Carol A. Haberkern

Connecticut

I Save A TreeElectronic Books

"Qui transtulit sustinet"

Hartford

C 2003 I Save A Tree Inc.

(He who transplanted still sustains)

The United States of America

ISBN# 0-9714299-1-X

Table of Contents

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

Location 5

History before statehood 7

History since statehood 9

State government 11

State flag 13

Current facts 15

Industry today 17

State landmarks 19

Weather and land 21

Animals in Connecticut 23

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

__________________________________

State bird 25

State tree 27

State flower 29

Famous people from Connecticut 31

Things to do in Connecticut 33

Popular sports in Connecticut 35

Fast facts 37

Glossary 39

Web sites / books for information 41

Index 43

Credits 45

Location

_______________________6

_______________________

Hartford

Connecticut is a northern and aNew England state. It is located in thenortheastern part of the UnitedStates.. New York borders it on thewest and Massachusetts to the north.The state of Rhode Island lies to itseast. The southeastern part ofConnecticut is on Long Island Sound.

Hartford is the capital. It is locatedin the northern part of the state.

HistoryBefore Statehood

_______________________

_______________________

8

Colonial clothing

Native American

When the Dutch arrived in 1614,there were several Native Americantribes living in the area. The first English

colonists moved intoConnecticut fromMassachusetts in1633.

After more colonistsarrived, they formedtheir owngovernment.England taxed the13 colonies but thecolonies revolted. The RevolutionaryWar (1775-1783) began. The colonieswon the war.

HistorySince Statehood

Union Soldiers

_______________________10

_______________________

Factory construction

In 1788, Connecticut becamethe 5th state of the Union. It was amanufacturing state.. Factories madeguns, cloth, clocks, tools and hats.During the CivilWar (1861-1865),Connecticutfought againstslavery.. Itsfactories madewar supplies forthe Union.

In the early 1900snew immigrantstook jobs infactories. AfterWorld War II(1939-1945),many residentsworked in New York City. InterstateHighway 95 was built to get themthere easier.

Government

Gov. John J. Rowland

_______________________

_______________________

12

State capitol building

The state government of Connecticutis divided into three branches.. Thelegislative branch is called the General

Assembly.. It makesthe laws.. The GeneralAssembly has twoparts, the Senate andthe House of Rep-resentatives.

Governor John G.Rowland is headof the executivebranch. Thisbranch is incharge of carrying out the laws.. Thethird branch is the judicial branch.This branch interprets the laws.

Connecticut has 8 counties. Eachcounty has a local government.

State Flag

_______________________

_______________________

14

The back-ground ofConnecticut'sflag is azure blue.A white shieldwith three grapevines is in the center.Each grapevine has three bunches ofpurple grapes. A white ribbon belowthe shield has the state motto "He

who transplanted sustains us"written on it. The vines stand for theEnglish settlements that beganto appear inConnecticut inthe 1600s. Thestate flag wasadopted in1897.

Current Facts

_______________________

_______________________

16

The Fundamental Orders

Hartford

A bout 3,405,565people live in Connect-icut. The state is

ranked the 29th largest state for thenumber of people living in it. Connect-icut covers 4,845 square miles.. It ranks48th in total area.

The state'snickname is the"ConstitutionState." The nickname comes from thestate having the first writtenconstitution, a document known as"The Fundamental Orders".

IndustryToday

Nuclear submarine

_______________________

_______________________18

Blueberries

Today, Connect-icut is still a bigmanufacturingstate.. Companiesmanufacture

airplane parts, soaps, computers andtools for scientists.. Nuclear submarinesare built in Groton.. The state has over 100

insurance companies.

Trade is important in the ports ofBridgeport, New Haven and NewLondon.. Farms produce apples, blue-berries and pears.They raise dairycows and chickens.Tourism createsjobs in hotels andrestaurants. Fishingis an important

industry along the coast.

Landmarks

_______________________

Dinosaur park

20

_______________________

Old lighthouse

Dinosaurs onceroamed Connect-icut.. At DinosaurState Park, visitorscan see dinosaurtracks that are millions of years old.Visitors can climb Heublein Tower inTalcott Mountain State Park and seefour states.

Nature can be enjoyed on theAppalachian National Scenic Trail.The old lighthouse on SheffieldIsland is anotherwell-knownlandmark.. It canbe reached byriding a ferryfrom Norwalk.

Weather & Land

_______________________

22

_______________________

Connecticut woods

Snowy river

Connecticut haswarm humidsummers. Winterscan be cold in themountains with alot of snow.. Summer

temperatures average 71°, and wintertemperatures average 26° Fahrenheit.Average precipitation is 47 inches.

In the middle of the state is theConnecticut Valley.. Connecticut hasmountains, hills,valleys, coast-land and islands.Many riversflow throughthe state.

Animals

In Connecticut

_______________________

Sperm whale

_______________________

Pheasant

24

The sperm whale was named thestate animal in 1975.. It was chosen forthe role it played in the state's whalinghistory.. White-tailed deer, rabbits, foxes

and coyotes roamthe forests.. Otters and muskrats make theirhomes in riversand streams.

Birds like wildturkeys, ruffledgrouse, pheasants,orioles, warblersand bluebirds arecommon. Manyreptiles, like turtles and snakes, live inthe woods and fields.

