Jack Drake is a unique character.

Get our free mobile app

Jack is a Danbury Meteorologist with a one-of -a-kind personality. He displayed that personality and his passion for nature over the weekend in a post about beavers. On Sunday (1/15/23) he shared the following to his Danbury Weather Facebook page:

"Danbury is nestled about 25 miles north of Long Island Sound, and is primarily lowlands between the hills of Redding and Ridgefield to the south, and the even bigger topography to the north. The geographic bowl that envelops Danbury makes it prime area for large swamps. Even some of the most popular areas in Danbury today were formerly swampland. Danbury Mall… swamp. Danbury Airport… swamp. Danbury Walmart… also swamp. You get the idea. It’s swampy.
So who lives in swamps? Beavers. Why would people want to live near the swamps? Also Beavers.
If you’ve been around Danbury long enough, you’ve heard of the world famous Danbury hat industry. It’s true; Danbury was once the global leader in hat manufacturing. Everywhere you look, there are traces of the hat industry in the local nomenclature. The Hatters, the Hat Tricks, and the “Hat City” all pay homage the hat factories of 1800s Greater Danbury.
But everyone always forgets about the largest rodent in North America and it’s immense contribution to our local economy. Our furry, water-loving, dam building friends were not only essential to the hat industry, but they themselves were the hats.
Without an insane number of these creatures roaming the woods, the local hat industry would have never boomed, and Danbury might have been just a swampier version of New Fairfield. Would I84 even run through Danbury if it wasn’t for the beaver? I think it’s up for debate.
My point is not to forget about the hats, but to remember the beavers. It was the beavers that were here first, and ultimately put Danbury on the map. Maybe, instead of Hat Tricks, it should be the Danbury Beaver Sticks."
Amen brother, massive respect to all of our beaves out there.
I respect the passion, energy and historical accuracy and I know many others will as well. Be sure to check in with the I-95 Morning Show when a weather event is on it's way to Danbury.
Whenever inclement weather is in the forecast, Jack joins us and shares what we can expect, in great detail. When there is snow in the forecast, we don't just tell you, we tell you how much, when it will come, when it will stop and even examine the quality of the snow. Jack Drake AKA "Jack On-The-Reels".

7 of Danbury's Most Interesting Signs

There is a song by Tesla and the lyrics go something like this:

"Signs Signs, everywhere there's signs blocking out the scenery breaking my mind, do this, don't do that can't you read the sign?" I think the song was actually written by a man named Les Emmerson but that is for another day. Signs can block out the scenery, disturb or even make people laugh. Danbury, CT has it's fair share of signs, these are just a bit more interesting than your average public message.

The Danbury Flood of 1869 is a Local Disaster Lost to Time

Most everyone in Danbury knows about, or has heard of the catastrophic Hat City flood of 1955 where 87 people died. On the other hand, most people we've talked to don't know about the history of the flood of 1869. In "The Place You Live" segment that aired on August 31, 2021, I-95's former News Director Mike Allen shared his research on the failure of the Upper Kohanza dam in Danbury and what it meant for the people in Downtown Danbury that day. 

More From The Wolf