The Konkapot River is a
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
, accessed April 1, 2011 river in southwestern
and northern
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
. It is a tributary of the
Housatonic River
The Housatonic River ( ) is a river, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United S ...
, not to be confused with the smaller Konkapot Brook in Stockbridge (another Housatonic tributary).
The river was named for Captain John Konkapot, an Indian chief.
The Konkapot River begins at
Lake Garfield
Lake Garfield is a lake located about north of the center of Monterey, off Route 23 in Berkshire County, Massachusetts.
Overview
At the furthest western point of the lake near Tyringham Road, a public boat ramp and parking lot can be found. ...
() in
Monterey, Massachusetts
Monterey is a small town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,095 at the 2020 census.
History
Prior to settlement by European-Americ ...
, and the stream from
Lake Buel
Lake Buel is a great pond in Berkshire County, Massachusetts just south of Route 57 and east of Great Barrington. It is surrounded by over one-hundred summer homes and a few dozen year-round homes in about a dozen separate, tight-knit neighbo ...
feeds into the Konkapot about downstream in
Hartsville (). It then runs south to the Connecticut border near East
Sheffield, Massachusetts
Sheffield is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,327 at the 2020 census. Sheffield is home to Berkshire School, a private prepa ...
(), and then primarily west to its confluence with the
Housatonic River
The Housatonic River ( ) is a river, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United S ...
in
Ashley Falls, Massachusetts
Sheffield is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,327 at the 2020 census. Sheffield is home to Berkshire School, a private pr ...
(). About of the river are within Massachusetts, with the remainder in Connecticut.
The river powered mills in Monterey and several villages of
New Marlborough, Massachusetts
New Marlborough is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,528 at the 2020 census. New Marlborough consists of five villages: Clayto ...
, including grist and cider mills, a box factory, and three major paper mills. As many as 15 mills were built along one three-mile stretch, although they did not operate simultaneously. It still suffers from mercury pollution.
See also
*
List of rivers of Connecticut
Most of Connecticut's rivers flow into Long Island Sound and from there the waters mix into the Atlantic Ocean. A few extremely eastern rivers flow into Block Island Sound. The list is arranged by drainage basin from east to west, with respective t ...
References
External links
Housatonic Valley Association
{{authority control
Rivers of Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Rivers of Hartford County, Connecticut
New Marlborough, Massachusetts
Monterey, Massachusetts
Sheffield, Massachusetts
Rivers of Massachusetts
Rivers of Connecticut
Tributaries of Housatonic River