Visiting King’s Island in northern Connecticut

BY CLAIRE LYNCH

Twenty-five years ago I started driving to Enfield, Ct., to meet some friends I’d met in college at Fairfield University. I had been to other parts of Connecticut over the years but I hadn’t learned much about this northern part of the state until spending time with my old college buddies.

Bordered by Longmeadow, Mass., Enfield is 10 miles south of Springfield, Mass., in Hartford County, Ct. The town was settled in 1679 by the Pease brothers, Robert and John of the Salem, Massachusetts Bay Colony. Today Enfield is known for its many stores along Hazard Avenue which is north of Hartford and right off I-91.

One friend, Emma, lives in Suffield, Ct., so that meant crossing the Connecticut River, a mighty river that flows roughly southward for 407 miles through four states - New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut - and empties into the Long Island Sound.

With each visit to Enfield I grew increasingly fascinated with the Connecticut River and I told my friends that I wanted to photograph it. My Enfield friend, Kelly, told me about King’s Island - a small island in the middle of the Connecticut River that is accessible only by boat - and explained how we could go to the boat launch.

Arranging to meet Emma and Judy, one day we set out with my equipment and I got some scenic shots. They knew all about King’s Island but that was the first time I’d ever heard the story of this island that measures about 120 acres and was originally owned by the Native American Indians. In 1641 a Native American woman was said to have sold the island to John Lewis of Windsor, Ct.

Over the years the island has had different owners, one of them being the King family. Connecticut Light & Power, now called Eversource, purchased it in the 1950s. The company hoped to use the island and section of the river for hydroelectric power, but nothing came of it. Eversource kept the park as open public land and still maintains a page describing it.

King’s Island has been the site of religious gatherings, particularly in the 1800s when Dewitt Clinton Terry lived on and farmed a large portion of the island. Terry was a member of a religious sect that believed the world was going to end on specific dates.

More than once, the Millerites aka Adventists, gathered on the island for the anticipated final day, only to see it come and go without incident. There is still evidence of his farmhouse, barns and stone walls that can be found throughout the island.

Over the years many people have taken a canoe, a boat or a kayak across from Enfield or Suffield to King’s Island. Local fishermen have reported that carp, smallmouth bass, walleye, pike, catfish and striped bass can be caught in the waters of the Connecticut River all around King’s Island. It has been a hunting ground although now it is a wildlife management area.

King’s Island is uninhabited, clean, quiet and for the most part it is undisturbed. Surrounded by Enfield, Suffield and to the south, by Windsor Locks, some people access the island from the boat launch at 49 Parsons Road in Enfield.

The King’s Island Boat Launch has also been known as the Parsons Boat Launch. It has a long concrete ramp and a good-sized parking area. The launch is most popular during the shad season. Shad, which is in the herring family, is a great type of fish to eat. It’s very healthy for you.

There is a small picnic area and a bit of area to explore along the shore for fishing depending on water levels. There’s also a small brook to the right of the boat launch called Beemans Brook that made for some great pictures when we went there. Running east to west, it’s a pretty babbling brook with lots of fish in it.

Despite its remote location, most local residents know that for years King’s Island has been a campground. Emma said that her father, Bob, used to kayak or take a small boat to King’s Island when he was in his early 20s. He and his friend, Dylan, would camp out for the weekend or for as long as they could stay. With their backpacks filled with clothes, food and other supplies, they would head off the mainland to King’s Island.

They’d spend time fishing then cook the fish they had just caught over a campfire. They very carefully got the fire going in a pre-dug fire pit which was ideal - it was sheltered from the wind.

They’d also heat up a can of beans, drink some coffee from the Thermos they’d brought in their backpack and have some homemade pound cake for dessert. The setting was rustic and their dinner was basic but they ate a solid dinner.

Their sleeping bags were comfortable enough and looking up at the night- time stars was magical. When morning came, they took pictures of the sun’s rays bouncing off the waters of the Connecticut River. They’d hike along the mile-long walking trail and when the daylight was best, using a 35-mm camera they would take photographs of the various wildlife and nature they saw on King’s Island - the bald eagles, hawks, ducks and geese as well as the fish.

At sundown they took a lot more pictures and back home after their trip they pored over their photos, knowing they had some great mementoes.

I liked hearing Emma tell Judy, Kelly and me about her dad and Dylan’s trip to King’s Island. She was very descriptive and gave lots of details. Although they went there years ago, I doubted that the island had changed much. Seeing King’s Island and talking about it piqued my interest in going back to explore the area when the weather gets warmer. Springtime will be best - after all the snow has melted and the trees and the flowers are in full bloom.