![View of Quinebaug from Butts Bridge, Canterbury, CT](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/View_of_Quinebaug_from_Butts_Bridge%2C_Canterbury%2C_CT.JPG)
The Quinebaug River is a river in south-central
and eastern
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 ...
, with watershed extending into western
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 ...
. The name "Quinebaug" comes from the southern
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
Native American term, spelled variously , , etc., meaning "long pond", from , "long", and , "pond".
The river is one of the namesake rivers in the
.
Course
The river is about in length.
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
, accessed April 1, 2011 It originates from East Brimfield Lake and ponds northwest of
Sturbridge, Massachusetts
Sturbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It is home to Old Sturbridge Village living history museum and other sites of historical interest such as Tantiusques.
The population was 9,867 at the 2020 census, with mo ...
, flows generally southeast and south through
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 ...
(
Putnam,
Danielson
Danielson is an American rock band from Clarksboro, New Jersey, that plays indie pop gospel music. The group consists of frontman Daniel Smith and a number of various artists with whom he collaborates. Smith has also released solo work as Br ...
,
Plainfield,
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour.
...
and
Jewett City), the river joins Aspinook pond which begins in
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour.
...
and ends in
Jewett City. The river then continues to the
Shetucket River
The Shetucket River is a tributary of the Thames River, long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 in eastern Connecticut in the United States.
It is formed at ...
northeast of
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
. That river flows from there into the
Thames River
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...
and drains into the
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...
. It is dammed in its upper reaches at
East Brimfield Dam,
Westville Dam, and
West Thompson Lake all for flood control, as well as numerous mill dams which powered mills along the river's course. Some of these still provide hydroelectric power today.
Watershed
The Quinebaug River watershed covers , and extends into western
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 is heavily forested with 29 named streams including six major tributaries (the
French,
Moosup and
Five Mile Rivers, and the Wales, Mill and Cady brooks). The watershed also contains 54 lakes and ponds, 31 of which with an area of or more, for a total of about ; the largest is East Brimfield Reservoir in
Brimfield and
Sturbridge, in area. The watershed is home to fish species including
trout
Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salmoni ...
,
smallmouth bass,
largemouth bass
The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, but ...
,
northern pike
The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus '' Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are known simply as a ...
, and
panfish
The word panfish, also spelled pan-fish or pan fish, is an American English term describing any edible freshwater fish that usually do not outgrow the size of an average frying pan. It is also commonly used by recreational anglers to refer to a ...
. Elevations range from above sea level on
Mount Pisgah in
Wales, Massachusetts
Wales is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,838 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Wales was first settled by Europeans in 1726 an ...
, to about in
Norwich, Connecticut.
Crossings
Paddling the river
Three sections of the Quinebaug River have been designated
National Recreation Trail
The National Trails System is a series of trails in the United States designated "to promote the preservation of, public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and appreciation of the open-air, outdoor areas and historic resources of the Nati ...
s by the National Park Service, some of the first water trails to receive this designation. The sections are: Holland Pond to East Brimfield Reservoir (in Holland and Brimfield, Massachusetts), Paper Mill Dam in Dudley to West Thompson Lake, and Simonzi Park in Putnam to Aspinook Pond in Canterbury. The
East Coast Greenway
The East Coast Greenway is a pedestrian and bicycle route between Maine and Florida along the East Coast of the United States. In 2020, the Greenway received over 50 million visits.
The nonprofit East Coast Greenway Alliance was created in 1991. ...
runs along the river in some spots.
Canoe/kayak launch sites are located at the following locations:
*Pond Bridge Road, Holland
*US Route 20 boat ramp, Brimfield
*Old Mashapaug Road, Sturbridge
*West Dudley Road, Dudley
*Fabyan Road, Thompson
*West Thompson Lake boat ramp, Thompson
*Simonzi Park on Kennedy Drive, Putnam
*Route 101, Pomfret
*Riverside Park off Day Street, Brooklyn
*Town Park off Route 12, Killingly
*Quinebaug Trout Hatchery, Plainfield
*Robert Manship Park off Route 14, Canterbury
*Butts Bridge Road, Canterbury
Gallery
File:USACE Brimfield Lake and Dam.jpg, Brimfield Lake and Dam on the Quinebaug River in Hampden County, Massachusetts
File:USACE Westville Lake and Dam.jpg, Westville Lake and Dam on the Quinebaug River in Worcester County, Massachusetts
See also
*
List of rivers of Connecticut
*
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 ...
References
External links
Quinebaug Watershed Profilefrom the
Environmental Protection Agency
A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...
French and Quinebaug Rivers Watershed- profile and documents from the
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection is an agency in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, responsible for protecting the environment in the state. Its areas of resp ...
{{authority control
Rivers of Hampden County, Massachusetts
Rivers of Worcester County, Massachusetts
Rivers of New London County, Connecticut
Rivers of Windham County, Connecticut
Rivers of Tolland County, Connecticut
Rivers of Massachusetts
Rivers of Connecticut
Connecticut placenames of Native American origin
Massachusetts placenames of Native American origin
Tributaries of the Thames River (Connecticut)