Trap Rock Ridges

	These ridges were formed as a result of volcanic activity during the Jurassic Age, between 170 and 210 million years ago. As the lava flow cooled, it shrank and fractured, forming the hard, durable trap rock. The name "trap" comes from a Swedish term which means "step". The natural layers of this basaltic rock appear to be much like stairs.
	About 20,000 years ago, during the Great Ice Age, masses of boulders or till was dumped along the coast as the glacier melted and receded. Soft earth was also scraped and molded by this glacial action. The earth around the hard trap rock was scraped away, leaving the tall ridges we see today. Melt water from the glacier created great rivers like the Mill and Quinnipiac, and numerous underground springs. Cold Spring School was named after one of these springs located in East Rock Park.
The story of Sleeping Giant begins long ago when only the Quinnipiac Indians lived on the shores of the land we now know as New Haven. At this time the Conneticut River came straight through Conneticut and ended out in New Haven. Now the Quinnipiac's believed in Hobbomock (Hob-bo-mock) the god of evil, and Kietan (Kiet-en) his twin brother who is the god of good. Now these brothers liked oysters a lot, so the Quinnipiacs gave them offerings of the oysters in the Connecticut River to please them. Now Kietan was very pleased, but Hobbomock was not. So he stamped his foot (which is very big and powerful) in somewhere by Middletown. When he stamped his foot it changed the whole course of the Connecticut River to the east so the Quinnipiac's could not get any oysters. Now the Quinnipiacs and Kietan where not happy about this so with the Quinnipiacs' help, Kieten put a spell on Hobbomock which made him go to sleep. So Hobbomock, The Sleeping Giant has been frozen there ever since.