THE HISTORY OF STRATFORD

Golden Hill Indians
The Housatonic
The Wepawaug
Cupheags and Pequannock
Weantinock
Goodyear's Island
Indian Slaves
Indian Remnants
Indian Troubles
New Indian Papers

THE HISTORY OF STRATFORD

Wm. Howard Wilcoxson

Stratford Indians

Trouble with the Indians

Establishing Title to the Land

Indian Deeds and Relics

White Hills Purchase

FORREST MORGAN

Lifestyles, Government, Religion and War

Indian Titles and Mohegan Land Troubles

Sowheag, Uncas, and Miantonomo

Owenoco, the Son of Uncas

THE HOUSATONIC

CHARD POWERS SMITH

The Promised Land
Heathen in the Land
The Lord's Scouts

The Land and The Lord

The Next Seven Tribes

ALEXANDER JOHNSTON

Connecticut Indian History

The Pequot War

Samuel Orcutt- The History of Stratford
The Housatonic

A careful review of the territory drained by the Housatonic and Naugatuck rivers will be advantageous both to the Indian as well as the English history, especially, since in the account of the company which gathered at Weantinoke, now New Milford, for a time, and then passed westward, it will be maintained that that settlement consisted of remnants of all the tribes who originally inhabited the State, westward of the Connecticut River. It is also important in order to an understanding of the movements of the Indian tribes within this territory, -- their gradual extinction, and the complete acquisition of the territory by the incoming English. The chief river of western Connecticut is the Housatonic (more properly the Howsatunnuck, and know in former times as the Stratford, Potatuck, or Great River). It enters the State from the north, about seven miles east of its western boundary, and flows in a direction somewhat west of south for about thirty miles, when, having almost touched the New York State line, just before entering New Milford territory, it bends toward the east, and for a distance of thirty-five miles flows in a southeasterly direction, when it turns again and flows nearly due south for nine or ten miles, and empties into long island sound between Stratford and Milford. Between the two bends (in that part of its course wherein it flows to the southeast) it receives several tributaries; prominent among them from the west are the Ten Mile Brook, which rises in Sharon, flows southward into New York, and then eastward into the Housatonic at Bull's Bridge; the Wiminam (old name Whomesage or Whimsink) runs northeast, and empties into the Housatonic at Gaylordsville; the Naromiyocknowhunsunkatankshunk brook, which rises in Sherman runs north, and enters the Housatonic a little distance below Gaylordsville; the Rocky river, which rises in Sherman, runs south through New Fairfield into Neversink Pond, in Danbury, then turns directly north, where for some miles it is called Wood Creek, and empties into Housatonic a mile above New Milford village, but for a little distance before it empties, it is again called Rocky river; the Still river which rises in the western part of Danbury in several ponds, runs easterly to Danbury Village, then directly north and empties into the Housatonic just above Falls Mountain; and the Potatuck brook in Newtown that flows north into the Housatonic. Also prominent among those entering from the north are: The Womenshenuck river, that flows southerly into the Housatonic, at Gaylordsville; the Aspetuck, which drains Waramaug lake, flows southward and enters the Housatonic a little distance above New Milford: The Shapeup river, which drains into Bantam Lake in Litchfield and smaller lakes in Goshen; the Pomperaug, which flows through Woodbury and Southbury; and Eight Mile Brook, which drains Lake Quassapaug. Just at the second bend where it turns to go southward, and nine or ten miles from the mouth, it receives the Naugatuck river. Thus constructed the Housatonic becomes a river of considerable dimensions, and the scenery along its valley is among the most beautiful and picturesque in the state, while in its valley, thirty-five miles from Bridgeport on the Sound, is located the village of New Milford. It is to the traces of Indian occupancy in the territory thus described, that attention is directed, in order to a better knowledge of the clans which dwelt at Milford, Stratford, and Derby, from just before the settlement of the English to the final disappearance of the natives of this whole territory. These traces might be pursued in the light of three sources of information: The land records, the traditions and place-names, and the relics discovered, the arrowheads, spearheads and knives, the larger ground-stone implements and the soapstone dishes; but the first of these (land records) will afford the largest source of information in this brief account of the departing footsteps of the Redman.