Connecticut Water Trails Association
|
|
|
Connecticut Water Trails Association |
|---|
|
Connecticut Water Trails Program Connecticut Water Trails Hartford County Farmington Dunning Lake
Site Location:
Basic Information: Dunning Lake is mostly spring fed and has an
additional small inlet coming off of the Dunning property. The
lake sits on the Farmington Aquifer, one of the best in the state.
The outflow is located at Brickyard Road and flows into the lake behind
the Wood & Tap. It then flows into the next lake before turning
east under Route 4 and into the Farmington River. Dunning Lake has
999 acre feet of volume, which would equate to a 338,661 million gallon
swimming pool. The average depth of the lake is about thirteen
feet. The deepest part is off the Greenbrier Peninsula, recently
recorded at forty feet. The shoreline measures 9,100 feet or
about 1.75 miles. Type: Lake Water Type: Fresh Season: Site Contact Information: 50 Winding Trails Drive Farmington, Connecticut 06032 Phone (860) 677-8458 Site Coordinates: Longitude 72.84331400000001 ºW Latitude 41.742625 ºN
Location Map:
USGS Quadrangle: Avon
Driving Directions: Boat Launch Information:
Site Description: Environment:
Additional Info:
Chimney Island stands in the
middle of Dunning Lake. The two sets of chimneys might well be the
second most recognizable feature within Winding Trails after our logo.
Tall and proud they stand as a part of our history yet shrouded in
mystery. How did they get there and who lived on the island. There
are several things we do know. First, there was a road in the
early years running through the middle of Poplar Swamp. Second,
there was a house at the Chimney Island location owned and maintained by
Avon Old Farms School for Boys. The mystery is who lived there?
Avon Old Farms lost most of their records during the time it served as a
hospital for blind veterans of World War II and thus has no permanent
record to be verified. We have had two conflicting stories.
One story suggests that it was Verne Priest’s House. Verne Priest
was the Indian guide from Maine that Theodate Pope Riddle hired as the
school’s woodsman. Theodate also had a working farm at the boy’s
school down in the flats where Simmons Farm now occupies. The
other story presented is that it was a three family house for the farm
workers and their families. Both have collaborating evidence, so
weigh in if you have some information. Site History: Dunning Lake is named after its benefactors, The Dunning family, our neighbors to the west. Dunning Sand and Gravel used to be located where the Wood & Tap sits now. The lake behind the Wood & Tap and another lake further down Route 4 were dug first. The Dunnings then moved their business to its present location. Dunning Lake was then known as Poplar Swamp. The Dunning Family owned about 55% percent of the swamp and Winding Trails the remainder. The summer camp, in the early years, used Walton Pond for swimming and other water related activities. Mort Dunning approached the Winding Trails Board in 1967 with a business proposition. Allow Dunning Sand and Gravel to mine the gravel out of Poplar Swamp on Winding Trails’ property as well as his own piece of Poplar Swamp. In return, Winding Trails would inherit a lake when the work was finished. It was agreed upon and work started in 1968 on the eastern end owned by Winding Trails. The work took almost 20 years to complete. In 1988, the 81 acre Dunning Lake was deeded to Winding Trails for $1.
| |||||||||||||||
 |
|
