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Exploring the Old Connecticut Path - article published by Connecticut Forest & Park Association
Thanks to Connecticut Forest and Park Association (CFPA) http://www.ctwoodlands.org/ for helping to spread the story of the Path. I'm very pleased to have the story of the Old Connecticut Path included as part of the "Keeping Paradise Unpaved" theme for the Spring 2014 edition of CFPA's Connecticut Woodlands magazine. Connecticut Forest & Park Association volunteers maintain a beautiful portion of the Old Connecticut Path within Natchaug State Forest in Ashford, CT. Read the article and learn more about finding the historic Path that is now a hiking "Blue-Blazed" open for all to discover. CFPA article "Exploring the Old Connecticut Path" pdfFor an expanded article with additional photos and maps, visit Where Natchaug & Nipmuck Meet.
CFPA Nipmuck Trail and Old Connecticut Path together in Natchaug State Forest (above left).
Natchaug State Forest in Ashford, CT is a place of remote beauty that is accessible for hikers today along Connecticut Forest & Park blue-blazed trails. My search for the path of my ancestors lead me to the place where the Natchaug and Nipmuck trails converge. I set out to rediscover the route followed by my ancestor Rev. Thomas Hooker across the wilderness from Newtown to Hartford, and other ancestors migrating to Windsor and Wethersfield in 1635-1636. The search for their path through 24 towns across two states lead me to Natchaug State Forest where the Natchaug and Nipmuck trails converge with the ancient path laid laid by the Native People, the Old Connecticut Path. Here, the Nipmuck Trail follows a footpath that has been in used for more than 400 years of travel. The convergence of Natchaug and Nipmuck Trails with the Old Connecticut Path is an important place in Connecticut's history and the heritage of America.
When I began the search for the Old Connecticut Path, I thought it would be easy to follow the route of one of the first westward migrations in American history. The 1636 migration of Thomas Hooker and congregation was recorded in Governor John Winthrop's journal on May 31, 1636, “Mr. Hooker, pastor of the church of Newtown, and most of his congregation, went to Connecticut. His wife was carried in a horse litter; and they drove 160 cattle, and fed of their milk by the way.”The story of "Hooker's march to Hartford" across the unsettled wilderness has a special place in history memorialized on the Connecticut state capitol. Thomas Hooker's leading role in the founding of Hartford and the adoption of the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, America's first constitution, earned him accolades as a "Father of American Democracy".
Searching the histories and archives for clues to the route of the historic journeys by John Oldham and "adventurers" to Wethersfield in 1633, Rev. John Oldham and the Dorchester congregation to Windsor in 1635 and Rev. Thomas Hooker and the Newtown congregation to Hartford in 1636 yielded a surprising result. The Old Connecticut Path appeared to have been largely forgotten and faded from memory. While there was agreement that parties lead by Oldham, Wareham and Hooker traveled to Connecticut on foot, disagreements have arisen over how they found their way to their new homes along the Connecticut.
Thomas Hooker and the Newtown congregation entered an unsettled wilderness just a few miles west from their starting point. In 1636, the land beyond what is now bordered by Route 128 was the wilderness where few traveled. They entered territory unknown to the English. The intimate knowledge of the land and guidance of the native Indians ensured that the migration to Connecticut followed a safe and sure route. Governor John Winthrop noted in his journal after meeting with "Wahginnacut, a sagamore upon the River Quonehtacut which lies west of Naragancet ...was very desirous to have some Englishmen to come plant in his country, and ...is not above five days' journey from us by land." Unfortunately, no maps or descriptions of the route were recorded by those early travelers.Over time, different visions of the journey have arisen. Massachusetts Governor Thomas Hutchinson History of Massachusetts (1795) described the migration of Hooker's congregation as "..near a fortnight's journey, having no pillars but Jacob's, and no canopy but the heavens, a wilderness to go through without he least cultivation, in most places no paths nor any marks to guide them, depending on the compass to steer them by, many hideous swamps and very high mountains, beside five or six rivers or different parts of the same winding not everywhere fordable, which they could not avoid". Governor Hutchinson's description of Hooker's crossing the trackless wilderness contrasts with the romantic vision of the journey portrayal of the landscape in Frederick Church's "Hooker and Company".
