The effort to turn Hartford's historic Colt gun factory into a national park is continuing.
A century and a half ago, the Colt complex was where Sam and Elizabeth Colt made the revolver. Now, it's a fundamental part of the country's industrial history, and supporters want to turn it and some of the surrounding neighborhood into a national park.
Last week, with the backing of Congressman John Larson, the measure passed the House of Representatives. This week, it's in the U.S. Senate.
Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal said he thinks the designation, which would eventually bring federal money and attention to the site, will pass. "This designation is essential to making Coltsville a destination," he said, "a historic and monumental place for America to see what the industrial revolution meant to Connecticut, what the arsenal of democracy provided to a growing American and the world, and a place that will drive new jobs, economic growth, for Hartford and Connecticut."
Blumenthal said the measure is part of a larger bill called the National Defense Authorization Act. He said a few senators have objected to the inclusion of Coltsville in a bill about defense, but he doesn't think that should stop things.
"My hope is that it will be passed in fact this week," Blumenthal said.
Coltsville is one of Hartford's enduring redevelopment projects, with students, workers, and residents sharing what was once a place to make guns.
