The Hoosic River, also known as the Hoosac, the Hoosick (primarily in New York) and the Hoosuck (mostly archaic), is a
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
, accessed October 3, 2011 tributary of the
Hudson River
The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...
in the northeastern
United States
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 primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. The different spellings are the result of varying transliterations of the river's original
Algonquian name. It can be translated either as "the beyond place" (as in beyond, or east of, the Hudson) or as "the stony place" (perhaps because the river's stony bottom is usually exposed except in spring, or perhaps because local soils are so stony).
The Hoosic River
watershed is formed from tributaries originating in the
Berkshire Hills
The Berkshires () are a highland geologic region located in the western parts of Massachusetts and northwest Connecticut. The term "Berkshires" is normally used by locals in reference to the portion of the Vermont-based Green Mountains that ex ...
of
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
, the
Green Mountains
The Green Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. state of Vermont. The range runs primarily south to north and extends approximately from the border with Massachusetts to the border with Quebec, Canada. The part of the same range that is i ...
of
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
, and the
Taconic Mountains
The Taconic Mountains or Taconic Range () are a range of the Appalachian Mountains, running along the eastern border of New York State and adjacent New England from northwest Connecticut to western Massachusetts, north to central western Vermont. ...
. The main (South) Branch of the river begins on the west slope of North Mountain and almost immediately fills the man-made Cheshire Reservoir in
Berkshire County, Massachusetts. From there, the river flows north, west, and northwest, through the towns of
Cheshire and
Adams, the city of
North Adams, and the town of
Williamstown. It then travels through
Pownal in the southwest corner of Vermont, after which it enters
Rensselaer County
Rensselaer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 161,130. Its county seat is Troy. The county is named in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the ...
,
New York. There, it flows through the towns of
Petersburgh and
Hoosick, where it passes over a
hydroelectric power
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is 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 renewable sources combined an ...
dam in the village of
Hoosick Falls
Hoosick Falls is a village in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 3,501 at the 2010 census. During its peak, in 1900, the village had a population of approximately 7,000.
The village of Hoosick Falls is near the center ...
. (There are also dams in
Johnsonville,
Valley Falls, and
Schaghticoke.) The river provides the northwest border of the town of
Pittstown, then flows through the town of
Schaghticoke with its villages of Valley Falls and Schaghticoke before it terminates at its confluence with the Hudson above the city of
Troy
Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Ç ...
.
Tributaries
![Hoosicrivermap](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Hoosicrivermap.png)
* North Branch Hoosic River
* Green River
* Little Hoosick River
*
Walloomsac River
The Walloomsac River () from the Native American name, Wal-loom-sac is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 3, 2011 tributary of the Hoosic River in the northeastern ...
- Native American name, also Wal-loom-sac
* Owl Kill
* Wampecack Creek - Native American name, also Po-quam-pa-cak
* Tomhannock - Native American name, also Tom-he-nack
** Sunkouissa Creek - Native American name, also Sank-an-is-sick
See also
*
List of rivers of Massachusetts
List of rivers of Massachusetts (U.S. state).
All Massachusetts rivers flow to the Atlantic Ocean. The list is arranged by drainage basin from north to south, with respective tributaries indented under each larger stream's name, arranged travellin ...
*
List of rivers of New York
*
List of rivers of Vermont
This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of Vermont, sorted by drainage basin, and ordered from lower to higher, with the towns at their mouths:
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River flows south towards Long Island Sound in Connecticut ...
*
Hudson–Hoosic Watershed
References
External links
Hoosic River Watershed AssociationHoosuck Chapter of Trout UnlimitedHoosic River Nature Trail in Williamstown
{{authority control
Tributaries of the Hudson River
Rivers of New York (state)
Rivers of Vermont
Rivers of Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Rivers of Washington County, New York
Rivers of Rensselaer County, New York
Rivers of Bennington County, Vermont
Rivers of Massachusetts
New York placenames of Native American origin
Vermont placenames of Native American origin