The Willimantic River is a
tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...
of 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 ...
, approximately 25 mi (40 km) long in northeastern
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 ...
in the
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 ...
region of the United States.
It is formed in northern
Tolland County
Tolland County is a county in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, its population was 149,788. It is incorporated into 13 towns and was originally formed on 13 October 1785 from portions of eastern H ...
, near
Stafford Springs by the confluence of Middle River and Furnace Brook. It flows south to the city of
Willimantic, where it joins the
Natchaug River
The Natchaug River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 river in Windham and Tolland Counties in northeastern Connecticut. The name ''Natchaug'' comes from ...
to form the Shetucket. It is joined by the
Hop River
The Hop River is a river that runs through Tolland County, Connecticut. The Hop River's marshy source is just southeast of Bolton Notch, Connecticut. It flows for about to its confluence with the Willimantic River.U.S. Geological Survey. Nation ...
on the
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
,
Columbia, and
Windham town border.
Name
The word ''Willimantic'' is of
Algonquian origin, either
Mohegan-Pequot or
Narragansett. It is commonly translated as "land of the swift running water", but the word more likely originally meant "place near the evergreen swamp".
The word was first attested in English writing as ''Waramanticut'' in 1684,
and later as ''Wallamanticuk'', ''Wewemantic'' and ''Weammantuck'' before being standardized as ''Willimantic''.
Geography
Shortly upstream from its confluence with the Natchaug, the Willimantic experiences a drop of ninety feet in one mile. The river powered textile mills from Stafford Springs to Willimantic, including the
American Thread Company mill. None of these mills are operating as of 2007, having all been destroyed or converted to other uses such as apartment space.
A popular long paddling route begins south of Stafford Springs along
Route 32 where the river is mostly quickwater all of the way to the flatwater of Eagleville Pond. The remainder is fairly easy going to the take-out at
Route 66
U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...
. Beware of the dam at the
Route 275 bridge. Other access points may be at the N. River Road bridge, the
Route 74 bridge, the Depot Rd bridge, the
Route 195 bridge, the Jones Crossing bridge, the Merrow Road bridge, the
U.S. Route 44
U.S. Route 44 (US 44) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that runs for through four states in the Northeastern United States. The western terminus is at US 209 and New York State Route 55 (NY 55) in Kerhonkson, ...
bridge, Brigham bridge, near the Route 275 dam, the Depot Rd bridge, the
Route 31 bridge, and the Flanders Rd bridge.
Crossings
See also
*
List of Connecticut rivers
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
Meet the Willimantic River
Online paddling map of the Willimantic River.
{{Authority control
Rivers of Windham County, Connecticut
Rivers of Tolland County, Connecticut
Connecticut placenames of Native American origin
Windham, Connecticut
Willimantic, Connecticut
Rivers of Connecticut
Tributaries of the Thames River (Connecticut)