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The Moodus Noises

Field review by the editors.

East Haddam, Connecticut

About the only thing people can agree on when it comes to The Moodus Noises is that no one has yet figured out what makes them. Rumbling and thundering near where the Salmon and Moodus Rivers flow together, the noises have been perplexing and terrifying human listeners since before recorded history, and have variously been attributed to gas explosions, the Devil, a giant pearl blocking an underground cavern, battling witches, micro earthquakes, a horse, gneiss and mica schist rubbing together -- and the god Hobomoko, who sat on a subterranean sapphire throne and decreed all human calamity.

The area where the noises are most frequently heard is now Machimoodus State Park. "Machimoodus" in the native tongue means "place of bad noises."

The Moodus Noises

Address:
Leesville Rd, East Haddam, CT
Directions:
Hwy 2 exit 16. Drive south on Hwy 149/Westchester Rd for 7.5 miles, then continue straight on Hwy 151 for one mile to Machimoodus State Park, on the left. Park in the lot, then follow the trails a short walk south to the overlook at the confluence of the Salmon and Moodus Rivers. This is where the noises are often heard.
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