The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1904-03-17
AN EVENING WITH HISTORY OF
STAFFORD.

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AS it is always we'll in the begin
ming of any enterprise to know just
where we are and with what we have
to deal, propose to touch briefly up
on the geographical position and phys
ical status of our town. PA few facts
are all / have to offer, unadorned and
perhaps we'll known, but. not, I trust,
wholly without interest.
Stafford appears ON the map about
halfway between the equator and the
Arctic circle, not far from one third
of the distance from the tronic of can
Ger to the north pole. That is, it's
latitude is about AZ degrees north. Its
longitude is about 72 degrees 10 min
utes W. from Greenwich, or 4 degrees
45 minutes e. from Washington.
Following out the parallel, we find
that the line runs, in our own coun-
try, along the northern boundary of
Pennsylvania, just north of Cleveland
and Toledo, through the lakeside sub
urbs of Chicago, a little north of the
Great Salt Lake, and across the north
ern boundary of California. Abroad,
Rome, the Black, Caspian and Japan
Seas. cssgtral China and northern Jap
an are on our line. Madrid, Naples,
Constantinople, Pekin and Port Ar
thur are just south of if. The Japan
Sea is directly antipodal- to us.
OF course the great difference be-
tween the climate here and that of
Rome and Naples is explained by the
fact that while along the shores of the
Mediterranean the prevailing winds
are southwesterly. coming from the
African deserts. and the adjacent wa
tiers are warmed by the Gulf Stream.
Our own country in the same latitude
is exposed to icy currents which sweep
down along our shores from Arctic re-
gions, and to prevailing nerthwesterly
winds.
Longitudinally we are on the line
with Hayti, Chill and the Andes,
with Cape Horn little to the east.
At closer range, Stafford presents
great diversification by hill and val
ley. 1t shows, in general, series of
north and south ridges, drained by two
streams, one flowing from the north
east and the other from the northwest,
the two uniting in the south central
part of the town. E is along the
courses Of these streams that villages
have sprung up; Sta4ford Hollow,
Hydeville and staffordEille along the
eastern branch; West Stafford and Or
cults on the western, and Stafford
Springs at the point "where the
bright waters meet. - The altitude
of the town varies from 400 feet above
sea level to 123O-4O feet, the average
being 800 feet. From Staffordville to
Stafford Springs, d distance of four
miles and half, the fall Of water is
about 2i5 feet, and from Crystal Lake
in the southwest about 2O5 feet. I
The geologist finds in Stafford many
reminders. of the time when this old
world was waking. To show the mod
ification of the earth's surface by cool
ing, there is no better instance in New
England than the ridges on the edge
of Union. Beds of trap-rock between
Monson and Palmer, the quartz-c -crys-
tai formation at Diamond Ledge, and
the blocks of granite along our road
|sides furnish evidence of near by. vol.
canic action. Those granite blocks
must have been brought dowm by gia-
ciers, and there is further trace Of
glacial action in the scratching of the
rocks on the trests Of the hills.
Stafford is indebted to her streams
not only for beautiful scenery and mo-
tive power, but also for the very 'slay
Of. the, land Evidently this region
was at one time high plateau, from
which the water was drained away to
the southwest and the northeast.
Then came the glacier, scraping
across, and followed by streams of wa
ter which cut out the valleys. There
is evidence that the water of Quinne-
boag, and Of the streams which now
meet at Three Rivers to flow into the
Connecticut. once flowed straight
through Stafford finally changing it's
course because the river became choked
with its own deposit. Furthermore,
and this is the part that sounds most
like d fairy tale, this stream then
flowed just back H. .. north) Of where
the high school building now stands.
I need hardly speak of the abund-
ance of iron. ore in Stafford. The
vein just east of the Street, formerly
worked at the Hollow and Stafford
Vile, was one Of the finest in the
country. Certainly the mineral spring
is so well known as TO need no COM