This video visits a small section of the Old Connecticut Path in Douglas, Massachusetts and a nearby beaver dam. Prior to settlement of the English colonists, beavers were the most powerful force in shaping the New England landscape. The earliest pioneers followed the example of the Native people and used beaver dams for bridges until they could construct stone bridges to make the way easier. To understand the world of the earliest settlers traveling along the Old Connecticut Path, it is necessary to appreciate the world as shaped by the beavers. Join me for a walk and use your imagination to experience the landscape traveled by the pioneers of the 1600s.
Select picture or link to view the video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNmQS3WVGLk
The Old Connecticut Path may be one of the earliest trails followed as part of America’s westward migration. As early as 1635-36, the migration from Massachusetts Bay at Boston/Cambridge west to Connecticut began. Reverend Thomas Hooker and his entire congregation walked along the Old Connecticut Path for two weeks across the wilderness in 1636 from Cambridge, MA to establish Hartford, CT.
For more information on the world of the beaver and an inside look at beaver life below the surface, visit YouTube to view “Animal Planet Fooled by Nature – Beaver Dams”
Beavers are a "Keystone" species that creates an environment for itself that becomes home for a wide range of species. Next to man, beavers are the most powerful living force that shapes the environment. For an inside look at beaver life below the surface, visit YouTube to view “Animal Planet Fooled by Nature – Beaver Dams”
Please send any feedback, comments and/or suggestions to
e-mail : oldconnecticutpath@gmail.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/oldconnecticutpath
BACK TO 2.001 Guide to Crossing the Last Green Valley: West Sutton, MA to Tolland, CT