Over 200 years after Thomas Hutchinson's history, historians of the Connecticut Historical Commission tried to rediscover the path followed by Connecticut's founding families. The historians concluded that "No evidence exists that the Connecticut Path was known to or used by the colonists in the first half of the 17th Century.”Fortunately, while the history of the Old Connecticut Path faded from memory, the story of the Old Connecticut Path lives on through the oral history passed down through time in the towns along the Path. The history of the towns along the way is strongly connected with the story of those early pioneers who came before the towns were settled. The connection of the people with the historic passage of Thomas Hooker and others is visible in the monuments erected by townspeople along the way.
Reconciling the differences between the views of historians with the oral histories and local traditions of the towns people required a different approach. It would require reconstructing the route that would be followed prior to English settlement when the land was the territory of the native Indians. If the sachem Wahginnacut could walk from Hartford to Boston in less than 5 days in 1631, then there surely was a way known to the natives that was direct, efficient and safe for those walking to Connecticut. Finding a way to enter the world as the earliest pioneers might have experienced it along the Path would require a place where the story of the Path was strong and the landscape had reverted to woodland. The best place to pick up the traces of the Path was in the hills of Windham County. The best way to connect the traces to reconstruct the route of the Path was to walk across the hills and woodland of Windham County .
TREASURE HUNTING IN WINDHAM COUNTY
The easiest way to find buried treasure is to discover a buried treasure map. A hidden treasure map was found in Ellen Larned's "Map of Ancient Windham County" that was inserted in her History of Windham County published in 1874. Walking the route of the Old Connecticut Path shown on Larned's map lead off the modern roads road into the woods to rediscover ways of travel across Thompson, Woodstock, Eastford, Ashford and on to the Willimantic River crossing that had been bypassed and forgotten. Taken with local traditions and oral histories from towns along the way, Larned's map capturing the earliest traditions of Windham County pointed the way for an ancient path that provided an efficient, safe course.(North section of Windham County from "Map of Ancient Windham County", 1874 from History of Windham County by Ellen Larned)
While Larned's "Map of Ancient Windham County" helped to point the way, a detailed map compiled by David Chism across Eastford and Ashford helped to pinpoint places today that were once crossed by the Old Connecticut Path. David Chism's map (c.a. 1930) preserved by the Connecticut State Library reflected his collection of stories and places of the Path as it crossed ancient Ashford (i.e. modern Ashford and Eastford). David's brother, Charles Chism, augmented the map with descriptions of places along the Path and family stories that were documented by Harral Ayres in his book The Great Trail of New England and letters written by Ayres found in the Woodstock Historical Society archives.With boots on the ground and into the woods, I set out on the course of the Old Connecticut Path mapped and described by the Chism brothers from Crystal Pond in Eastford to Westford Hill in Ashford and on to Moose Meadow in Willington. The journey passes through a portal of time to enter an extraordinary expanse of wilderness. Here, it is possible to experience a world of natural beauty with a sense of wonder and to imagine the journey of Connecticut pioneers across a vast wilderness.
BLUE-BLAZED CONNECTICUT PATH
Rediscovering the route of the Old Connecticut Path lead to discovering the extraordinary blue-blazed trails of the Connecticut Forest & Park Association. The blue-blazed Natchaug and Nipmuck trails provide public access to places directly on or closely parallel to the Old Connecticut from Pine Hill to Westford Hill in Ashford. Following a stone wall lined cart path between Yale Forest and Natchaug State Forest downhill, the Natchaug Trail traverses a deep wilderness, crossing streams, beaver dams, and ancient stone bridges to connect with the Nipmuck Trail. The Nipmuck Trail running downhill to the rustic bridge crossing Boston Hollow Brook follows the route of the Old Connecticut Path as mapped and described by the Chism brothers. The Old Connecticut Path diverges from the Nipmuck Trail, crossing over Grass Hill to "The Trail" monument. The Nipmuck Trail parallels the route of the Path across the Mount Hope River and uphill along Oakes Road to Westford Hill where they meet again before diverging once again.
The "blue-blazed" Natchaug and Nipmuck trails provide the way for people today to connect with the Path of Connecticut's pioneers and the majesty of the land that is open for all to enjoy today.
IF YOU POST IT, WILL THEY "LIKE"
I found that words and pictures alone were inadequate to tell the story of the special places found here that are part of the Old Connecticut Path found along the blue-blazed trails and the across Natchaug State forest. The "Natchaug Forest Crossing" video follows the Old Connecticut Path along the route described by Charles and David Chism across the Natchaug State Forest from their homestead on Pine Hill, over the Boston Hollow Brook and up Grass Hill to the Old Connecticut Path monument on RT 89 in Westford, CT. To view the video, click on the picture (left) or the link http://youtu.be/WyZJe_BzxVI
The response to the "Natchaug Forest Crossing" video and others along the Path posted on YouTube (see links below) was beyond my wildest dreams. What started as one person walking the Old Connecticut Path has aroused the interest of people from across the US, Canada, England and more than 30 other countries. Old Connecticut Path videos had more than 9,000 viewings and the web site received more than 15,000 visits during 2013. Who knew that the story would connect with so many people?
