Litchfield enquirer., 1877-07-26
good voyage to Nassau. where we landed
 1t. "-NesU Y0rE World. G
Pen Pictures op tnel shepauE.

it. '-Nesu York World. C Pen Pictures up tlsei shepaug.
 Reader have you ever been up the sheep dog road? Gas g countrymah once called it. if not, read, resolUe and 90. even if only to go up in the 4;30 p. m. train from Norwalk and return at 7:15 in the morn- ing. Should you go now. while the days are at their longest, you will have day light all the way to Litchfield, where you arrive at TAO. You will find Conductor Fowler very agreeable, and ready to im- part information regarding points of inter est along the road. ....
 The 4.3O is an express to Hawleyville making but few stops, and following it's example I pass by the interesting towns on the Danbury road so familiar to most of your readers, and will speak only of the Shepaug road from Hawleyvllle to Litchfeld. la1.
 An old traveller told the conductor that he had been on most of the roads in Eu- rope and in this country, but had never seen, for wild, picturesque beauty any thing to compare with the Shepaug. Leaving H. the first picture of interest was a high hillside stretching far away to the right and beautifully wooded; at it's base was an old mill on Pond Brook, around which we curved, and before I could make 8 note of it was passed, but it's beauty left an impression and set it down for picture No. 1. On we go, some- times high. sometimes low, for you must know that when we reach our journeys end we are over 8 thousand feet above tide water; there are several grades on the road over S5 feet to the mile. After cross ing and recrossing Pond Brook several times, we reach the Housatonic river. This broad and beautiful stream looked lowing to it's clearness) as though you Uould wade across 1t, but probably it was several feet deep. Arriving at the rail- road bridge that crosses it, and looking to the right, is magnificent mountain cov- cred with foliage. on the left the Shepaug river entering the Housatonic, presenting a broad and expansive river front where they joln near the railroad bridge, and in full view from the cars; call this No. 2.
 Just beyond the bridge, ,Shepaug station is reached, and from here all the way to Roxbury Falls are high hilIsides with out cropping rock. The word faIls is mis- homer at this season of the year, but there is that which is more beautiful, 8 success ion of rapids through rocky gorge: great shadowing rocks protrude oN either side of the stream filled with holes apparently large enough to admit the body of man; these holes have evidently been produced by the action of the water during many years. The sight here must be grand at freshet times, for I am told that the wa ter has been known to go over the railroad looks as though it might be forty feet to ffNn ENOn thMn @lokR ~~eA last car you have fine view of the whole ride over this road, and we call it picture No. 3. There is large quarry here own- ed by Messrs. Mower & Burel. and in fact the entire hillside between Roxbury Falls and ROxbnry contain immense quantities of the finest stone for building purposes or Tagging; no blasting is required to get it out;-wedges are driven and it splits off ln immense cakes varying from three to eight and ten inches in thickness. Be- sides stone there is an iron mine in this sin e''ias ,nnnuntain. with a narrow guage railroad leading to It, not mucn uSo-a ~s late. The next place of interest is Steep Rock, place much frequented by parties from Lake Waramaug; this immense rock reminds one of the Palisades on the Hud- son, but IS more abrupt. Shepaug river flows at it's base. Now we come to Wash: ington, an important station on this road, and noted for it's Gunnery-a school for boys, quite celebrated. The approach to this station coming down the road is sim ply beautiful. In the foreground a lovely meadow. and gently rising for long dis tance are cultivated fields surmounted at the top by cluster of houses and a church spire; to the left the Shepaug riv- CT, and an old mill; surely this will make picture No. 4. This last picture, so differ ent from the rest. showing instead of will derness and rocks the culture and refine ment of civilization. But into the woods again (we are travelling in the wilds of na- ture today) and still beside the Shepaug river, and soon New Preston is reached; one would hardly imagine from the mea- gre accommodations at the depot that at this station large numbers of people of wealth and fashion from New York and other large cities leave the cars, and plunging into the woods that surround the station. after travelling few miles by stage coach, emerge by the still waters of charming lake, Lake Waramaug; Here my pen would speak of it's beauties, en- joyed years ago, but refrain, and back to the Shepaug again, but only for few minutes for soon the Bantam comes in and drives the Shepaug of, and we see it no more. We follow the Bantam to Rom ford, where beautiful landscape forms picture No. 6. Leaving Romford we pass two mountains. Mount Tom and Mount Rat, the former resembling the sugar loaf of the Hudson. The next and last station before reaching Litchfeld is Bantam, and here we have parting gem, Bantam Falls, an old mill and cotton mill with mill pond, forming one of the most beauti. ful pictures on the road, and seven being complete number we will close our pen pictures of the road. Only three miles to Litchfield. The approach to l.. is not of very interesting character. To the right one corner of Bantam Lake is visible; to the left and in front the country is level, but as Litchfield comes into view with its church spires one after another peeping out amid the green trees, and on the left we see the Lake View House-we forget the surroundings and wish to be there.
 Litchfeld we hope to see thee again, and by rising early have twn hours of day light to enjoy the revealed beauties and refnements, pleasant walks and shaded avenues. rarely, if ever, met with in other towns. If the person could beknown who set out those glorious old elms a century ago. his name should be inscribed on; eve. " tree. Before closing would say that there are many beautiful views about Litchfeld, but one view l think best of all, that from the Lake View House cupo- la, showing at your feet Bantam Lake, with it's island in the centre; the whole Lake covering 1000 acres; high hills and valleys to the right and left, and the most beautiful grazing country in all Connecti-. cut. Litchfeld is celebrated for it's dairy products. 1 aE At some suitable time, and we hope one not far distant, we propose to take some stereoscopic views of this romantic scene ry. have named seven points of interest, but in reality three times that numberi could be made. all of highly interesting character. -
 ] E. T, WHITNEY. t
 Norwalk, June g, 1877. >- aa
 Mir Gladstone has just had a narrow es-