CHAPTER I. PHYSICAL HISTORY. LOCATION; BOUNDARIES; FACE of the Country; HILLS AND MOUNTAINS; RIVERS, STREAMS AND CASCADES; GEOLOGY; MINERALOGY; FOREST TREES AND FRUITS; SOIL AND PRODUCTIONS; CLIMATE; WILD ANIMALS; CAPABILITIES, &C. THE ancient town of Woodbury possessed very extended limits, and for many years after its settlement was one of the largest and most important of the towns in the western part of the Colony of Connecticut. It was about fifteen miles in length from north to south, and about ten miles in width. It was bounded on the north by Bantam, (Litchfield,) east by Mattatuck, (Waterbury,) south by the Pootatuck (Housatonic) River, and west by Weantinogue, (New Milford. It is watered on the south-east by the Eight Mile Brook, taking its rise in Quassapaug Lake, a beautiful sheet of water lying in its eastern limits. Through the center of the territory from north to south, runs the Pomperaug River, receiving as tributaries the East Sprain' from the north-east, North Sprain from the north, West Sprain from the north-west, and further on in its course the Hesky Meadow and Transylvania mill streams. On the west, through the whole length of the town, flows the Shepaug River, taking its rise in Bantam Lake, in Litchfield. The three principal streams mentioned above, empty into the Pootatuck River. This river is now called the Housatonic, but its earlier and more appropriate name was the Pootatuck, from the tribe or clan of Indians which had its principal village on the northern side of the river, about two miles above Bennett's Bridge. The present town of Woodbury is situated in Litchfield county, Connecticut, near the center of the ancient territory, in latitude 41° 33′ N. and longitude 73° 14′ W. It is on the southern border of 1 Erroneously spelled Sprane in the accompanying map. the county, adjoining New Haven county, twenty-five miles from New Haven, thirty-six from Hartford, and ninety from New York. The central village is pleasantly situated in a level and extended valley on the Pomperaug, near the confluence of the small streams which form that river. It is surrounded on every side by high hills, forming a kind of amphitheater. Beautiful walks and drives abound in every direction. The hill lying immediately east of the main street, known as the Orenaug1 Rocks, is of considerable elevation, and on its southern descent, fronting the west, the rocks descend perpendicularly, presenting a front similar to those of the East and West Rocks, near New Haven, though upon a much smaller scale. The same is true of the eastern side of this range of rocks. They give the landscape a bold outline as one enters the village, while from their summit a most delightful view toward the west is obtained. On the eastern side of Orenaug is Bethel Rock, of which more will be said hereafter. South of the village, on the west of the Pomperaug, Castle Rock, said to have been the location of the fort of the chief from whom the river takes its name, rears its hoary head. These cliffs are all of the trap formation, and are particularly described by Percival, in his Geological Account of Connecticut, as follows, viz. "The trap in this formation forms only a single range, presenting in its whole extent, a well marked curvature, and divided by cross valleys, into three distinct sections, succeeding each other in receding order. Of these the southern extends from the south-east point of the range, to a pass crossing the latter at the road from Southbury to Roxbury; the middle extends from that pass to the Pomperaug, south of Woodbury village; while the northern includes all the remaining portion of the range. The curve of this range is apparently formed, throughout a great part of its extent, by a series of parallel ridges, overlapping each other in a greater or less degree, and arranged, toward the opposite extremities in reverse order; namely, in advancing order toward the southern, and in receding order toward the northern extremity. This arrangement is most remarkable at the two extremities of the range; its middle portion, for some distance, presenting only a single line of elevations, nearly in continued order. Apparently, the small extent of the basin has, as it were, compressed the range, particularly at its extremities, and thus prevented its extension into a long continued ridge, or the formation of a gradual curve. The range at its southern extremity, presents an abrupt front to the south, formed by the points of its parallel ridges, and recedes back, toward the north at its south-east point, where it approaches very near the eastern border of the basin. The larger ridges, at this southern extremity, toward its south-west 1 In the map Orensug is a misprint for the above. point, present each, two distinct ranges, separated by a band of friable red shale, with beds of bituminous shale and limestone, containing fish impressions. The eastern and higher of these ranges, consists of compact, crystalline trap; the lower western, of a porous amygdaloid. The latter, in the most western of these ridges, is underlaid by sandstone, and the same rock occurs, at the south points of the more posterior ridges, between the amygdaloidal range, and the trap range of the more anterior ridge. This arrangement in the different ridges, corresponds very exactly with that along the west front of the eastern line of elevation, in the southern basin of the larger secondary formation. The main trap range, in its southern section, and the south part of its middle section, is bordered on the east by an apparently distinct range of a very porous chloritic and decomposable amygdaloid, forming a series of low, rounded swells, generally covered with the rock in small fragments. This latter range is accompanied, at least toward the south-east point, by a bituminous shale and limestone, recently excavated for coal. Similar excavations have been made in the bands of the shale at the south-west extremity of the main range. "The northern section rises, in strong receding order, east of the Pomperaug, in the south part of Woodbury village, and extends N. N. E. in a group of parallel ridges, east of that village, so arranged as to present at their northern extremity, a distinctly curved outline, convex to the north. These ridges rise in low points toward the south, and attain their greatest elevation toward the north. This group may be considered as divided into two parallel sections by a deep valley opening north and south; the eastern being projected rather further north than