The River That Connects Us

Created over millions of years by nature’s greatest forces, the Connecticut Valley is rich in essential resources. The Central Valley is fertile: trees cover the hillsides, stone lay deep in the earth and along the fall line swift streams tumble over waterfalls. As people harvest these resources to make a life for their families, they use the Connecticut River to move products to markets around the globe. The River itself is a great resource, for transportation, for recreation and for inspiration. The River That Connects Us illustrates the River’s environmental impact and its importance to our heritage and to our future.

This exhibit was made possible in part by the Connecticut Humanities Council.

Bountiful River

The "Bountiful River" section focuses on fisheries & people who made a living from guiding, hunting, fishing on the River.
Blue Water Mariners

The Blue Water Mariners section focuses on the men who captained the vessels built along the River. The visitor is enjoying the portrait of Captain Spencer and his wife.
The Continental Frigate Trumbull by artist Victor Mays (1927-2015)

This is a watercolor of the building of the Continental Frigate Trumbull by artist Victor Mays (1927-2015). It is located in The River that Connects Us exhibit and speaks to the shipbuilding tradition along the Connecticut River.
James Miller Hand Drawn Plans

The James Miller was built in 1856 by Essex shipbuilder Nehemiah Hayden.
Osprey

Osprey is a 1908 steam launch owned by the Connecticut River Museum. It is an on-water educational boat often docked at the Museum during the summer months. It was not built or operated on the River but is representative of the many steam launches that were on the Connecticut River during the early 20th century.
Stone

The Connecticut River valley contains abundant stone resources formed over millions of years by continental drift, volcanoes, and glaciers. Native Americans used stone for tools and implements. Early Europeans settled, cleared the land, and used stone in the construction of stone walls, chimneys and foundations. Enterprising Middletown residents extracted lead, silver and feldspar from small hand-dug mines and quarries. The heyday of quarrying peaked from 1880s through the first two decades of the twentieth century when architectural styles demanded elaborate stone facades. Hundreds of immigrants found employment in Connecticut River Valley towns, such as Glastonbury, Middletown, and Portland. Schooners took the quarried granite and brownstone downriver and eventually to cities all over the northeast and as far as San Francisco. By the 1930s the quarries were in decline, and the Flood of 1936 put an end to many quarry businesses.
Timber

Invented by David Bushnell in Old Saybrook in 1776, the first submarine – the Turtle – was employed against the British in New York harbor during the American Revolutionary War. The Connecticut River Museum owns a fully interactive replica which allows visitors to climb in and experience a virtual dive into history. Crank the cranks, pedal the pedals and strike a blow for liberty! The museum also owns a replica Turtle that has done water trials.
Blue Water Mariners

Captain George D. Morrison (1842-1904) of Deep River, CT was born in Canada. He came to the United States before the Civil War. In 1898 he took the ship Vigilant on her last voyage supplying coal for Admiral Dewey in the Philippines. He had a distinguished career in the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company, pioneering courses through the Straits of Magellan. Morrison Basin, in the Straits of Magellan is named for him. One of the greatest assets to any region is its people. Along the lower Connecticut River Valley, men and boys went to sea on ships built in local shipyards. Many became captains of vessels bound for European ports. Other sailors ventured to exotic ports in South America, Australia, and even China. Local mariners opened new markets with Southern U.S. cities Mobile, Alabama and Galveston, Texas. These shipmasters carried the flag to ports all over the globe and brought home wealth and experience. When their seagoing days were over they provided leadership and investment for new local enterprises. “When ships are made of wood and men of iron…” – Maritime Historian, Tom Stevens
Water Power

The steady supply of water provided ideal conditions for the location of small wood and grist mills. The power harnessed from the River and its tributaries fostered New England’s industrial growth. But the mid-19th century, expanding factories and mills needed laborers and immigrants rushed to river towns for jobs. Entrepreneurs and investors altered the River in order to make use of it. Dams were built for regulating water flow or for generating power. Canals were built for safer industrial access between the River and factories. These River factories and mills manufactured items as diverse as guns, paper, organs, cutlery, hardware, and tools.
The Land

During the 18th and early 19th century, family farms flourished as crops fed livestock and communities in addition to providing goods -onions, grains, lumber and shoes – for the bustling West Indies Trade. The River provided a means of transportation and a way of harnessing power to operate mills. By the mid-19th century, America was changing and so too was life along the River. Industrialization came to mill towns offering more opportunities for jobs than the family farm provided. Farmers now specialized in crops that appealed to a regional market or the costal trade. The production of tobacco, hay, fruits, vegetables, and dairy products flourished.
Recreation

The Connecticut River has offered opportunities for work but it has also provided pleasurable pursuits. As railroads and highways overtook sail and steam in the movement of people and cargo, the River saw a rise in pleasure boating. The industrial age gave Americans more leisure time and many flocked to the waterfronts along the River. Racing competitions became fashionable affairs and boat builders and yacht designers found work creating both large and small sailing craft. Canoe clubs flourished, and with the introduction of power boats, a whole new group of people were attracted to the water. Pleasure boating has become an industry that still continues to draw adventurers to the Connecticut River.
Environmental Impact

For over three centuries, people used the River as a never ending resource to solve their problems. Mills and factories used its power but also dumped their waste in it. Cities and towns released their sewers and drainage overflows directly into the River. Pesticides, fertilizers, and detergents drained into the River from the land. By the mid-twentieth century, the river was, by all definitions, an industrial waterway – an open sewer. Throughout the twentieth century, there were attempts to curb the most blatant of industrial pollution by enacting laws to regulate the amount and kinds of waste dumped into the River. In 1955, most of the River was classified as a Class D waterway (suitable for “transportation of sewage and industrial wastes without nuisance and for power, navigation, and certain industrial uses”). In December of 1963, Connecticut Senator, Abraham Ribicoff spoke at a conference on the Pollution of the Interstate Waters of the Connecticut River saying, “It shocks and revolts me to learn that where the Connecticut River crosses the State line, the water is so foul that a single drop has a bacteria count of at least 26 – bacteria that originated in Massachusetts. That is 315 times greater than the bacteriological standard used by Connecticut in approved bathing sites on the River in our State. It is time we do something about this! It is time for all units of government – local, State, and Federal – to work with industry and the public toward the day when we can view the Connecticut River once again with pride and make this great resource once again available to all out citizens.” In 1972, with the passing of the Clean Water Act, the environmental movement began to bring awareness to all. Individuals became engaged in helping to improve the River. Due to their efforts, the Connecticut River is now classified as a Class B River and named a National Heritage River – one of only fourteen rivers so designated in the United States.