Ivoryton, Connecticut: The Ivory Industry and Voluntary and Involuntary Migration in the Late Nineteenth Century

Abstract

The lower Connecticut River Valley was the site of the ivory industry in the United States commencing at the turn of the 19th century. Ultimately, two firms—Comstock, Cheney & Co. in Ivoryton and Pratt Read Co. in Deep River—came to dominate this industry. The demand for ivory resulted in environmental losses in Central and East Africa, as well as the forced displacement of many human beings. Since 75 percent of the ivory exported from this area went to these two towns in the lower valley, one can see the direct impact Ivoryton and Deep River had on the social, economic, and environmental life of Africa. The voluntary migration of people from Europe to Ivoryton and Deep River in the late 19th century to work in these factories paralleled other situations in the United States that were a result of the Industrial Revolution.