Wooster Mountain State Park is an undeveloped public recreation area located within the city limits of

Danbury Danbury is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2022 was 87,642. It is the seventh largest city in Connecticut. Danbury is nicknamed the "Hat City ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. The

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

covers and is managed by the

Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is a state agency in the US state of Connecticut. The department oversees the state's natural resources and environment and regulates public utilities and energy policy. I ...

History

The park was established in 1920 as Connecticut's 23rd state park through an initial purchase of 100 acres. The State Park Commission adopted the name Wooster Mountain, which was not used locally, "for its historical association, as marking the mountain mass over which General avidWooster pursued British troops in their hasty retreat from Danbury" in 1777, during which General Wooster was mortally wounded. The

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

was active in the park from 1935 to 1937, clearing trees that were infected with

Dutch elm disease Dutch elm disease (DED) is caused by a member of the sac fungi (Ascomycota) affecting elm trees, and is spread by elm bark beetles. Although believed to be originally native to Asia, the disease was accidentally introduced into Americas, America ...

. The CCC's former campground forms the site of the Wooster Mountain firing range.

Activities and amenities

The park is suitable for hiking and hunting and is crossed by the Ives Trail. Target, skeet and trap shooting are offered at the Wooster Mountain State Park Cooperative Shooting Range.

References

External links

Wooster Mountain State Park
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection {{authority control State parks of Connecticut Parks in Fairfield County, Connecticut Geography of Danbury, Connecticut Protected areas established in 1920 1920 establishments in Connecticut Civilian Conservation Corps in Connecticut