Map of the Mattutuck State Forest
PublisherPublished by the
State Forester
(American, established 1921)
Date1929
MediumLithography; black printer's ink on wove paper
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (image height x width): 11 x 6 1/4in. (27.9 x 15.9cm)
Sheet (height x width): 13 x 7in. (33 x 17.8cm)
ClassificationsGraphics
Credit LineGift of Frank Howard
Object number1975.104.1
DescriptionMap of the Mattatuck State Forest in Litchfield County, Connecticut, spanning the towns of Thomaston, Plymouth, Waterbury, and Watertown. The map depicts the greater area, which also includes the towns of Litchfield, Wolcott and Middlebury (New Haven County), as well as state roads, which are depicted in thick black lines. Town and county roads are shown as smaller, parallel lines. The elevation of Mt. Toby is conveyed with hachure marks. The locations of the fireplace and picnic grounds and a Boy Scout trail, as well as the "tool box for use in case of fire," are pointed out. On the back is a notice to the public providing information about various aspects of the forest, including its topography, location, and recreational activities.
Label TextEstablished in 1926, the Mattatuck State Forest was one of Connecticut's earliest state forests. Prior to the twentieth century, forests were viewed as a resource to be exploited; nineteenth-century Connecticut was largely de-forested, as trees were cleared to make way for settlement and agriculture and as an important fuel source. It was only gradually that the importance of forests as watersheds began to be recognized and large tracts of land were purchased by water companies and later by the state. This map, published by the State Forester in 1929, suggests an early awareness of the recreational potential of the new state forests.
NotesCartographic Note: No scaleStatus
Not on view
