The Mainstream of Connecticut:
The Many Roles of the Connecticut River

A Changing Face

The works of man have altered the appearance of the river and its valley at different times and places. Over time urban, industrial and residential development largely replaced traditional forest and agricultural activities, while in recent years the recreational potential of the river has been recognized.

< Joseph Ropes captured the changing face of the river in this drawing of Hartford’s Dutch Point area. The steam-powered saw mill, pictured at center, was supplied by rafts of timber floated downstream from Vermont and New Hampshire. Just visible in the right distance is part of the covered wooden bridge that linked Hartford with towns to the east from 1818 to 1895.

Seymour Paper Mill
Windsor Locks, 1880s
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< Industrial complexes began to line parts of the river in the 19th century. Waterpower, and later steam power, spurred industrial growth at many points along the Connecticut. This mill sits between the river in the distance and the canal built in the 1820s to allow shallow draft vessels to bypass a series of rapids.

Camp Bethel
Tylerville, ca. 1906
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< In addition to recreational boating activities of all kinds, the Connecticut River Valley has provided plenty of sites for camping and other leisure pursuits. This early 20th century view of Camp Bethel in the Tylerville section of Haddam shows the tracks of the Valley Railroad, which provided vacationers access to many points along the river between Hartford and Old Saybrook.

< Nestled among the heavily forested hills of the lower valley is a symbol of 20th century technology, a nuclear power plant. Like its fossil fuel cousins upstream, the Haddam Neck station tapped the Connecticut River for cooling water. The station, now closed, is carefully being dismantled.

Link to other essays in this Journey:

>> The Mainstream of Connecticut: The Many Roles
     of the Connecticut River
>> A Flowing Highway
>> A Water Barrier
>> A Natural Bounty
>> A Mind of Its Own

>> Guideposts
>> Suggestions for further reading