Willimantic River
River in Connecticut, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Willimantic River is a tributary of the Shetucket River, approximately 25 miles (40 km) long in northeastern Connecticut in the New England region of the United States.
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| Willimantic River | |
|---|---|
The Willimantic River flows past the old American Thread Company mill in Willimantic. | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Connecticut |
| Counties | Tolland, Windham, New London |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Confluence of Middle River and Furnace Brook |
| • location | Stafford Springs, Tolland County, Connecticut, United States |
| • coordinates | 41°57′09″N 72°18′07″W[1] |
| Mouth | Confluence with Natchaug River to form Shetucket River |
• location | Willimantic, Windham County, Connecticut, United States |
• coordinates | 41°42′46″N 72°11′30″W[2] |
| Length | 25 mi (40 km) |
Basin size | 225 sq mi (580 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | Coventry, CT |
| • average | 216 cu ft/s (6.1 m3/s)Average, 1931-2005 |
| • minimum | 97.9 cu ft/s (2.77 m3/s)Annual mean, 1965 |
| • maximum | 370 cu ft/s (10 m3/s)Annual mean, 1938 |
It is formed in northern Tolland County, 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 to form the Shetucket. It is joined by the Hop River on the Coventry, Columbia, and Windham town border.[3] The river is also designated as a National Recreation Trail.[4]
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".[5] The word was first attested in English writing as Waramanticut in 1684,[6] and later as Wallamanticuk, Wewemantic and Weammantuck before being standardized as Willimantic.[7]
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.[8]
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. Beware of the dam at the Route 275 bridge. Other access points may be at the North River Road Bridge, the Route 74 Bridge, the Depot Road Bridge, the Route 195 Bridge, the Jones Crossing Bridge, the Merrow Road bridge, the U.S. Route 44 bridge, Brigham Bridge, near the Route 275 dam, the Depot Road Bridge, the Route 31 Bridge, and the Flanders Road Bridge.[8]
Crossings
| County | Town | Carrying |
|---|---|---|
| Windham | Windham | Closed Bridge (Connected to ATC Mill 04.) |
| The Garden Bridge (Former Jillson Bridge) | ||
| South Street (Frog Bridge) | ||
 New England Central Railroad
| ||
| Willimantic Footbridge | ||
 Route 32 | ||
| Windham/Tolland | Windham/Columbia |  Air Line State Park Trail |
 Route 66 | ||
| Windham/Coventry | .svg){kind=small} US 6 (Willimantic Bypass) | |
| Tolland | Mansfield/Coventry | Flanders Road |
 Route 31 | ||
| New England Central Railroad | ||
| Depot Road | ||
| New England Central Railroad | ||
 Route 275 | ||
| Plains Road | ||
| Merrow Road | ||
| Mansfield/Tolland |  Route 195 | |
| Willington/ | New England Central Railroad | |
| South River Road/Depot Road | ||
 Route 74 | ||
 I-84 | ||
| New England Central Railroad | ||
| Route 32 | ||
| Ellington/Willington | New England Central Railroad | |
| Stafford |  Private Drive |
