Morning journal and courier., 1880-08-07
SGunal anO Courier.
Saturday Morning, August 2, 1880.
Local News.
For other Local News see Second page.l
The Valley of the Naugatuck.

For other Local News see Second Pagel
 The Valley of the Naug gatuck. Its Most Picturesque and Romantic Re- g1On-Hfgh Rock Grove and Its Ad- jacent Scenes of Natural Beauty, His tor1ca1, AnegoricaI and Evolutionary. In all the beautiful Naugatuck valley, forty
 miles in extent, the High Rock Grove sec tion, fifteen miles from New Haven, is the most romantic, charming and picturesque. Writers of attainments and extensive travel
 in this and other lands, struck with the re-
 markable loveliness, boldness and even gram
 deur of the section, have fingered to admire, and the place has attained celebrity. In story
 and in song it's praises have been sung. The
 whole valley is varied scene of attraction.
 Hills, bluffs, lofty crags of primitive granite, yerdurous meadows and solitudes, seemingly as unbroken as the Adirondack regions or as when the red man dwelt there, pass in re- view before the traveller on the iron horse. High Rock looks directly down upon the great picnic grove of Connecticut, High Rock Grove. The gray old face of the rock peers out near the top from it's beard of trees, thickets and underbrush, precipitous, bold and steep, 475 feet above the ample grove at it's base, and the ''old flag waves on it's sum- init, kissed by the mountain breezes. Be tween the grove and the base of the cliff lies the iron bound bed of the Naugatuck rail
 road. Athwart the grove, on the opposite side, passes the Naugatuck river, clear,
 impid, deep and impressive, while upward, steep and precipitous, rises another bold, high mass of rock, whose wooded sides lie
 darkly mirrored in the bosom of the river.
 At the northern end of the grove lies the path to the ravine part of High Rock
 Glen On one side of this path, to
 the right, rises Toby's Rock on the
 other High Rock looks down. The
 ravine abounds in scenes of beauty
 At it's upper end, at an ascent of
 say three quarters of mile, lies the magnif-
 icent view which the Gorge affords. The
 ascent to the Gorge is gradual. It is reached
 after walk of perhaps three-quarters of a
 mile by the path which is cut at the side of
 the steep bluff, High Rock fanking on the
 left of this romantic ravine, and one hardly
 realizes that the ascent is over 300 feet. The
 Gorge cannot be viewed but with feelings of
 awe Man in his insignifcance stands in Q
 defile, down which, between huge boulders
 and irregular, jagged, rock masses, the streamlet dashes. Above him on either side tower steep cliffs far upward, bold, gray, ancient, partially wooded, and almost verti- cal walls of granite. The foaming waters leap from rock to rock from Assure to fs- sure, throwing clouds of spray as they seethe and boil in their wild plunges. The behold
 CT chambers across the rocky bed of the stream, stepping from boulder to ledge and rock to rock to ascend the Gorge and drink
 in still more the glory of Nature. Here stop
 and see the basins which the unceasing wa ters have worn in the solid rock, and in some of which dwell little fnny creatures sporting
 in the impid, pure pool, translucent but
 dark as it lies half hidden by huge over
 hanging ledge. Some mighty wrench or con vulsion of nature tore the rock asunder and left these frowning steep walls standing grim and silent in their majesty. But more TO- mantle ever varying picture is given all the way along the picturesque, leafy-bowered path from High Rock Grove to the Gorge in the ravine, which plunges and dashes contin- ually, it's path lying over huge rocks and lodges, and many a weird, fantastic sight is presented, which the visitor would fain stop and study if only for it's ever changefulness, and the cataracts crown the picture. "From rushing through a narrow and steep defle
 the stream suddenly spreads out upon the 1 level surface of an overhanging table-like l rock, and falls in broad. thin sheet into a deep basin below. Along the upper edge of the basin wall is a ledge, upon which one may walk with due caution close to the fall. Then by an adroit maneuvre one may pass under the table cliff and behind the sheet of water. The slight sprinkling consequent
 upon this feat is ignored entirely in view of
 the delightful coolness of the retreat, and the
 rainbow-hued landscape visible through the
 limpid camera Overhead, moreover, are the
 intertwined branches of gigantic hemlocks, in
 fanciful network extending from wall to
 wall. Beyond, above, comes the brook rush
 ing and dashing, forming multitude of cas-
 cades, disturbing the solemn silence of the
 rocky fastnesses by their weird, strange mu- >sic. To one standing here alone, shut in
 from the world by these walls of adamant, the
 silence unbroken by any sound save that of
 the waters, the cares and turmoil of daily life
 sink into insignifcance, and the primitive
 simplicity and majesty of nature stand strik-
 ingly revealed"
 But half is lost without view from the
 summit of High Rock. The path to the top
 of the Rock diverges from that to the Gorge,
 and is not toilsome. Standing on the highest
 point, you behold the river winding on far
 below, sweeping through the green woods,
 and at the foot of the mountains, like a
 stream of silver, save where the black,
 sombre, wooded hills are mirrored in it. That
 apparent footpath straight down far below
 is the new road that the railroad company
 has built for the town of Beacon Falls, in
 lieu of the old one now incorporated in the
 grove. Lifting the eyes there greet the vision
 great crags, some forest-clothed, others bare
 precipices of granite. To the southward in the opening valley lie few narrow farms and the village of Beacon Falls. Beyond rises the lofty ridge whose southern promontory is the bold and frowning Rock Rimmon. To the southwest the view spreads out, extend ing almost to Long Island Sound; and the eye wanders over landscape comprising parts of eleven different towns, viz, Sey- mour, Oxford, Southbury, Middlebury, Wa terbury, Wolcott, Meriden, Southington, Prospect, Naugatuck and Bethany. It is a grand view.
 High Rock and High Rock Grove have their historical and legendary side. High Rock was formerly Squaw Rock, and its con- panion mount was Toby Rock, named after an Indian lad who fell captive during King xyor in, 76o6 int tha boDdc of Co1 Ebenezer Johnson, the chief ''white warrior" of the region in those "war times" Twelve years Col Johnson held Toby for slave and then manumitted him. Toby became firm friend of the white man, and landowner of importance, for in later life he bought for e1O and barrel of cider large tract of land, part of which is High Rock Grove. Ira dition has it that High Rock or old Snnaw