Devil's Den Preserve
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Lucius Pond Ordway Devil's Den Preserve
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| location | Weston , Redding , Fairfield County (Connecticut) , USA | |
| surface | 7.07 km² | |
| Geographical location | 41 ° 14 ′ N , 73 ° 24 ′ W | |
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| Setup date | 1966 | |
| administration | Nature Conservancy, Connecticut | |
The Lucius Pond Ordway Devil's Den Preserve in Weston and Redding , Connecticut , is the largest reservation in Fairfield County , Connecticut , at 7.07 km² (1746 acres ) making it one of the larger reservations in the New York Metropolitan Area . The name of the reserve is based on local legends. The charcoal burners in the hilly, rocky area claimed that the hoof-shaped mark in one of the boulders was a devil's hoof print . Devil's Den is the most-visited reserve run by the Connecticut Nature Conservancy , with 40,000 visitors annually. The entrance is on Pent Road in Weston. The park is open from sunrise to sunset.
The New Canaan Nature Center organizes guided hikes and offers special offers. The reserve has hiking trails totaling 32 km in length. Maps are available from the Pent Road car park . The hiking trails connect to the " Saugatuck Valley Trails System " (110 km).
geography
The reserve belongs to the catchment area of the western Saugatuck River . Some streams flow from the area to this western branch, some of which arise in the park itself, e.g. B. Ambler Brook (with Sap Brook ) and the Godfrey Brook , which itself has a whole swarm of tributaries: among others, nameless Perry Brook and Mangold Brook . The streams run largely from north to south. The Ambler Brook to the west forms a small gorge and there is a sawmill at Godfrey Brook . Just before this stream leaves the park, it forms Godfrey Pond . Some ridges have lookouts: Cedar Cliff , Great Ledge , Deer Knoll , Katharine Hill, and others. The Brinkenhoff Preserve connects to the north .
nature
The flora and fauna in the reserve boast more than 500 species of trees and plants, such as: B. pink Lady's slipper , Cardinal flower , and Indian pipe . Animals like bobcat , coyote , eastern copperhead snake and more than 140 species of birds can be observed, such as B. Wood duck , Ruffed grouse , Pileated woodpecker .
history
Traces of human settlement up to 3000 BC can be found in the area. (Mainly remains of hunting weapons). In the 19th century there was a sawmill, which testifies to the charcoal burning and wood industry in the area. On April 25-27 April 1777, it is said, residents of Redding and Weston hid in Devil's Den to avoid being pillaged by a British force that moved north from Long Island Sound to destroy a military supply depot in Danbury, Connecticut .
The park itself was founded by Katharine Ordway, who acquired 1,100 acres of land from Bridgeport Hydraulic Company in 1966 and added more land in 1968.
See also
Individual evidence
- ^ Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey.
- ^ State Parks and Forests : Funding, Recruiting, and Referrals. (PDF)
- ↑ "100 Things to Do for Kids", supplement to the March 20, 2003 Darien Times . P. 5
- ↑ a b c d Lucius Pond Ordway / Devil's Den Preserve ( Memento of the original from December 14, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on the Connecticut Nature Conservancy website.
- ↑ http://allthingsliberty.com/2013/07/taking-to-devils-den/ Prince, Cathryn, "Taking to Devil's Den," Journal of the American Revolution, July 11, 2013
