Connecticut western news., 1882-06-28
Written for the NEWS,
 se MOHAWK TOwER.,,

ss MOHAWK TOwER.o
 Litchfeld county has ever been noted for it's beautiful mountain scenery, it's hills and wales presenting themselves in pleasing succession to the eye. Its mountains, and they are nu- merous, seem to vie with each other in friend ly rivalry, to lift their leafy summits, each little higher than the other but above them all rises Old Mohawk like grim sentinel, guarding the southern extremity of the Green Mountain Range.
 Mount Mohawk, situated in the towns of Cornwall and Goshen, has long been known as affording, from it's summit, the finest and most extensive view in Connecticut, and many have been the wishes, and strong the desires that it's summit might be crowned with suitable tower, (which it seemed so worthy, but the wish ever remained wish, until the past winter, when the wish and desire gave birth to determination among the friends of Old Mohawk, that 8 tower should be placed upon it, and as the result Of that determination, Mt. Mohawk no longer rears it's head uncovered, for upon its leafy summit there now stands a tower fifty feet ln height, the gift of it's many friends. Beau. tltul as was the view and the prospect before the erection of the tower, tenfold more beauti. tul IS the panorama now spread out before the eye, from the top Of the tower.
 One gazes with feeling akin to awe, won- dering why nature should have reserved her choicest gifts for these scenes. Pen cannot do them justice; they need to be seen to be appreciated. Aswe gaze around us on every side, we do not wonder that this mountain should have been chosen by the Indians, as their signal mountain, from whose sum- nit they could warn their friends of the approaching foe. The Indians of Western Connecticut suffered exceedingly from the fierce Mohawks of Central New York, who made their annual incurslon through this sec tion on their way to the fishing grounds of Bantam and of Milford and the wampum beds of Brandford and in order to protect them- selves from these incursions, they established system of watch fire stations to warn the Indians of Connecticut of the approach of their anclent foe, the Mohawks and Mt Mo. hawk was chosen as the central signal noun tain; from whence the name Mohawk noun. tain. The place was we'll chosen, for watch fire on this mountain could be seen from the top of nearly every hill between the Hudson and Connecticut rivers. As we look toward the east we see the hills almost at our feet, dotted here and there with the snow-white houses of the thrifty farmers, half hidden by the luxuriant green of the protecting shade trees which seem to throw their leafy arms around the home, as if to shelter it from the scorching rays of the summers sum- the green and the white blended together pre-. senting to the eye, most happy combination.
 But little distance from us the clear wa. ters of Lake Marshapaug are sparkling with their sheen, in the bright sunlight, while just north of it lies it's less pretentious twin sister Nashapaug, and but little farther to the south a small body of water bearing the eupho. nious name of Dog Pond The little village of "nc$ ho}+ la II lage, next greets the eye then Goshen Centre with it's tall church spire ever pointing like an index finger toHeaven. To the north of this village the two mountain brothers of Ivy. rear their uncovered heads, as if to dispute the supremacy with Old Mohawk Still far ther to the east are Torringford hills and the village of Torringford, while little farther to the north is seen the village of Winches- ter next rises the Talcott range of noun tains on the highest peak of which stands Wadsworth tower, in bold relief against the clear blue of the summer sky, and little farther south rises the dome of the Capital at Hartford; and still farther on in the hay distance, the Bolton mountains may be dimly seen. While far in the north east, Mt. Hol- yoke raises it's blue head to flash back to Old Mohawk the greeting of sister state. To the southeast may be seen the historic village of Litchield, half buried in the foliage of it's magnificent elms, rich in Revolutionary "reminiscences, and far famed as one of the finest summer resorts in all New England. On one side of this beautiful village is Echo Farm, looking for all the world like minia- ture village with it's little cluster of farm buildings !; on the other side, the waters of Bantam Lake flash in the sunlight, remind ing us that it was once the fishing ground of the Mohawk's. Looking beyond, we see the Beacon range, so called from it's being the first land greeting the eye of the sailor, ere he reaches New York harbor. As we look at this range of mountains, and beyond, we seem to see now and then faint flash as of sunlight on water, again we see it palmer than before, and we wonder what lake it may be, until we are told that 1t is the ocean we see, nearly one hundred mics away; and our wonder and astonishment increases when we hear that the city of churches, over a hundred miles distant can be seen with Q glass; As we turn our eyes toward the south Mt. Tom rises to greet us, and the hills of Warren and the village of Warren, and the hills of Washington, some covered with well titled farms and others by heavy forests, with here and there an irregular opening from which little wreath of smoke, curling upwards tell of the charcoal burners home But 1t is when our eyes, following the setting
 
 that the grandest view of all bursts upon l the eye. It is a panorama worthy the ar- | lists hand. Hundreds of feet below us, and lying almost at our feet, is the village of Cornwall, almost hidden from view by a | small mountain rising as if to shleld it from the rude gaze of the sight seeker; half way up the hillside is the little village of Corn wall Centre, and so steep is that hill.side that one waits half expecting to see the lit tie village suddenly transported to it's sister village on the plain below. On the summit of the hill, the spire of the village church of North Cornwall is seeu rising above the trees still farther on Cream Hill and the little pond bearing the same name. The whistle of the To- comotive, and the rumble of the railroad train can be distinctly heard, and one looks to see it winding it's way along below us, but it is so far beneath us and so hidden by intervening hills, that we see it not. Looking across the hills and wales of Cornwall we see the moun- tain of Ellsworth, and farther on, the Cats kills of New York rise up before us ln all their grandeur, looming up like mighty giants guard ing the fertile fields of the Mohawk from intrusion. The whole range of the Catskills lies opens to our view, stretching for miles along the western horizon. So clear is the atmosphere that on a bright summers morn- ing, the Catskill house, nearly seventy miles olstanI IS planlv to be seen with the naked eye. To the north west rises Mt. Riga, Mt. Washington and the Berkshire hills, while far off beyond them all, Old Greylock, the central sentinel of the Green Mountain range, raises it's head to send back greeting to its southern brothers sentinel.
 As far as the eye can reach, mountains 1 rise on every hand covered with their beauti- ful mantle of green, while nestling below and between them are the village crowned hills their grassy slopes dotted here and there with the snow white cottages of the thrifty