Northwest Park's History of Preservation and Innovation

Northwest Park has had an interesting and often contrasting relationship with Windsor citizens, the land and industrial expansion. A glimpse of Northwest Park's history is a microcosm of Windsor's history.  Stephen Eric Simon does a tremendous job of sharing this history in his work Northwest Park History, which was published in January of 2001.

Today, we now see large tracts of land being bought up and developed into industrial parks, suburban home complexes or power plants.  Yet Northwest Park has proven the opposite.  After European settlers originally bought the land from the Podunk Indians that inhabited the area previously, some of the land was initially used for farming.  Most of this remained untouched, but by the early 1800's, Windsor citizens had begun to industrialize and cultivate this area. 

And it would soon become a center of local trade.  In the early part of the century, this area was home to a number of iron ore processing stacks.  Iron was one of Connecticut's largest industries during the 1800's.  Remnants of these "blast furnaces" are still visible throughout the park. Additionally, several dams, used to power mills, were built on the Rivulet River. We now know this waterway as the Farmington River. In 1803, one Roger Mills completed a flour dam named Rainbow Mills. But by the 1860's, these mills were being used to process paper from the nearby woods.  By the end of the century, the still standing Rainbow Dam was built to further power the existing mills.

But perhaps the most interesting industrial story is surrounding the section of Northwest Park named Oil City.  As the story goes, oil was seen on the rocks near the Rainbow Dam.  Soon enough, a drill promoter from Pennsylvania appeared in Windsor.  Myth has it that the promoter, whose name has been lost in time, brought a barrel of oil with him.  He proceeded to dump it on the rocks near the dam, and the next morning, gave a successful demonstration of the small, portable oil pump he had brought with him.  The townspeople were so impressed that they invested in the technology.  The next morning, the promoter was gone with the money.  Yet the name Oil City still sticks to this spot.

Furthermore, it is possible that Windsor's most profitable and most lasting industry got its start in the Northwest Park area.  Shade tobacco farming began in 1899 in response to increased competition from the Sumatra strand of tobacco.  In order to compete, Windsor growers sought to recreate the same conditions using the white tents.  Underneath the shade, these tents were able to hold humidity longer.  This process, started in the section of the park near River Street , can still be seen in parts of Windsor.

Yet perhaps most interesting thing about this area of Windsor is its contrasting relationship with the rest of the land.  During the past century, much of the Connecticut landscape has given way to suburbs, industrial parks and factories.  Despite this, Northwest Park has proven itself as a testament to the surprises that can still be found in nature.

In May of 1936, the Hartford Courant reported in "Flood Bares Huge Tracks of Dinosaurs" that evidence of dinosaurs had been found in the Northwest Park area.  Two Windsor residents, Arnold Wheaton and Joseph Ploga, found dinosaur footprints while walking along the Rainbow Dam.  The then-recent flooding of 1936 had uncovered the tracks, but it wasn't until 1981 that the species had been identified. 

The Windsor Journal then reported in "Dinosaur Track at Rainbow Dam Identified"  that Stephen Simon, a UConn graduate who was working at the park, had worked with experts at Dinosaur State Park to identify the prints.  Their conclusion: a Coelophysis, a Triassic-period carnivor. This unique dinosaur was only 3 feet tall and weighed about 50 pounds. 

But the find in 1936 spurred public interest in preserving the once robust industrial land.  The first proposal for the formation of Northwest Park came in 1953.  Largely, the town's land acquisition has been a layering process.  Distinct parcels of land have been added on over the past few decades. 

The most prominent step took place in 1971 when the Windsor Citizens Advisory Committee supported taking proactive action.  They advised the town council that "Immediate steps should be made to purchase the Northwest Park site lands, taking advantage of state and federal funding.  All efforts should be made to make the entire parcel contiguous." 

Over the following decades, the town sought to do just that.  But in 1981, the town funds for buying up the park's various provisions fell through.  A group of concerned citizens then formed the "Friends of the Northwest Park". They organized fundraising events and provided private funding to help achieve the goal of contiguous park.  This group has shaped the park into what it is today - a place where the wonders of nature and the thrills of tight-knit community are able to come together.

Since its preservation, several hundred different species of animals and plants now call this place home.  This includes several endangered species, including Cooper and Red-Shouldered Hawks the American Kestral, Northern leopard frogs, Savannah sparrows and others.  The park now sponsors several events that revolve around the area's rejuvenated nature.  Nature walks and summer camps are held here; as are hikes sponsored by such groups as the East of the River Appalachian Mountain Club and several local nature clubs.  It also plays host to cultural events such as battle reenactments and the newly formed "Coffeehouse Concerts", a series of folk and bluegrass concerts.

But Grant Pielli encompasses the park's successful history with much more gusto: "Through the quiet recesses of woodland that once belonged to Poquonock Indians run the trails of Windsor's Northwest Park.  Under a nearly unbroken canopy of leaves, they make their sinuous way past oaks pines and plush fern, here mounting a bed of needles, there striking a glacial erratic rock that sits with millennial patience on the brink of a bygone tobacco field."

This article was written utilizing resources provided by The Windsor Historical Society. The Windsor Historical Society staff was not involved in the fact checking process of this article. Any opinions within this column do not reflect the viewpoints of The Windsor Historical Society or its staff. You can visit the Windsor Historical Society at www.WindsorHistoricalSocety.org.