http://www.dougsimpson.com/river/ Doug Simpson's web log of the geography, culture and people of the Connecticut River Valley. en-us 2005-06-16T04:34:28-05:00 http://www.dougsimpson.com/river/archives/000416.html Digital Deerfield 1704: A new perspective on the French and Indian Wars by Lynne Spichiger and Chris Sturm http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue10_6/spichiger/ Abstract: In February 2003, on the 300th anniversary of the raid on Deerfield, the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association and the Memorial... Colonial Era dougsimpson 2005-06-16T04:34:28-05:00 http://www.dougsimpson.com/river/archives/000372.html A contemporary of Adams and Washington, Silas Deane (Yale 1758) came to the bar in Hartford in 1761 and settled in Wethersfield. During the Revolution, he served in the first Continental Congress and went to France where he recruited Lafayette.... U.S. Revolution dougsimpson 2005-02-06T18:01:31-05:00 http://www.dougsimpson.com/river/archives/000299.html 1815: the brig Commerce sailed down the Connecticut River and across the Atlantic. Wrecked on the coast of Africa, its captain and crew were captured, enslaved by nomads and forced across 800 miles of the Sahara Desert. 13 survived, including... Maritime History dougsimpson 2004-03-20T10:16:06-05:00 http://www.dougsimpson.com/river/archives/000294.html From 17th Century New England emerged a distinctive style of furniture manufacture. The community of crafters in Windsor, Wethersfield and other early setlements along the Connecticut River took advantage of virgin hardwood forests, plentiful waterpower and the shortage of furniture... Social Networks dougsimpson 2004-03-18T08:56:40-05:00 http://www.dougsimpson.com/river/archives/000276.html Restoration of bald eagles to the Connecticut River was celebrated at the Audubon Eagle Festival at Essex on Feb. 12. As many as 80 birds have been spotted on cruises of the lower river, which has "the largest concentration of... Wildlife dougsimpson 2004-02-23T12:59:18-05:00 http://www.dougsimpson.com/river/archives/000203.html The American River celebrates views of the Connecticut and other rivers selected by nationally recognized curators. On display until January 4, 2004 at the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, Connecticut, will be 50 works of art juried by Carl... Arts dougsimpson 2003-11-24T05:46:55-05:00 http://www.dougsimpson.com/river/archives/000170.html 1633: the Dutch sent Jacob van Curler up the river to establish a fort near the head of navigation. They called it "Huys de Hoop" - Fort Hope, or the House of Hope. The tiny garrison could not stop English... Hartford dougsimpson 2003-10-15T15:07:16-05:00 http://www.dougsimpson.com/river/archives/000129.html What happens when "The Perfect Storm" does not miss the shore? On this date 65 years ago, The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 struck without warning from meteorologists, an event that has been described as the most destructive natural... Weather and Climate dougsimpson 2003-09-21T10:34:15-05:00 http://www.dougsimpson.com/river/archives/000103.html Bill Clede, journalist and former police officer, takes us on a word tour of the Connecticut river in the way Adrian Block might have in 1614. As Clede tells us: "It's the only major river of the world without a... Boating & Swimming dougsimpson 2003-09-06T09:15:15-05:00 http://www.dougsimpson.com/river/archives/000099.html Katharine Houghton Hepburn was born on the Connecticut River, at Hartford, May 12, 1907. She died in her home at the river's mouth, in the Borough of Fenwick, Old Saybrook, on June 29, 2003. Her family's summer home is right... Arts dougsimpson 2003-09-04T12:36:44-05:00 http://www.dougsimpson.com/river/archives/000054.html Connecticut's traprock formations shape the course of tributaries of the ancient river. One is the Farmington River, which winds down from Massachusetts into the bottom lands to the west of the Metacomet Ridge. Part of the ridge is Talcott Mountain,... Hiking & Camping dougsimpson 2003-08-09T10:00:00-05:00 http://www.dougsimpson.com/river/archives/000055.html Metacomet Ridge, which shapes the flow of the Connecticut River, has been called The Great Wall. It neatly separated the commerce and transportation of Hartford and New Haven with a wall of igneous "traprock" running from Branford, CT to Northhampton,... Geology dougsimpson 2003-08-09T07:15:02-05:00 http://www.dougsimpson.com/river/archives/000020.html Thursday turned out to be the day to be safety officer for 6 teens climbing in Sleeping Giant State Park in Hamden, CT. Two miles of mountaintop resembling a sleeping giant give this park its name, and make it a... Geology dougsimpson 2003-06-15T17:05:47-05:00 http://www.dougsimpson.com/river/archives/000015.html Glacial Lake Hitchcock, at places 20 miles wide, stretched from Rocky Hill, CT to Keene, NH 15,000 years ago, then drained, forming the foundation for the modern culture of the Connecticut River Valley Geology dougsimpson 2003-06-11T05:13:16-05:00