Geology

The 60.1 square miles that comprise the town of Salisbury contain terrain that is as varied as it is beautiful. In it, you can read the history of millennia of geological time, as well as the more recent history of European settlement. Salisbury is the northwestern-most town in the State of Connecticut. It is bound on the east by the Housatonic River, and on the north it shares a border with Massachusetts through the Taconic Range and the valley east of the mountains. On the west Salisbury stops at the Connecticut/New York state border, which runs through the Taconics and just west of Indian Mountain. The town of Sharon is on Salisbury’s southern border. There are six large lakes within the Town’s boundaries.

Geological mixing also created another form of bedrock underlying Salisbury: marble. This is the basement rock in the area from the Twin Lakes stretching southwest to the Sharon border and is also found in the Housatonic River valley. Known as Stockbridge Marble, it is the remains of a shallow sea; the carbonate mud (comprised of skeletons of microscopic sea creatures) metamorphosed into limestone and eventually into marble. Because of its limestone heritage, marble is not as resistant to weathering as schist or gneiss. It has been subject to the erosive effects of our naturally slightly acidic rainfall and the rush of streams over millions of years. The result are the lowlands carved out by the Housatonic and the depressions that allowed the formation of Salisbury’s lakes. Marble deposits were quarried beginning in the 1700’s for the lime used to remove impurities in the iron making process.

Taconic Mountains

The name Taconic is translated from Algonquian as meaning “in the trees. The geologic origin of these mountains is described above. Part of the Appalachian mountain chain, their length is variously reported as 150 or 200 miles. Wikipedia reports that since the southern end of the range “fade[s]” into the geologically related eastern arm of the Hudson Highlands, it is difficult to ascertain the southern beginning of the range. On its northern terminus the mountains “dwindle into scattered hills and isolated peaks” near Rutland, VT. Wikipedia further reports that it is incorrect to group the Taconic Mountains with the BerkshireMountains or the Green Mountains, which are east of and geologically distinct from the Taconics. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taconic_Mountains

While the exact extent of the Taconics is open to debate, it is certain that the highest point in Connecticut can be found in Salisbury, at the 2,379 foot mark on the southern slope of Mt.Frissell (whose peak is actually in Massachusetts). The honor of highest peak in the state can also be found within Salisbury’s borders: Bear Mountain at 2,326 feet.

Housatonic River

The river rises from four sources in the Berkshires near Pittsfield, MA and travels 149 miles to empty into the Long Island Sound between Stratford and Milford. It drains a watershed of 1,948 miles. The name Housatonic is derived from Algonquian, meaning “beyond-the-mountain-place.” Approximately 15 miles of the Housatonic flows through Salisbury. Over the centuries the river has been a source of power for paper, iron, textiles, and electricity industries. Ames Iron Works, established in 1833 in the Amesville section of Salisbury, made use of river power in its production of iron wheels and axles, cannons, and cannonballs. Today FirstLight Power operates a hydroelectric plant on the Housatonic across from the Amesville section of Salisbury. Salisbury’s section of the river is popular for swimming, canoeing, kayaking, and fishing.

Riga Lake and South Pond (originally Forge Pond)

are lakes privately owned by the Mount Riga Corporation. Mount Riga was the site of an iron furnace built in 1762 and was a prosperous town of 1,200 until the iron ore petered out. The furnace closed down in 1847, and the town dwindled. Descendants of the original iron workers own the land through the Mount Riga Corporation. The lakes have water shed of 3,600 acres and flow into Wachocastinook Creek, a tributary to the Salmon Kill.

Lake Wononscopomuc

is located in Lakeville and sometimes called Lakeville Lake. At 102 feet it is the deepest lake in Connecticut and is 348 acres in area. The lake is fed by underground springs and was formed during the last Ice Age. Today the Town Grove is a beloved Salisbury park, offering swimming, boating, picnicking, and fishing. The lake is known for trout, large mouth bass, pickerel, yellow perch, and sunfish.

Forests

It is hard to believe living in Salisbury today that, beginning in the 1700’s and into the 19th century, the hills and valleys of the town were stripped of trees to supply charcoal to the 43 iron furnaces in operation, provide fuel for heating and cooking, and clear the land for farming. Today the land is covered with mature secondary growth. The predominant species of trees in the Northwest Corner are oak, hickory, beech, maple, birch, and white pine.

Appalachian Trail

The most well-known hiking trail in Town, approximately 20 miles of the 2,190 mile long AT run through Salisbury. It climbs down from Sharon Mountain near Route 7 and just south of route 112, passes Housatonic Valley Regional High School, climbs Wetauwanchu Mountain west of Falls Village, crosses Route 44, and heads up to the Taconic Plateau from the trailhead north of Town on Route 41. The trail is popular not only with through-hikers but also with those of us who cherish the beautiful landscape of our Northwest Corner neighborhood.