Settlement and Development

 

The first settlers arrived in the area in the 1810s. Many of them were of English, Dutch, and Canadian descent. Captain John Martin, a veteran of the War of 1812, was the first to build a log cabin there in 1816 near the tallest peak in Chemung County. In 1823, the first road was laid out to connect Martin’s Hill and Post Creek. By the 1830s, the town had  developed to include businesses such as hotels along the stage routes, taverns, saw and gristmills, a charcoal retort, and an ashery that produced lye for soap. On April 16, 1823, the southern portion of the town of Catherine was incorporated as the towns of Catlin and Veteran. On April 17, 1835, the northern half of Catlin was taken to form the Town of Dix, leaving Catlin as it is today.