The Winooski River and other waterways served as routes through the wilderness for Native Americans and early explorers, and their banks became natural settlement sites while the falls provided water power for early industry. In 1805, Montpelier, with a population of about 1,2000, was made the permanent site of the state capital because of its central location and accessibility to roads and rivers. Main Street and the Winooski River have been focal points of industrial activity since the early 19th century, with water power from the dam northwest of the bridge serving mills and factories along both sides of the river that produced grains, cotton, lumber, cast iron stoves, and other goods. During the winter of 1823, the frozen Winooski provided an open corridor for dragging 23,000 cubic feet of granite blocks over the ice from Barre for construction of the new State House. In 1849, the arrival of the railroad brought increased commercial activity to the waterfront, and the Montpelier and Wells River depot in the 1877 Murray Block was praised as a model of taste and convenience, with separate ladies’ and men’s waiting rooms, wooden wainscotting, offices, and a baggage room.