Rediscovering the Old Connecticut Path and sharing the story has moved beyond connection with the land crossed by the Path. It has opened the door to direct connection with people, those whose ancestors came down to Connecticut long ago, and those who see history as the story of people. And, people near and far want to come to experience the Path for themselves. The story of the Path brought more than 80 people of all ages to step back in time to the world of the Connecticut's pioneers during the "Walktober" 2013 interpretive walk along the Old Connecticut Path sponsored by the Ashford Conservation Commission and Last Green Valley. (photo below)
CFPA CONNECTICUT PATH CONNECTIONS
While the oral traditions and histories of the towns provided directions for rediscovering the route of the Path, our age of social media brought forth stories of the Path shared by landowners across Eastford and Ashford showing a connection that lives to this day. Response to the Old Connecticut Path web page, YouTube videos, Facebook page has come from people who treasure the places in their lives connected with the Path. Among the many who have shared their connection to the Old Connecticut are two long time Connecticut Forest and Park members.
Steve Broderick, CFP Forester & Program Director, recalled the prior owner of his land in Eastford and Woodstock, UCONN Professor of Forestry Edgar Wyman passed the story of the Path to him when he bought the land. Wyman's grandfather purchased the land in 1877 and the family held onto to the land for three generations. The story Wyman heard from his grandfather was of an ancient stone bridge, not wide enough for a cart, that stood on a small stream on his land near Crystal Pond was part of the path followed by Thomas Hooker. Steve is now working with the Camp Nahaco Commission and Eastford Conservation & Historic Preservation Commission to share the site as part of a historic interpretive trail along Crystal Pond.
Ruth Cutler, CFP Board Member, shared her family connection with the Path and Thomas Hooker. Ruth lives along the Old Connecticut Path on Westford Hill in Ashford . Ruth also photographed runners on the Old Connecticut Path during the Nipmuck Marathon as they crossed Boston Hollow Brook (right). Ruth's advocacy for connecting people with the heritage of the Old Connecticut Path and beauty of the land opened the way for sharing the story of the Path with CFP, heritage and conservation groups, land trusts, and community groups.
I have been heartened by the stories of that so many people have shared about their connection with the Old Connecticut Path.
KEEPERS OF THE PATH
The story of the Path has not vanished. There is still a connection to the Path, the places along the Path, and the powerful story of the pioneers who came through the wilderness to Connecticut. Connecticut Forest and Park Association has a special role in connecting people with the Old Connecticut Path through its blue-blazed trails. The Natchaug and Nipmuck Trails in Ashford along with the Shenipsit Trail in Tolland and Vernon provide places to enter the woodland world along the Old Connecticut Path as it might have been experienced by Connecticut's pioneers.
Walking the blue-blazed trails and meeting trail volunteers along the way, I feel a deeper appreciation for the work of volunteers whose dedication ensures that places along the Path are accessible for all who wish to enter. Natchaug Trail steward Bob Schoff exclaimed "That's my trail!" as he shook my hand on meeting for the first time. His pride in the Natchaug Trail was like that a proud parent. Nipmuck Trail steward, "Nipmuck" Dave Racczowski, expressed his pride that the Nipmuck trail he cares for is also a piece of the Old Connecticut Path, and that the Nipmuck Marathon, that he coordinates, brings runners to the Path each year as they run uphill from Boston Hollow Brook. The commitment of CFP trail volunteers like Bob, "Nipmuck" Dave and the many other "unsung" trail heroes clear the way for others to enter Connecticut's woodlands and find special places along the Path. I was honored to be invited by CFP Director Eric Hammerling to share the story of the Old Connecticut Path as part of the Connecticut Forest & Park' 2013 annual meeting and to meet the many members who share a commitment to conserving Connecticut's woodlands and the blue-blazed trails that they cherish.
Connecticut Forest & Park volunteers, members, and staff have lent their hands to reinvigorating the memory of the Path's past, reconnecting people with the Path today along the blue-blazed trails, and conserving the heritage of the land for future generations.
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