State Bird

_______________________

Robin

_______________________

26

Robin family

The Americanrobin (Turdusmigratorius) wasnamed the state

bird in 1943.. Each spring many robinsreturn to Connecticut. In the winter,most of them fly to warmer areas.

The male has a red breast and blackwings. The female is duller in color.Robin eggs areblue.. Sometimesthe color is calledsky blue.. Robinsare strong singers.

State Tree

_______________________

Oak tree

Oak leaf and acorn

_______________________

28

In 1947, the whiteoak (Quercus alba)was named thestate tree ofConnecticut. In thefall the leaves turn

red. Acorns grow on oak trees. Theyprovide food for many animals duringthe winter months. This tree issometimes called the "Charter Oak Tree."

During colonialtimes, the oaktree becamefamous forhiding a charter that the British gaveto Connecticut. The colonists hid it inthe trunk of a giant white oak.The English soldiers didn't find it.

State Flower

_______________________

Mountain laurel

Mountain laurel

the spring. The blossoms can be pink orwhite. The flowers are shaped likeshallow cups.. Inthe spring thewoods are coveredwith these flowers.The leaves arepoisonous tosome animals.

_______________________

30

The mountainlaurel (Kalmialatifolia) wasnamed the stateflower of

Connecticut in 1907. Mountain laurelbushes are evergreen. They bloom in

Famous People

_______________________

Barnum and Bailey Circus

_______________________

32

George Bush

George Walker Bush, the 41stPresident, grew up in Greenwich.

Circus showmanPhineas T. Barnumwas born in Bethel.He helped start theRingling BrothersBarnum and BaileyCircus. Harriet

Beecher Stoweand Ethan Allenwere born inLitchfield.. Stowewrote Uncle Tom'sCabin. During the Revolutionary War,Allen was the leader of the GreenMountain Boys.. Figure skater Dorothy

Hamill was also born in Conneticut.

Things to Do

In Connecticut

_______________________

Children's museum

_______________________

34

Skiing

Connecticut hasmany museumsto visit. Visitors

can walkinside a full-size

model of a whale in the ScienceCenter of Connecticut.. Over 1,400clocks and watches are on display inthe American Clock and Watch Museum.

One of America's oldest art museumsis in Hartford.. In Groton, visitors canboard the firstnuclear submarine.Swimming, sailing,hiking, skiing andcamping are alsopopular activities.

SportsIn Connecticut

_______________________

Ski jumping

36

_______________________

Baseball

Snow skiingis a big sport inConnecticut. EachFebruary the U.S.Eastern Ski Jumping

Championships are held in Salisbury.Connecticut has no professional footballteams, but college football is popular. The Harvard-Yale game is considered the

biggest gameplayed each year.Baseball is also enjoyed. Several minor-league baseball teamsin the state.. Each August, the Pilot PenInternational tennis tournament isheld at Yale University.

Fast Facts

38_______________________

Governor : John G. RowlandCapital : HartfordSize: 4,845 square miles, 48th in the U.S.Population : 3,405,565, 29th in the U.S.Major cities: Bridgeport, New HavenHartford Stamford, WaterburyNickname : "Constitution State"State bird: American robinState animal : sperm whaleState tree : white oakState flower: mountain laurelState song : "Yankee Doodle"State motto : "Qui transtulit sustinet"(He who transplanted still sustains)

Connecticut woods

Hartford

Glossary

_______________________

_______________________

40

azure, a deep, clear blue.charter, a piece of paper that lists the rights of people.circus, a traveling show with tents.insurance, a business that secures against a loss in return for premiums paid.nuclear , power that comes from splitting atoms.

port, a place where boats can safelydock.precipitation, moisture in the form of rain or snow.shallow, not deep.sound, a narrow strip of waterbetween the mainland and an island.

Links & BooksFor more information

42

Link1Link2Link3Link4

Visit our website @ www.isaveatree.com

________________

TITLE: ConnecticutAUTHOR: Anne WelsbacherPUBLISHER: ABDO & DaughtersCOPYRIGHT: 1998

TITLE: Connecticut Facts and SymbolsAUTHOR: Emily McAuliffePUBLISHER: Capstone PressCOPYRIGHT: 1999

TITLE: ConnecticutAUTHOR: Sylvia McNairPUBLISHER: Children's PressCOPYRIGHT: 1999

_______________________

Index _______________________

44

Allen, Ethan, 32

Bush, George Walker, 31

"Charter Oak Tree," 27

Civil War, 9

clock, 9, 33

dinosaur, 19

Groton, 17, 34

Hartford, 5, 17, 34

Interstate 95, 10

laurel,mountain, 29

oak, white, 27, 28

Revolutionary War, 8, 32

robin, 25, 26

Rowland, John G., 12

Stowe, Harriet Beecher, 32

submarine, 17, 34

whale, sperm, 23

World War II, 10

Credits

_______________________46I Save A Tree Inc. reserves the right to remove or exchange any

photo/illustration at any time without notice.

Written by

Carol A. Haberkern

Produced by

Robert Rance

Technologies

Doug Meyers

Design

Dan Mader

Edited by

Linda Coyner

Photo creditsConnecticut Department of NaturalResourceswww.arttoday.com