Israel Putnam Wolf Den

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Israel Putnam Wolf The
Mashamoquet Brook State Park
The grotto where Israel Putnam killed the last Connecticut wolf in 1742.

The grotto where Israel Putnam killed the last Connecticut wolf in 1742.

location Pomfret , Windham County (Connecticut) , USA
surface 3.6 km²
Geographical location 41 ° 51 '  N , 71 ° 59'  W Coordinates: 41 ° 50 '36 "  N , 71 ° 59' 4"  W
Israel Putnam Wolf Den (Connecticut)
Israel Putnam Wolf Den
Setup date 1914
administration Dept. of Energy & Environmental Protection, Connecticut State
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Israel Putnam Wolf Den is a historic site in Mashamoquet Brook State Park , a state park in the US state of Connecticut in the area of ​​the municipality of Pomfret . It was here that Israel Putnam shot and killed Connecticut's last known wolf in 1742. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 . The park covers 3.6 km² (900 acres) and offers two campsites, hiking, fishing, picnicking and swimming.

Surname

The area originally belonged to the territory of the chief Uncas of the Mohegan . The name Mashamoquet means "river where you can fish well".

geography

The park area extends from north to south over approx. 4 km. Three larger parcels are connected by relatively narrow parcels. The large parcels are partly headwaters of various streams: Mashamoquet Brook with the branch Sap Tree Brook defines the northern area of ​​the park. It rises further north and still has some tributaries. The Marcy Blacksmith Museum ( ⊙ ) is also located at Mashamoquet Brook . The middle part of the park is divided by the Wolf Den Brook with several source streams. Finally, the southern part is traversed by Blackwell Brook with its source streams (including Harris Brook and Sandy Brook ). Here is also the Barrett Ridge and small lakes that drain to Wolf Den Brook . Near the Wolf Den are the Table Rock and Indian Chair rock formations .

history

The park was established in 1914. For this purpose, three previously existing pieces of land (Mashamoquet Brook, Wolf Den and Saptree Run) were combined, some of which had already been acquired in 1899 by the Daughters of the American Revolution . Further parcels were donated by Sarah Fay and others. A flour mill, a cider mill and a wagon factory used to be operated in the park area. The Mühlendamm was destroyed by flooding in 1938. Today the mill is operated as a museum by the Pomfret Historical Society .

Legend

Israel Putnam tells of the hunt for the wolf.

Legend has it that Putnam, along with others, chased a wolf to the grotto that killed 70 sheep on his farm. Putnam crawled into the grotto by torchlight and shot the wolf. Then he let himself be pulled out of the cave on a rope while he pulled the wolf behind him. This legend is reproduced in the biography of David Humphrey (1788). Even if the story has been embellished with the years, the main points are likely to be historical. This episode occurred at the beginning of Putnam's career. He later became known as an officer in the French and Indian War and the American War of Independence .

The grotto

The grotto, a natural chasm in a gneiss cliff, leads approximately 6.5 m (20 ft) into the rock. There may also have been a small chamber, but dirt and debris filled it up. The grotto is still in the same condition as it was when the legend was recorded. Today it's accessible via a hiking trail that starts in Mashamoquet Brook State Park on Wolf Den drive .

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey.
  2. ^ State Parks and Forests : Funding, Recruiting, and Referrals. (PDF)
  3. ^ Jill Knight Weinberger: Touring the Quiet Corner . In: The New York Times , June 2, 2002. Retrieved February 26, 2009. 
  4. ^ Israel Putnam . In: Connecticut Military History . Connecticut Military Department. January 29, 2004. Retrieved February 26, 2009.
  5. ↑ Mashamoquet Brook State Park . In: State Parks and Forests . Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
  6. ↑ a b Bruce Clouette, Matthew Roth: National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Israel Putnam Wolf Den (PDF) National Park Service . November 1, 1984. Retrieved February 7, 2015. Photos

Web links

Commons : Category: Israel Putnam Wolf Den  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files