Connecticut Boy Scouts set out in 1944 to follow in the footsteps of the pioneers who first came to Hartford, Windsor and Wethersfield along the Old Connecticut Path. The Scouts provided a narrative of their journey offering a view of the world that has been profoundly changed since their march 75 years ago.
Follow the Old Connecticut Path to find out, then go out to rediscover the trail for yourselves!
Watch as a greenway across northeast Connecticut unfolds this spring from Thompson to Hartford. The Connecticut Path Heritage Greenway will connect hiking trails with scenic & historic roads to form a corridor that follows/parallels the Old Connecticut Path. Discover the incredible places along the way preserved by state, town, conservation trusts, and private land holders where you can step back to the world of the pioneers!
The 1636 migration of the Newtown congregation lead by Rev.Thomas Hooker is part of the "DNA" of Connecticut history. The story has a special place on the east face of the Connecticut state capitol in Hartford looking out over the place where the congregation settled.
How could we walk the route today? Could we find a way to travel back in time to experience the woodlands and streams the pioneers walked along a greenway across Connecticut from Thompson to Hartford?
Today, West Thompson Lake flood control project and the Wyndham Land Trust's Bull Hill Preserve offer opportunities for exploration of the woodland and the Quinebaug River where the Old Connecticut Path crossed.
Ellen Larned's "Map of Ancient Windham County" (left) from 1874 shows the route of the Old Connecticut Path across Thompson. Larned's route is one of the possible ways that the Path began it's way across Connecticut. Exploration of the route (right) provides a guide to where the Path most likely traversed Thomspon and crossed Quinebaug River.
Brickyard Road comes down to the Quinebaug River. The meadow (left) was within the likely area of the Old Connecticut Path river crossing.
The meadow at Brickyard Road borders the "tamed" Quinebaug River (left). The wild river had multiple channels that spread across the meadow. Traces of the river's wild channels can be seen where trees grow (right) in the low spaces. Crossing the wild Quinebaug, before bridges, would have been easiest in places like this where the river's flow was spead amongst multiple smaller channels. Dangerous river crossings would be safest here with less risk of being swept away.
Auger Brook is a hidden gem along the Old Connecticut Path and future Connecticut Path Heritage Trail. Take a moment to get a taste of this beautiful place in the 2 minute video athttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJCCXtp7GAM
Auger Brook cascades into the Quinbaug River next to the Old Connecticut Path crossing. This is a short, 10 minute walk along a grassy path from Brickyard Road. There is an old saw mill and dam above the cascade and a beautiful overlook of the Quinebaug River below the falls. For directions, visithttps://sites.google.com/a/oldconnecticutpath.com/oldconnecticutpath/6-0-tours-walks-along-the-old-connecticut-path/ocp-walks-thompson-connecticut
The Quinebaug River widens and the current slows in the area where the Old Connecticut Path crossed. Where pioneers crossed, fly fishermen wade in the clear flowing stream.
A path along the far side of the Quinbaug near the place where the Old Connecticut Path crossed heads uphill towards the Thompson Woods.