The Kickamuit River (often called the ''Kickemuit River'') is a river in the states of

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

and

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...

flowing approximately .U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
, accessed April 1, 2011

History

The name ''Kickamuit'' is a Narragansett word that has numerous spellings. The river was a major traffic artery during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, and supplies traveled upriver daily. By the 1800s, oyster beds were a major revenue source, but effluent from the nearby Parker Mills and general sewage pollution killed most of the oysters by 1910. The Kickamuit River oyster industry was ended with the

1938 New England hurricane The 1938 New England Hurricane (also referred to as the Great New England Hurricane and the Long Island Express Hurricane) was one of the deadliest and most destructive tropical cyclones to strike Long Island, New York, and New England. The storm ...

. The Kickamuit River is classified as a Class A, Type II Waterway and open to both recreational activities and shell-fishing.

Course

The river's source is in Rehoboth, Massachusetts in the swamps north of Locust Street in Swansea. From here it flows due south to Swansea and into the Warren Reservoir, which drains approximately . The reservoir's dam forms the boundary between fresh and salt water. From the dam it flows generally southwest, then southeast to

Mount Hope Bay Mount Hope Bay is a tidal estuary located at the mouth of the Taunton River on the Massachusetts and Rhode Island border. It is an arm of Narragansett Bay. The bay is named after Mount Hope, a small hill located on its western shore in what is ...

, passing to the east of the center of the town of Warren, Rhode Island and ending with

Bristol, Rhode Island Bristol is a town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, US as well as the historic county seat. The town is built on the traditional territories of the Pokanoket Wampanoag. It is a deep water seaport named after Bristol, England. The population of ...

to the west and part of Warren, Rhode Island to the east. The river exits in a passage through the Bristol Narrows into Mount Hope Bay.

Crossings

Below is a list of crossings over the Kickamuit River. The list starts at the headwaters and goes downstream. *Swansea, Massachusetts **Locust Street **Reed Street ** Interstate 195 **Stephen French Road **Colletti Lane **Fall River Avenue (

U.S. 6 U.S. Route 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War Grand Army of the Republic, veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system. While it currently runs east-northeast fr ...

) **Burnside Drive **Lynnwood Road **Bushee Road *Warren, Rhode Island **Schoolhouse Road **Child Street ( RI 103)

Tributaries

Heath Brook is the Kickamuit River's only named tributary, though it has many unnamed streams that also feed it.

Gallery

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, ...

Environmental Protection Agency

External links

Kickemuit River Council
* {{authority control Rivers of Bristol County, Massachusetts Rivers of Bristol County, Rhode Island Rivers of Massachusetts Rivers of Rhode Island