Peoples State Forest facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Peoples State Forest |
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The forest's entranceway
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 Peoples State Forest
Location in Connecticut
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| Location | Barkhamsted, Connecticut, United States |
| Area | 3,059 acres (12.38 km2) |
| Elevation | 856 ft (261 m) |
| Designation | Connecticut state forest |
| Established | 1924 |
| Administrator | Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection |
| Website | Peoples State Forest |
Peoples State Forest is a Connecticut state forest occupying 3,059 acres (1,238 ha) along the West Branch Farmington River opposite American Legion State Forest in the town of Barkhamsted. It is managed for forest products, wildlife habitat, and recreational uses that include hiking, hunting, fishing, and snowmobiling.
History
The forest was dedicated in October 1924 with a riverside pageant attended by Governor Templeton and another 3,000 persons. The Civilian Conservation Corps made recreational improvements in the 1930s through the laying out of roads and trails and construction of a nature museum with an interior made of chestnut from trees killed by blight.
Activities and amenities
- Nature museum
The park features the Peoples State Forest Nature Museum, a stone-faced building built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The museum's focus on native flora and fauna includes animal mounts and skulls, minerals and insect specimens along with displays concerning area pioneers, Native Americans, logging, quarrying, and the Civilian Conservation Corps. The museum was open from 1935 to 1942. It reopened in 1992 under the name the Stone Museum. The name was changed back to the Peoples State Forest Nature Museum in 2007.
- Trails
The forest has about ten miles (16 km) of trails in the blue-blazed Peoples State Forest Trails system.
