The Ashuelot River is a tributary of the

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...

, approximately long, in southwestern

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

in the

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. It drains a mountainous area of , including much of the area known as the

Monadnock Region The Monadnock Region is a region in southwestern New Hampshire. It is named after Mount Monadnock, a 3,165 foot isolated mountain, which is the dominant geographic landmark in the region. Although it has no specific borders, the Monadnock Region i ...

. It is the longest tributary of the Connecticut River within New Hampshire.

Etymology

''Ashuelot'' is a Native American word meaning "collection of many waters".

Course

The Ashuelot River rises out of

Butterfield Pond Butterfield may refer to: * Butterfield (surname) * Butterfield Market Places * Butterfield, Dublin, a suburb and List of townlands of County Dublin, townland of Dublin, Ireland * Butterfield Green, Luton, England United States * Butterfield, M ...

south of Sunapee Mountain in

Pillsbury State Park Pillsbury State Park is a state park located mainly in Washington and partially in Goshen, New Hampshire, in the United States. It is home to the headwaters of the Ashuelot River The Ashuelot River is a tributary of the Connecticut River, ap ...

, near

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

in southeastern Sullivan County. It flows southwest through

Ashuelot Pond Ashuelot Pond is a New Hampshire GRANIT state geographic information system
water body ...

into Cheshire County, then south past Keene and Swanzey and along the east side of the Pisgah Mountains. At

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

, approximately from the

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

state line, it turns west, flowing past the village of Ashuelot and joining the Connecticut from the east at Hinsdale, in the extreme southwest corner of New Hampshire. The river is impounded to supply

hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other Renewabl ...

at Marlow, Keene, Swanzey, and Hinsdale. The river is part of the

Atlantic Salmon Restoration Program The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe and ...

of the U.S. government.

Covered bridges

The Ashuelot River has several covered bridges spanning its waters. All are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. From source to mouth: *

Carleton Bridge The Carleton Bridge (or Carlton Bridge) is a historic wooden covered bridge that carries Carlton Road over the South Branch Ashuelot River in East Swanzey, New Hampshire. The bridge was built in 1869, and is the region's only surviving example of ...

N.H. #7 - Swanzey ( South Branch Ashuelot River) * Sawyers Crossing Covered Bridge N.H. #6 - Swanzey *

West Swanzey Covered Bridge The West Swanzey Covered Bridge (also known as the Thompson Bridge) is a historic wooden covered bridge carrying Main Street over the Ashuelot River in West Swanzey, New Hampshire. Built in 1832, it is one of New Hampshire's few surviving 19th-ce ...

N.H. #5 - West Swanzey * Slate Covered Bridge N.H. #4 - Swanzey * Coombs Covered Bridge N.H. #2 -

* Ashuelot Covered Bridge N.H. #1 - Ashuelot

Selected tributaries

From source to mouth: *Cherry Brook (headwaters of the Ashuelot) *Butler Brook *Abbott Brook *Grassy Brook *Dart Brook *Thompson Brook * The Branch/Beaver Brook *Ash Swamp Brook * South Branch Ashuelot River *California Brook *Wheelock Brook *

Mirey Brook Mirey Brook is a stream in northern Massachusetts and southwestern New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Ashuelot River, itself a tributary of the Connecticut River, which flows to Long Island Sound. Mirey Brook begins ...

*Broad Brook

References

External links

Keene, NH: Ashuelot River ParkAtlas of the Ashuelot River
(PDF) {{authority control Rivers of New Hampshire Tributaries of the Connecticut River Rivers of Cheshire County, New Hampshire Rivers of Sullivan County, New Hampshire New Hampshire placenames of Native American origin