WELCOME TO
HOG RIVER JOURNAL
From the Publisher

This state continues to amaze me.  Issue after issue, I learn something that enriches my life and deepens my appreciation for the Nutmeg State. 

Our latest issue is on the theme “Ages & Stages” and explores how the issues of youth, midlife, and old age have changed over time.  It’s a special issue in more ways than one. 

First, we have some high profile writers and contributors:  Photographer Walter Wick, of the “I Spy” and “Can You See What I See” puzzle book series, created a photo puzzle of objects in the Hartford History Collection just for us (share your own riddle based on the image here)—it’s the issue’s “centerfold”; Katherine Ott, curator for the National Museum of American History writes on how we’ve historically viewed aging; and Bon Appetit contributor and author Rand Richards Cooper contributes a charming piece about the "generational transfer" of his mother’s recipes. (See below for more on what’s in the issue—or check out the table of contents).

Second, the summer issue is a collaboration with the Hartford History Center at Hartford Public Library and the Amistad Center for Art & Culture’s Age in America project.  Hartford is one of only three sites in the U.S. to receive national funding.  The Library and Amistad Center have a series of outdoor banners flying along Main Street and a special exhibition on view this summer and our issue expands on the theme.

Also contributing to the issue are “local heroes” Gene Leach of Trinity College, who answers the question of whether our definition of the American Dream has changed from that of our founding fathers’; CHS curator Susan Schoelwer offers up the details on an exquisite piece of needlework depicting three stages of life; and UConn professor emeritus Bruce Stave offers a terrific “how-to” on capturing oral histories. 

What’s up next?  For Fall, we’re going to bat for Connecticut’s sports history.  From the oldest high school football rivalry, to the history of women’s basketball, to a look back at the Whalers, we’re predicting the issue will be a fan favorite.

I invite you to join me by subscribing.  Begin your exploration of Connecticut history today.  You’ll enjoy one good story after another!

Elizabeth Normen

What’s Hog River Journal All About?

HRJ is all about connecting our past to our present and future. Wonder how we got to where we are today? HRJ explores that question and links readers back to the State’s past innovators, reformers, artists, and just plain folk; to epic events and private moments; to major monuments and objects of everyday life.

You'll learn about the state's incredible collections and archives from historians, curators, and history buffs who are passionate about their topics, topics that include medicine, business, the arts, cultural customs, politics, pastimes, preservation, architecture, technology and more!

Our readers love how each issue is organized around a theme and yet there's also surprising variety. Each issue offers an illuminating photo essay, oral histories, stunning museum objects, must-see destinations, plus four in-depth feature stories.

What’s the Hog River?

Readers often tell us about their childhood escapades swimming in the Hog River--the river that inspired this magazine. HOG RIVER JOURNAL is named for the capital city's "Little River," known more commonly years ago as the Hog River for the pig farms, tanneries, and tenements that used it to flush waste away. In the mid-1800s, city leaders renamed it the Park River to better reflect the beauty of the new Bushnell Park. But by any name, this tiny tributary had a penchant for overflowing its banks, and it was buried in twin concrete conduits under the city in the early 1940s. Read more about this storied waterway in A River Runs Under It: A Hog River History.

Letters from our readers...

Read what our readers have shared about their experiences with the Hog River, beginning with HRJ's publisher's own experience as related in the Feb/Mar/Apr 2004 issue.

Click here for letters.