3O CONNECTICUT GEOL. AND NAT. HIST. SURVEY. [Bull. 



STILL RIVER 



STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 



Still River presents several unusual features, as shown in fig. 

 6. Tributaries from the west and south unite at Danbury to 

 form a stream flowing northward opposite to the regional land 

 slope. Near its junction with the Housatonic, the river flows 

 northward, whereas its master stream half a mile distant flows 

 southward. The lower valley of the river is broad and flat and 

 apparently much out of proportion to the present stream; it is, 

 indeed, comformable in size and direction with the valley of the 

 Housatonic above the mouth of the Still. The Housatonic, 

 however, instead of choosing the broad lowland in the limestone 

 formation, spread invitingly before it, turns aside and flows 

 through a narrow gorge cut in resistant gneiss, schist, and 

 igneous intrusives. The . headwaters of the Still mingle with 

 those of the Croton system, and its chief southern branch, the 

 Umpog, is interlaced with the sources of the Saugatuck on a 

 divide marked by glacial drift and swamps. The explanation of 

 these features involves not only the history of the Still River 

 system, but also that of the Housatonic. 



In explanation of the present wawsfwl arrangement of streams 

 in the Still River system, four hypotheses may be considered: 



I. Still River valley is the ancient bed of the Housatonic 

 from which that river has been diverted through reversal caused 

 by a glacial dam. 



II. The Housatonic has always had its present southeasterly 

 course, but the Still, heading at some' point in its valley north 

 of Danbury, flowed initially southward through one of four 

 possible outlets. The latter stream was later reversed by a 

 glacial dam at the southern end, or by glacial scouring at the 

 northern end of its valley which removed the divide between its 

 headwaters and the Housatonic. 



III. The Housatonic has always held its present southeasterly 

 course, and the Still initially flowed southward, as stated above. 

 Reversal in this case, however, occurred in a very early stage 

 in the development of the drainage, as the result of the capture 



