Machimoodus State Park

State park in Middlesex County, Connecticut

41°29′45″N 72°28′40″W / 41.49583°N 72.47778°W / 41.49583; -72.47778^[1]Area300 acres (120 ha)^[2]Elevation312 ft (95 m)^[1]DesignationConnecticut state parkEstablished1998AdministratorConnecticut Department of Energy and Environmental ProtectionWebsiteMachimoodus State Park

Machimoodus State Park is a public recreation area located on the Salmon River near the village of Moodus in the town of East Haddam, Connecticut. The state park is bordered by Sunrise State Park to the north and by the Salmon River and Salmon Cove to the west and south. The park is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.^[3]

History

A large Wangunk village of the same name was located in or near the modern-day park.^[4] Machimoodus translates to "the place of noises",^[5] the noises having been identified as the echoes of microearthquakes.^[3] The East Haddam village of Moodus was similarly named after the preceding Wungunk village. The park was created when the Echo Farm dairy farm was purchased by the state for $2.1 million in 1998.^[6] It lies adjacent to Sunrise State Park, a defunct summer resort that was purchased by the state in 2008.^[7]

Activities and amenities

The park offers hiking, fishing, picnicking, and horseback riding. Lookout points on Mount Tom offer views of the Salmon, Moodus, and Connecticut rivers.^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b "Mount Tom". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
^ "Appendix A: List of State Parks and Forests" (PDF). State Parks and Forests: Funding. Staff Findings and Recommendations. Connecticut General Assembly. January 23, 2014. p. A-3. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Machimoodus State Park". State Parks and Forests. Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. July 18, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
^ Field, David D. (1814). A history of the towns of Haddam and East-Haddam. Loomis and Richards. p. 4.
^ Trumbull, J. Hammond (1881). Indian names of places, etc., in and on the borders of Connecticut: With interpretations of some of them. Lockwood and Brainard. p. 18. ISBN 9781016137553.
^ "Ask the Courant". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Conn. January 19, 2004. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
^ Church, Diane (January 3, 2009). "Sunrise Resort bought by state, open to public". The Middletown Press. Middleton, Conn. Retrieved December 23, 2018.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Machimoodus State Park.

Machimoodus State Park Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Machimoodus State Park Map Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection

Protected areas of Connecticut

National Park Service