North Branch Park River Watershed Marker

I’ve seen this mysterious marker sitting all by itself in the middle of an empty field for quite a while. I wondered «what was it?» «Why is it there?» Did colonial soldiers march through here on the way to Boston? Did Civil War troops enlist here? Was this a safe house stop on the Underground Railroad to Canada? Did a meteor plummet to Earth here? Was something important invented here? Well, today I stopped to see what all of my speculation was about.
It was just about water! It marks a 28-​square mile watershed with a dam and a reservoir that provides much of the drinking water for Hartford. The plaque’s inscription talks about «drainage area» and «volume of fill» and «watershed protection».
Yes, drinking water is pretty important in the scheme of things. But just between you and me, I was hoping that the plaque commemorated something a little more sexy !!