What Connecticut community has been known by the names Pootatuck, Coram, Ripton, and Huntington? Shelton has. Each name reflects a different period in the city's history and illustrates its growth from Native American settlement, to farming community, to industrial powerhouse, to the high-tech suburb of today. Uniquely situated along the Housatonic River, Shelton is a part of Fairfield County, as well as being historically connected to the Housatonic River Valley.

Shelton speaks of leisurely days on the shores of the Housatonic, the bustling traffic and thunderous factories along the canal,...