Norwich bulletin., 1913-10-23
OLD HAMPTON PAPERS
CoWHANTlC INDIANS.

Hampton has many historic places, and foremost among them should be the COWhantic IedgeSs where dWelt the COWhantc Indians, peaceful tribe who were content to spend their sum- mers on the banks of the Little river and their winters in the ledges to the west of the valley. which bear their name.
 Once more we are indebted to the Bennett records and traditions to car ry us back and bring us ia touch with the first inhabitants of Towards val ley. When the first William Bennett purchased his lands of the CoWhantic Indians, about 1720. he found the smooth flats cleared and ready for his first crops. For his predecessor the red man. had from time immemoTiaI burned away the forests and kept the land clear and mellow for his fields of corn; while along the banks of the Little rIVer he had built his Wigwams finding plenty of good fishing, eels piCkerel, etc: the muskTat and otter and all kinds of game in the woods to supply his needs. The old corn fields are encircled by three heavily wooded knOlls that rise, cone shaped, two on the north and one no the south of the flats. Never has the greedy WOodsman been permitted by the Bennett owners to dishonor this virgin timber and to- day We see many of the same old trees yet standing on these knolls which stretched forth their giant branches and offered protection and shelter to the Indian who built his campfreS in their shade. And as we look upon them we cannot help but wish that they could tell us of their VigiIs during the two centuries they have guarded these fiatS-of the duslIy SQuaWs who planted their hills Of corn among the blackened stumps that studded these now green fields. How the faithful
 tI1r,o, rlc trips to the same knolls to visit their traps of their tramping up and down the banks of this same Little river that has flowed on and on as if it's mission was to hasten away the day of the red man and bring in the progress and ciViliza ton of the white.
 If one stops to consider the lay of the land on these Bennett flats it gives one a very good idea of the sort of location the Indian chose for his prim- itive farming. It is said that there is no easier farm in town to cultivate than this homestead, which shows that the Indian in choosing the site for his village took into consideration not only free access to water but easy cultivation as well. He made his win ter home less than one mile from the summer village
 thy of greater notoriety. No one visit ing in Hampton should fail to see them. They lie directly back of the Howard Valley schoolhouse A lane leaves the main road just north of the schoolhouse and ascends the steep. Cowhantic hill, meeting the road on top of JeWett hill. thus uniting the hill With the valley. This lane was orig inally laid out to accommodate the 80 odd scholars that 50 years ago lived on the hill and attended the valley school Today there are but five houses on this road end one scholar to att tend the school.
 Following the lane for about 40 rods brings ohe to u pair of bars opening on the left A rough path leads one to the Cowhantie Indians winter quar- ters. The lodges rise nearly perpen- dieu1af for abettt 40 reds and are about 56 feet high. They extena like a shetteTing arm around and above a broad smooth plan under the hill, The smoke of their eamRfires still shows against the face of the lodges and in the heileWs of the rocks where they built their fires It was aH ideal place