Dan DeLuca tells us of the enigmatic local folk hero, The Leatherman. Residing in rock shelters and "leatherman caves" as they are locally now known (one of which is in nearby Watertown), he stopped at towns along his 365 mile loop once every 34 days for food and supplies. He was dubbed the "Leatherman" as his entire adornment, from hat, scarf, clothes to shoes were handmade of leather. Leatherman was quite popular in Connecticut. Reliable in his rounds, people would have extra food ready for him, which he often ate on their doorsteps. Ten towns along the Leatherman's route passed ordinances exempting him from the state "tramp law" passed in 1879.

Read more at Wikipedia, or see Dan's book at Amazon.com