History
Settlers from Fairfield, Connecticut received approval from the General Assembly to establish a new township and they negotiated with Chief Squantz of the Schaghticoke (tribe), a tribe of Algonquian lineage. They "purchased" a 32,000 acre (130 km²) tract of land, that is now New Fairfield and Sherman, for the equivalent of about 300 dollars and on April 24, 1729, The deed was recorded on May 9, 1729, and is now deposited in the archives of the State Capitol in Hartford, Connecticut.
It is said that Squantz Pond State Park takes its name from Chief Squantz who lived at the northern tip of the lake, which is now separated from the rest of Candlewood Lake by the Route 39 causeway. Before becoming a state park, the area around Squantz Pond was also a farm and an apple orchard. Despite many changes to the land, the presence of the original residents is still marked by occasionally uncovered artifacts such as stone adzes, mallets and other tools. The remains of an Indian canoe over 22 feet long and 5 feet wide was raised from the bottom of the lake, leading to speculation that even before the settlers came, Squantz Pond may have been much larger than it was just prior to its expansion during the flooding of Candlewood Lake.
Read more about this topic: Squantz Pond State Park
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