Definition of CANDLEWOOD
1: any of several trees or shrubs (as ocotillo) chiefly of resinous character
2: slivers of resinous wood burned for light
I love pouring through the more obscure closets and corners of stories and travel to find hidden treasures. In our age of flashiness and being bombarded with sensory overload, the simple, subtle and tasteful often seem to bring out greater beauty.
Here is one of those gems, Candlewood Lake (CT) (Images of America):
At the turn of the century, the Rocky River valley was a quiet, productive farming community nestled in the foothills of Connecticut's Berkshire Mountains. On July 15, 1926, the Connecticut Light and Power Company's board of directors approved a plan to create a lake for the purpose of producing electric power, a decision that changed the face of the valley forever. Plans moved quickly, and the company bought the valley land and built several dams to contain the water. On February 25, 1928, the fill-up began, and in a mere seven months, Candlewood Lake was born. The historic images in Candlewood
The authors illustrate the history of the lake basin from its beginnings to the present day.
For more than thirty years, the Candlewood Lake Authority has overseen the water quality and safety of this man-made body of water.
Susan Murphy and Gary Smolen have compiled Candlewood Lake in celebration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the lake's creation. Royalties from the sale of the book will benefit the Candlewood Lake Authority.
This book thoroughly explores the history of Candlewood Lake with an incredible collection of photographs which depict every aspect of the process of flooding the valley and really provide a wonderful insight into the incredible evolution of the valley over the past 100 or so years. The authors thoughtfully describe the details of of events which created the lake as well as the results of this wonderful creating. All in all this is a great book for anyone interested in the history of Candlewood Lake.
It is a quick read, but the pictures are worth countless words and they capture the splendor of Candlewood.