the western. Each of these sections presents a middle, higher ridge, composed of a more compact crystalline trap, and two lower lateral ridges, composed of a more amygdaloidal trap, abounding at different points in prehnite and agates. On the east this group approaches very near the primary, being separated only by a narrow valley, at one point of which, the primary and trap rocks are nearly in contact.” Besides the Quassapaug Lake before mentioned, which is of considerable extent, is a small artificial pond, called Bacon's Pond, covering some six or eight acres of land at the north end of the rocks above described, in a quiet, sequestered spot, where one, wearied with the cares of life, can well beguile a leisure hour. At the north end of East Meadow is a beautiful cascade, called the Quanopaug Falls, where a considerable stream of the same name falls some twenty feet over a projecting ledge of rocks. is also known by the name of East Meadow Brook. It is a lovely, This stream sylvan retreat, embosomed among the sturdy giants of the forest. Fair stream! thou call'st me from the busy cares With which I am surrounded, and bid'st me For the time forget this fleeting life is Full of evil. Thou makest me forget That all is not as bright and beautiful As thine own fairy form, whilst thou in haste, On the East Sprain, near the north-east corner of the town, are the Nonnewaug Falls, which are a succession of cascades, three in number, in an exceedingly romantic and beautiful dell. The whole descent must be from forty to fifty feet. At a short distance below these falls, near an apple-tree, beneath his stately hillock, repose the remains of Nonnewaug. The murmurs of the falling waters, and the evergreens which surround the falls, whisper a perpetual requiem over the sleeping chieftain, and the silent braves around him. A large part of the present town of Washington is elevated and mountainous. There is in Judea Society, as it is called, about two miles south-west of the center, a place called "Steep Rock." The ascent to this eminence from the north is easy, and from its top, the spectator has one of the most interesting and lovely prospects in the State. The scene presents at the south, an area in the form of an amphitheater, the sides of which are covered with the primeval forest. The Shepaug River is seen flowing in a beautiful circle at the base of the bluff, inclosing in its curve, cultivated fields, the whole scene furnishing to the admiring beholder, one of the finest landscapes in nature. Nature has done much for this part of the old town. Iron ore has been found in several places. Ocher, fuller's earth, and white clay have also been found. Limestone abounds in many of its valleys, and several quarries are worked, from which large quantities have been raised. The greater part of the latter, however, are not included within the limits of the ancient town. Percival gives the following description: "The great limestone valley extends from the north of Bethel, along the course of Still River, through Brookfield, to the Housatonic, at New Milford, whence it is continued through New Preston, to its north-east termination, near the Shepaug. The rock in this valley consists chiefly of white limestone, particularly toward its northern extremity, alternating with a light grey, generally even, striped micaceous gneiss, with large beds, in some parts, of a very coarse white granite, and with occasional beds of a light gray porphyritic rock, quite similar to that accompanying the limestone in the south section. The limestone in this valley is generally dolomitic, but beds of it occasionally occur of a purer carbonate of lime, one of which, in the north-east part of Danbury, has been lately wrought by Mr. L. S. Platt, for purposes of agriculture. Usually the limestone is fine-grained, partly very decomposable, and in part, harder and of a pure white, forming an elegant marble. The marble quarries of New Preston, near the north termination of the valley, have long been noted. A vein of galena has been worked to a small extent, in the limestone west of Still River, in Brookfield." A great variety of minerals is found in the ancient territory, but mostly in small quantities. In the present town of Woodbury, have been found in the trap range, agates of considerable beauty, though small in size; an abundance of balls and veins of prehnite, epidote, chalcedony, crystals of purple quartz, (amethyst,) and specimens of plumbago or black lead in small lumps, of a pure quality, in the Orenaug Rocks. In an excavation made some years ago, in search of gold, which proved fruitless, magnetic iron pyrites were found in a hornblendic gneiss, traversed by seams of epidote. The only deposit in the State, of sand well suited to the manufacture of plate and flint glass, and porcelain ware, is found on the shores of the Quassapaug Lake. It consists, almost exclusively, of quartz, the grains of which are colorless, transparent, and of great purity. In Bethlem, albite and galena are found. Washington is rich in its varieties. There have been discovered there, white copperas in Brown's Mountain, dyalogyte, triplite, gypsum, kyanite, mesotype, andalusite, spar, hornblende, botryoidal chalcedony, idocrase, garnet, magnetic iron, and large quantities of dolomite employed as marble. Some sixteen mills for slitting this into slabs have been erected, but are not all kept in constant operation. The average yield of the quarries per annum, in rough blocks, is between seven and eight thousand dollars; and nearly the same amount is derived to the mills and marble shops of the immediate vicinity, for preparing the marble for use.1 In Southbury, are found bitumen, calcareous spar, grayish black bituminous limestone, compact limestone containing ichthyolites, clayey marl, hydraulic limestone, kilns of which are occasionally burnt, radiated chlorite, prehnite, lymonite, purple quartz, chalcedony, opal, chrichtonite, mispickel and yellow copper pyrites. Slight traces of coal have been discovered in bituminous shales, in the trap region, but the coaly matter is compact bitumen. It ignites slowly, and burns without flame or odor. In Roxbury, are found mica, mica-slate, chrichtonite, blende, fine shestoze, gray granite, gneissoid flagging stone, galena and yellow copper pyrites. All these are found on and around Mine Hill. But far the most important and valuable mineral in the whole territory, which has hitherto been almost wholly unappreciated, is 1 Shepard's Geol. Survey of the State. |