The Woonasquatucket River (pronounced , Algonquian for "where the salt water ends") is a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

in the

U.S. 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 ...

state of

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 flows approximately U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed April 1, 2011 and drains a watershed of . Together with the

Blackstone River The Blackstone River is a river in the U.S. states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It flows approximately 48 mi (80 km) and drains a watershed of approximately 540 sq. mi (1,400 km2). Its long history of industrial use has left ...

to the north, the Woonasquatucket was designated an

American Heritage River American Heritage Rivers were designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency in the 1990s to receive special attention (coordinating efforts of multiple governmental entities) to further three objectives: natural resource and envir ...

in 1998. Both rivers played active roles in the

industrial revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

and the history of

in the 19th century. Evidence of this industrial history remains in the fact that there are 18 dams along the river's length.Governor’s Task Force on Dam Safety and Maintenance – Final Report, January 2001
/ref>

Course

The river begins in the swamps west of Primrose Pond in

North Smithfield North Smithfield is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States, settled as a farming community in 1666 and incorporated into its present form in 1871. North Smithfield includes the historic villages of Forestdale, Primrose, Waterfo ...

and runs southeast past Primrose Pond to Stillwater Reservoir. Below the reservoir, the river continues southeast, providing water to numerous ponds, until going under

Providence Place Providence Place is an American shopping mall in Providence, Rhode Island. With of gross leasable area, it has been the largest shopping mall in Rhode Island since it opened in 1999. As of 2022, the mall is anchored by Macy's, and Boscov's, an ...

mall and joining the

Moshassuck River The Moshassuck River is a river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 from the town of Lincoln to the city of Provide ...

in front of the

One Citizens Plaza One Citizens Plaza is a 13-story office building in Providence, Rhode Island situated at the confluence of the Moshassuck and Woonasquatucket Rivers. It is the headquarters of Citizens Bank. Standing at , One Citizens Plaza is tied with the Br ...

building in downtown

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

to form the

Providence River The Providence River is a tidal river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows approximately 8 miles (13 km). There are no dams along the river's length, although the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier is located south of downtown to protect th ...

. The lower part of the river, below Rising Sun Dam in

Olneyville Olneyville is a neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island bordered by Atwells Avenue to the north, U.S. Route 6 to the south and Rhode Island Route 10 to the east. The Woonasquatucket River runs through the southern portion of the neighborhood. ...

tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...

. East of

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1, US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between M ...

, the Woonasquatucket's original riverbed no longer exists and it has been diverted into a man-made channel underneath

Mall and through

Waterplace Park Waterplace Park is an urban park situated along the Woonasquatucket River in downtown Providence, Rhode Island at the original site of the Great Salt Cove. Finished in 1994, Waterplace Park is connected to 3/4 mile of cobblestone-paved pedestrian ...

. In

, the Woonasquatucket River is also used as part of

Waterfire WaterFire is a sculpture by Barnaby Evans presented on the rivers of downtown Providence, RI. It was first created by Evans in 1994 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of First Night Providence, and has since become a free public art installation. ...

Crossings

Below is a list of all 29 crossings over the Woonasquatucket River. The list starts at the headwaters and goes downstream. *North Smithfield **Greenville Road ( RI 5/ 104) **Douglas Pike ( RI 7) *Smithfield **Farnum Pike (RI 5/104) **Old Forge Road ** Farnum Pike (RI 5/104) **George Washington Highway ( RI 116) **Capron Road **Whipple Avenue **Farnum Pike (RI 104) **Esmond Street **Esmond Mill Drive *North Providence **Angell Avenue **Putnam Pike ( U.S. 44) **Allendale Avenue *Johnston **Greenville Avenue (Greenville Avenue becomes Manton Avenue as it crosses the river) *Providence **Glenbridge 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 ...

(Twice) **Manton Avenue **Delaine Street **Valley Street **Atwells Avenue **Eagle Street **Acorn Street **Dean Street **Bath Street **

**Francis Street **Exchange Street **Steeple Street (U.S. 44 Eastbound)

History

Woonasquatucket River Greenway Providence

The river was an important transportation route for native peoples, especially for connecting various tribes of the Algonquian nation to what is now the

and the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

beyond. The area now known as Federal Hill in

was an important meeting place along the river for bands of the Narragansett and

Wampanoag The Wampanoag , also rendered Wôpanâak, are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands based in southeastern Massachusetts and historically parts of eastern Rhode Island,Salwen, "Indians of Southern New England and Long Island," p. 17 ...

tribes. Known as Nocabulabet (pronounced "nok-a-BUL-a-bet"; thought to be an early settlers version of an Algonquian phrase meaning "hill above the river" or "place between the ancient waters"),Native Languages of the Americas: Narragansett (Nipmuc)
/ref> this was a place where tribes gathered for trading and harvest festivals. Some believe it was also used as a vantage point to watch for marauding tribes approaching from

Narragansett Bay Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound covering , of which is in Rhode Island. The bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor and includes a small archipelago. Sma ...

Tributaries

In addition to many unnamed tributaries, the following brooks and rivers feed the Woonasquatucket: *Latham Brook * Stillwater River *Harris Brook *Hawkins Brook * Assapumpset Brook

Notes

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, ...

External links

Blackstone and Woonasquatucket Rivers
at American Heritage Rivers {{authority control American Heritage Rivers Rivers of Providence County, Rhode Island Geography of Providence, Rhode Island Rivers of Rhode Island Tributaries of Providence River