Can you guess how much the city paid for the original 100 acres of bates woods in 1912? 

In 1912, the City of New London paid $8000 for the original 100 acres of Bates Woods Park which, as you can see in The Day article below, was planned to be "one of the most attractive pieces of parkland you can find anywhere in the country!"

What else could you buy for $8000? Almost half of a year of in-state tuition at UConn! A used car! Ten new computers for a school classroom! 80 pairs of sneakers! One day’s wages for 20 people working to build a nature trail!