Driving up Whitney Avenue between Hamden and Cheshire today, we
take for granted the easy passage, and most of us probably have no idea that
three hundred years ago it would have been impossible. When the early settlers
of the New Haven Colony explored the area, they found huge rocky cliffs barring
the way. The eastern slopes of York Hill and the head of Sleeping Giant met at
the Mill River just where the small dam is today, allowing no one to pass
except on foot.
Called “The Steps,” the rock formation was a formidable
barrier, known only to hunters, shepherds, and the remaining Quinnipiac
Indians. However, shortly after Joel Munson built his mill at the spot, he
carved a daunting cart path over the rocks, allowing the slow passage of horses
and eventually carts. Throughout the 1700s, occasional gunpowder explosives
were used to improve and widen this path. Bellamy’s Tavern was built in 1743 to
provide sustenance and lodging for the Cheshire merchants who now used the road
to reach New Haven.
When the Farmington Canal was built in the 1820s,
the rock needed to be blasted further, down to level ground in some places.
Then, when the railroad came through two decades later, more rock was carved
away. In the 20th century, the modernization of Whitney Avenue
required more blasting, and more leveling, taking the still sizable hill on
which sat Kimberly’s famous store stood and flattening it. All this took
incredible efforts in the days before modern earth moving machines and
nitroglycerine-based explosives.
Today, as the most modern construction finishes up
at the intersection of West Woods, Mount Carmel, and Whitney Avenues, take a
look around. Perhaps imagine yourself in a tunnel beneath the eastern arm of
York Hill, because where the People’s Bank and Hair on Broadway are situated in
space was deep underground until very recently. The difficult work done to
widen the area and cut through the bedrock is only a fraction of the total done
over the centuries.
Three hundred years ago, your car would have never
made it, even with four wheel drive.