Coney Rock is a 600 foot tall, 1,000 foot long,
glacially formed
granite
Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...
and
gneiss
Gneiss ( ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. Gneiss forms at higher temperatures an ...
ridge in
Storrs, Connecticut
Storrs is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in the New England town, town of Mansfield, Connecticut, Mansfield in eastern Tolland County, Connecticut, Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 15,344 at the 2010 Unite ...
, part of the town of
Mansfield
Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area (followed by Sutton-in-Ashfield). It gained the Royal Charter of a market tow ...
.
It is part of the 200-acre Coney Rock Preserve owned partly by the Town and partly by
Joshua's Trust
Joshua's Tract Conservation and Historic Trust, or Joshua's Trust, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) land trust operating in northeast Connecticut. Joshua's Trust was incorporated in 1966 to help conserve property of significant natural or historic inter ...
that includes the remains of an old farm, a marsh, a hemlock grove, a hornbeam stand, a birch grove, and glacial erratics, as well as five miles of white and yellow blazed trails. There is a memorial bench at the peak. According to local legend, one can see
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
from the ridge. The cliff is stepped.
Ownership
Alfred Oden owned Coney Rock until 1933 when he sold the west half to Knute Olsen and the east to Warren Chapin. Olsen's half was bought by the town in 2001 and is part of the 61-acre Dorwart Family Preserve. In response, David Storrs Chapin, Warren's son, sold his half to Joshua's Trust in 2002, who added 9 acres. In 2009, this was connected to
Proposal Rocks
Proposal Rocks is the name of a 29.9 acre nature preserve owned by Joshua's Trust
Joshua's Tract Conservation and Historic Trust, or Joshua's Trust, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) land trust operating in northeast Connecticut. Joshua's Trust was inco ...
by another 5.9 acres.
History
The name Coney Rock is of uncertain origin. It may have been in reference to
rabbit
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...
s, a rodent mistaken for a
pika, or somebody's last name. Another theory is that it was originally "Coony," referring to
raccoons
The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the common raccoon to distinguish it from other species, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of , and a body weight of . ...
. Whatever the origin, Coney Rock has been named as such for around three centuries.
There are several stone walls, old pastures, an old road, and a spring left behind from a previous farm.
The ledge was clearcut during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and legend states that calls would travel from here to
Fifty Foot Cliff
Fifty Foot Cliff is a glacially carved gneiss cliff in Storrs, Mansfield, Connecticut, with views of Eastern Connecticut. It is, in reality, just over one hundred feet tall, named more for alliterative reasons than anything else. At the top of th ...
.
In 2000, there was an accidental fire.
See also
*
Fifty Foot Cliff
Fifty Foot Cliff is a glacially carved gneiss cliff in Storrs, Mansfield, Connecticut, with views of Eastern Connecticut. It is, in reality, just over one hundred feet tall, named more for alliterative reasons than anything else. At the top of th ...
*
Nipmuck Trail
The Nipmuck Trail is a '' Blue-Blazed'' hiking trail system which meanders through of forests in northeast Connecticut. It is maintained by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association and is considered one of the Blue-Blazed hiking trails. There ...
*
Joshua's Trust
Joshua's Tract Conservation and Historic Trust, or Joshua's Trust, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) land trust operating in northeast Connecticut. Joshua's Trust was incorporated in 1966 to help conserve property of significant natural or historic inter ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
Top view of Coney Rock with trail mapConey Rock Preserve trail information
Ridges of Connecticut
Landforms of Tolland County, Connecticut
Protected areas of Tolland County, Connecticut
Mansfield, Connecticut
Protected areas established in 2001