For some unknown cause this neighborhood has received the name of "Bedlam," and is most generally designated. Its village aspiration have long since faded away.

On the north side of the Black river, opposite the village of Great Bend in Champion, is a hotel, built about 1833, by King Potter, and for some years kept by Henry G. potter, who also started a distillery at the same place. A store was opened here as early as 1824 by Daniel Potter, and continued for several years. The tore and the distillery have ceased to exist, but the hotel is still kept open under the proprietorship of J. & G. Freeman.

On the north side of Black river, opposite Felt's Mills, there is no settlement. The island in the river at this point was formerly a part of Le Ray, but was set off to Rutland about 1835.Upon this island was a tannery and some other improvements, owned by John Felt.

A store was opened at an early day by Thomas Ward, near the present residence of Joseph Bichet, on the road from Evans' Mills to Le Raysville. This was continued for many years, with apparent prosperity.

At the "Five Corners," a mile southeast of Sanford's, a hotel was opened by Benjamin Butterfield, in the house now the residence of Alvin Scofield.

Churchill's saw-mill, on Pleasant creek, below Slocumville, was erected by h. C. Churchill. It is not among the oldest of the mills in the town. A mill was built half a century ago by Alvin Clark, on Gardner's creek, near where it enters Indian river. This is among the things of the past. On West creek, a mile north of Sanford's Corners, a grist-mill was built by Abraham Jewett, about 1830. It was afterwards used as a plaster-mill, and a manufactory of water-line was established there, but none of these are now in operation. Upon a small stream near the residence of M. Walts, in the west part of the town, was a very old grist-mill, built by--------Taylor; also a saw-mill, at the same place, probably built later; and on a small stream which flows into Indian river, below the bend, Benjamin Bentley, in 1823, built a saw-mill, which was kept in operation for years, and was finally worn out and abandoned. (Jefferson County History, L. H. Everts, 1878)