History Bites | Send On My Compass and Chain: Surveying Connecticut’s Western Reserve

Surveying parties were among the first new arrivals to set foot in the Western Reserve, a territory in the northeast of present-day Ohio that was claimed by Connecticut in the years after the Revolutionary War. Tasked with measuring the land and dividing it into townships, the surveyors created some of the earliest descriptions of the Reserve, its landscape, and the region’s Indigenous inhabitants. In this talk, Alex Dubois examines the process of surveying “New Connecticut” and the successes, challenges, and tragedies experienced by surveying parties. Specific focus is given to surviving surveyor journals.

$5 suggested donation. Snacks and refreshments provided.

About the Speaker

Alex Dubois is an exhibit developer at the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History. He was previously the curator at the Litchfield Historical Society, where he curated the exhibition, To Come to a Land of Milk and Honey: Litchfield and the Connecticut Western Reserve, a major two-year show examining the Reserve’s lasting legacy and the experiences of the men, women, and children affected by westward migration. The exhibition received an Award of Merit from the Connecticut League of Museums in 2024. Dubois has a BA in European History from Stonehill College and a MA in History Museum Studies from the Cooperstown Graduate Program.