As The Largest Lake In The State, Connecticut's Candlewood Lake Was A True Feat Of Engineering
By Lisa Sammons|Published May 20, 2022
×
Lisa Sammons
Author
Lisa loves animals and has dogs, rats, cats, guinea pigs, and snakes. She is passionate about animal rescue and live music - traveling across the country to see a favorite band is a pretty regular occurrence! Being out hiking in the woods enjoying the scenery with her beloved dogs is another favorite hobby, and also checking out the Pokemon Go scene in whatever city she happens to be in at any given time (coffee and dog leash in hand). You can reach Lisa at lsammons@onlyinyourstate.com
Man-made lakes are truly impressive. They’re often indistinguishable from their natural counterparts. The way that man can reshape nature is awe-inspiring, and it’s incredible to look at what was once a forest or plain but is now water. The largest lake in Connecticut is Candlewood Lake. This man-made wonder is now an important recreation area that draws thousands of tourists to the state. It took more than 1,400 workers to turn what was once a small town into a sprawling lake paradise that now provides electricity and entertainment for much of the state.
Candlewood Lake spans 8.4 square miles. The average depth is 40 feet. It's the largest lake within a 60 mile radius of New York City. This is a really big lake!
Construction on Candlewood Lake began in 1928. The lake was built by Connecticut Light and Power Company, which used Candlewood for electricity production.
This was one of the most impressive feats of engineering in Connecticut history. More than 1,500 men from the U.S. and Canada came in to work on flooding the lake with water from the Housatonic River.
There was a small town here called Jerusalem. Connecticut Light and Power Company had eminent domain rights and purchased land from the families that lived there.
A few families refused to sell their land. They were relocated and the area was flooded. It's amazing to think that underneath this massive lake lies an entire city.