Farmington Canal State Park Trail

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Farmington Canal State Park Trail
The restored lock "Lock 12"

The restored lock "Lock 12"

location Cheshire , Hamden , New Haven County , USA
Geographical location 41 ° 29 ′  N , 72 ° 55 ′  W Coordinates: 41 ° 28 ′ 42 "  N , 72 ° 55 ′ 17"  W
Farmington Canal State Park Trail, Connecticut
Farmington Canal State Park Trail
Setup date 1994
administration Dept. of Energy & Environmental Protection, Connecticut State
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Farmington Canal State Park Trail is a state park in the US state of Connecticut in the area of ​​the parishes of Cheshire and Hamden . As a green route, it forms the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail . Originally a path used by the Indians, the colonists turned it into a road, then built it as a canal from 1825 and later a railway line ran along this route, which was in operation until 1980.

history

The route was already used by the Indians of the Quinnipiac tribes as a connecting route. The colonists expanded the route in the 17th century, and in 1822 a canal was planned to provide a waterway for transportation to relieve the heavy traffic in Hartford. The project began on July 4, 1825, and the first section opened in 1828. Connecticut entered the era of the "National Canal Craze" and a new era of traffic. The tapping ceremony was kept simple, but Connecticut Governor Oliver Wolcott, Jr. had the honor of breaking the first sod. The spade broke, which was viewed as a bad omen . As early as 1836, the Farmington and Hampshire Canal Companies were deeply in debt and transferred their ownership to the New Haven-Northampton Company . In 1847, investors asked the state for permission to build a railway line on the route. This was operated until the 1980s. The Farmington Valley Trails Council was formed in 1992 to preserve the canal and turn it into a park. The built-up area of ​​the trail runs 5.5 mi (8.9 km) from Cornwall Street in Cheshire in the north-south to Todd Street in Hamden and includes the historic Lock 12 of the Farmington Canal on Brooksvale Road in Cheshire ( ⊙ ). The paved path is open to hikers, cyclists, inline skaters, and skiers.

Originally the canal began at Long Wharf in New Haven and ran to the Congamnond Ponds , about 56 miles (90 km) further north in Massachusetts . The canal had 28 locks, each 90 ft (27 m) long and 12 ft (3.7 m) wide. This enabled the height differences from New Haven to Massachusetts to be overcome. The first stretch in New Haven (1.25 mile / 2 km) had brick walls, but the rest of the canal was a mere 4 ft (1.2 m) deep trench that a shallow canal boat could travel on. Leary writes that the canal was "undoubtedly Connecticut's greatest feat of engineering prior to the railroads." The first section opened in 1828 and mules pulled the boats on the canal. However, completion was delayed until the end of the 1830s and the use was dependent on evaporation, because drought meant that individual sections had to be closed. But the surrounding industries took great advantage of the canal.

When in 1836 the Farmington and Hampshire Companies were unable to pay their debts, they transferred ownership to the New Haven-Northampton Company (June 22, 1836). The property was dissolved and the debts were partially paid off. The reorganization resulted in a loss of $ 1 million for investors. In addition , a rival occurred with the New Haven Railroad , which ran between New Haven and Meriden . The shareholders asked the Connecticut General Assembly for permission to build a railway line in the canal bed. This application was approved and work on the line began in January 1847. Gugino writes that the lines to Plainville opened on January 18, 1848 and to Tariffville and Collinsville in 1850.

The railroad cost only $ 186,000.33 to build and took about a year to complete, unlike the canal that cost $ 1,089,425.10 and took over five years.

When the "railroad rights-of-way" were abolished in the 1980s and the railways ceased to operate, a "rails-to-trails" movement was formed in New England . The Farmington Valley Trails Council was founded in 1992 and endeavored to establish the park. The funds for this were provided by the administrations of the six cities and by federal funding from the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 . The 2.9 mile (4.7 km) line was opened on May 22, 1994.

Lock 12

Located on North Brooksvale Road in Cheshire is Lock 12 , the best-preserved relic of Connecticut's Canal Era. The Lock 12 Historical Park includes a gazebo, a picnic area and a museum. In the 1980s, the building at Lock 12 was donated to the Cheshire community by Raimon L. Beard, who also looked after the lock's maintenance. The museum shows tools and goods from this period. It opens by appointment.

free time activities

The Farmington Canal State Park Trail is split into two sections. The longer 5.5 mi (8.9 km) extends south from Cornwall Street in Cheshire to Todd Street in Hamden. At this end, the route meets Sleeping Giant State Park . The second section is an undeveloped 3.9 mi (6.3 km) trail in central Cheshire that extends from Connecticut Route 68 to Interstate 691 . While the trail is not yet complete, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection expects thousands to use the trail every day. It is free for "walkers, joggers, cyclists and skaters". As part of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail , the route is to form a longer route with three sections in Avon , Farmington and Simsbury , which are ultimately to be combined into one path.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey.
  2. ↑ a b c d Leary, Joseph: A Shared Landscape: A Guide & History of Connecticut's State Parks & Forests . Friends of the Connecticut State Parks, Inc., 2004, ISBN 0974662909 , pp. 25-26.
  3. ^ A b c G. M. Guignino: The Farmington Canal 1822-1847: An Attempt At Internal Improvement . Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  4. ^ US Geological Survey. The National Map
  5. ↑ "simply a ditch"
  6. ↑ "unquestionably Connecticut's foremost engineering feat before the advent of the railroads."
  7. ^ A b Farmington Canal State Park Trail . In: State Parks and Forests . Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
  8. ^ A b Grant, Ellsworth: The Ill-Fated Farmington Canal . CT Visit.com. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  9. ↑ "the debts were partially paid and subscribers bought stock in the amount of $ 120,184.92"
  10. ↑ "(t) he road opened to Plainville January 18th, 1848, to Tariffville January 19th, 1850, and to Collinsville, February 28th, 1850"
  11. ^ A b Farmington Valley Trails Council - History . Farmington Valley Trails Council. 2010. Archived from the original on May 13, 2014. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 30, 2014. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.fvgreenway.org
  12. ↑ a b Lock 12 Historical Park . Town of Cheshire. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  13. ↑ "best-preserved relic of Connecticut's canal era." Leary.
  14. ↑ a b Cheshire Land Trust . Cheshire Land Trust. June 25, 2013. Archived from the original on August 30, 2013. 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. Retrieved May 30, 2014. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.cheshirelandtrust.org
  15. ↑ "tools and implements of the canal era and wares manufactured in Cheshire during that time."
  16. ↑ "walkers, joggers, bicyclists and skaters." DEEP

Web links