Beautiful and Treacherous

Experience The Thimble Islands

I posted recently about Branford Point. That is located on the western portion of Branford. At the southeast corner of Branford, there is another treasure, the Thimble Islands. They are located in the Stony Creek section of town. They are a series of small islands, some of which are inhabited. There is an incredible amount of history here for you. Much of the history and legend stretches back to the Revolutionary War.

The Thimble Islands are a beautiful spot to visit while on a boat. In the summertime, it is like a parking lot out there. Because the base of the entire area is quite rocky, it is rather dangerous for boats. I have first-hand experience with that. I did lose a propeller when I touched a rock. Very embarrassing. There is also a Thimble Island Cruise for people that just want to see them.

There is a tiny beach available, but parking is limited. Kind of like the local people do not want any visitors. This area, while go to undermine judge said go to a beautiful is less than 2 miles from I-95. Getting to Stony Creek is quite simple.

Some History:

Known to the Mattabeseck Indians as Kuttomquosh,[1] “the beautiful sea rocks,” they consist of a jumble of granite rocks, ledges and outcroppings resulting from glaciation, numbering between 100 and 365 depending on where the line is drawn between an island and a mere rock. The islands serve as a rest stop for migrating seals. The first European to discover the islands was Adrian Block in 1614. Legend says that Captain Kidd buried his treasure here, causing intermittent interest among treasure hunters who believe they have unearthed a clue to its location, although more interest is generally paid to Gardiners Island, 30 miles (48 km) away. The islands themselves – long prized by sailors on the Sound as a sheltered deep-water anchorage – comprise 23 that are inhabited (most of them wooded), numerous barren rocks and hundreds of reefs visible only at low tide. Although they are said to be named for the thimbleberry, a relative othef the black raspberry, that plant is seldom seen in the area, and is more frequent in northern New England. Other species of blackberry and raspberry, however, are sometimes referred to by residents of the area
as thimbleberries.

In Reflections in Bullough’s Pond, Diana Muir describes the important nineteenth century oyster farming industry that thrived around these islands. Muir spent childhood summers on Lewis Island in a mansion built by an oystering fortune.

The largest Thimble Islands are:

• Horse Island, the largest island at 17 acres (6.9 ha), is owned by Yale University and is maintained as an ecological laboratory by Yale’s Peabody Museum of Natural History.
• Money Island (12 acres / 4.9 ha), bears an entire village of 32 houses and a library.
• Governor Island (10 acres / 4.07Outlines ha) has 14 houses.
• Rogers Island (7.75 acres / 3.14 ha), also known as Yon Comis Island, one of several Thimbles owned by Christine Svenningsen
• Bear Island is home to a granite quarry, which exported high-quality stone to such constructions as the Lincoln Memorial, Grant’s Tomb, and the base of the Statue of Liberty. A much larger quarry, Stony Creek Quarry, just north on the mainland is still working and supplied the distinctive pink/orange Stony Creek granite for the Brooklyn Bridge, Grand Central Terminal, and Columbia University.
• Davis Island
• High Island
• Pot Island
• Outer Island is used by Southern Connecticut State
• University for ecological studies and is part of Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge.

Other named Thimble Islands are Hen Island, East Stooping Bush Island, Potato Island, Smith Island, Cut in Two Island (East and West), tiny Phelps Island, Wheeler Island aka Ghost Island, Mother in Law Island (aka Prudden Island), West Crib Island, East Crib Island, Little Pumpkin Island, Lewis Island, Kidd’s Island, Reel Island, Beldens
Island, Burr Island, Jepson Island, Wayland Island, and Frisbie Island, which is maintained as a sanctuary for wild birds.

There is so much here to see. Please do not miss out.

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