CHAPTER I 



TOPOGRAPHY AND SOIL 



IN the northwest corner of the State of 

 Connecticut are twenty-six towns, one for 

 each letter in the alphabet, and taken to- 

 gether they constitute Litchfield County. 

 It is the largest county in the State, the 

 area being about 885 square miles. It was organized 

 in 175 1 as the fifth county in the State, although it had 

 been settled many years before. Within the bounds of 

 the county are found the highest land, the greatest lake 

 area, the most rugged scenery, and some of the richest 

 agricultural lands of the State. The highest point of 

 land was for a long time a matter of dispute, but that 

 designation is now given to Bear Mountain, in the town 

 of Salisbury. This mountain reaches an elevation of 

 2355 feet above sea level, and there are a number of 



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