Letterboxing USA - Yahoo Groups Archive

New Letterbox, Tolland, CT

1 messages in this thread | Started on 2001-06-30

New Letterbox, Tolland, CT

From: Roseann Gottier (rgott@gateway.net) | Date: 2001-06-30 16:37:20 UTC-04:00
                                                SHENIPSIT LAKE LETTERBOX
 
                                             Tolland, CT, Tolland County
                                              Placed on June 30, 2001 by Churchill & the Pinecone
 
 
1.5 hour easy, flat, "out and back" hike, a few scrambles to cross seasonal brooks. The water company owning this public water supply granted permission for a letterbox and requests hikers to stay on the established trail.
 
The "Great Trail of New England" passed near this old Trolley bed trail. This was the main footpath in New England for Native Americans for thousands of years.  Native Americans would spend time on the Connecticut river fishing for shad and salmon, then walk to Boston  to enjoy Cod and shellfish. They would stop at Shenipsit Lake during their journeys as they were aware of the abundance of fish. The boundaries of the three great tribes of Nipmucks, Podunks, and Mohegans met at this lake.  In 1631 Podunk Prince Waginnacut lead a party from his tribe in South Windsor, CT to visit Governor Winthrop of the Massachusetts bay colony. The Podunk prince wanted to encourage white settlers to come down to Connecticut.  The Governor objected but the migration did indeed begin.
 
Directions:
Interstate 84 to exit 67. Turn North onto route 31. At traffic light turn right onto route 30 North.  Go .9 miles and turn left just after the carwash onto Sandhill Road.  Turn right at the end.  Take first left onto Shenipsit Lake Road. Go 1.7 miles, drive across small bridge at lake.  Take first left onto Ellington Road. Park along the side of this dirt road.  Walk back in the direction which you drove in from. Cross back over bridge, walk past the log cabin type home, and see trail head on the right side just past this house. Stay to the right of the split rail fence.
 
Twice you will need to scramble down to cross a seasonal brook.  Enjoy the glimpses of cornfields on your left. Pass by a split rail fence on your right.
Cross over the Lincoln-log style dirt covered foot bridge.  Eventually you will come to a more substantial foot bridge with upright posts and rails, and a wood plank floor. Cross this bridge and walk 12 paces. On the left side stands a tree with two trunks. Seek where the trunks meet.