The Branch River is a
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
in the
U.S.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
state of
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
. It flows for approximately 16 km (10 mi). There are six dams along the river's length, including those forming the
Slatersville Reservoir
Slatersville Reservoir is a large lake in the village of Slatersville in the town of North Smithfield in Providence County, Rhode Island.
The Slatersville Reservoir was created for use by the nearby Slater family's textile mills when a "larger d ...
.
Governor's Task Force on Dam Safety and Maintenance – Final Report, January 2001
/ref> The river provided energy for many of the region's textile mill
Textile Manufacturing or Textile Engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful goods ...
s in the nineteenth century.
Course
The river is formed in Burrillville by the confluence of the Clear and Chepachet rivers. From there, it flows north to North Smithfield
North Smithfield is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States, settled as a farming community in 1666 and incorporated into its present form in 1871. North Smithfield includes the historic villages of Forestdale, Primrose, Waterfo ...
, past Slatersville
Slatersville is a village on the Branch River in the town of North Smithfield, Rhode Island, United States. It includes the Slatersville Historic District, a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The historic distr ...
and Forestdale to the Blackstone River
The Blackstone River is a river in the U.S. states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It flows approximately 48 mi (80 km) and drains a watershed of approximately 540 sq. mi (1,400 km2). Its long history of industrial use has left ...
.
Crossings
Below is a list of all crossings over the Branch River. The list starts at the headwaters and goes downstream.
*Burrillville
**Victory Highway
**Broncos Highway ( RI 102) (Twice)
**Douglas Pike ( RI 7)
*North Smithfield
**Main Street
**Railroad Street
** Rhode Island State Route 146
**Great Road ( RI 146A)
Tributaries
Trout and Dawley Brooks are the Branch River's only named tributaries, though it has many unnamed streams that also feed it.
See also
*List of rivers in Rhode Island
This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Rivers in bold are considered major rivers either geographically or historically.
By stream network
All rivers eventually empty into the Atlantic Ocean. Rivers are listed in order from we ...
References
*Maps from the United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...
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Rivers of Providence County, Rhode Island
Rivers of Rhode Island
Tributaries of Providence River