Concord River
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Concord_River_at_Old_Bridge,_Concord,_MA,_circa_1900.jpg
- For the river in Maine, see Concord River (Maine)
The Concord River is a tributary of the Merrimack River in eastern Massachusetts in the United States, approximately 15 mi (24 km) long. It drains a small rural and suburban region northwest of Boston. One the most famous small streams in U.S. history, it was the scene of an important early battle of the American Revolutionary War and was the subject of a famous 19th century essay by Henry David Thoreau.
Description
It is formed in Middlesex County on the eastern edge of the town of Concord by the confluence of the Sudbury and Assabet rivers. It flows generally north, along the northwestern edge of the Boston metropolitan area, joining the Merrimack from the south on the eastern side of Lowell. It is a gently flowing stream with little variation in topography along most of its route. Its drainage basin stretches into Worcester County and includes 36 towns within Massachusetts.
The river was known as the "Musketaquid" by Native Americans. The river valley was settled in the 1630s by English colonists, who gave it the present name. On April 19, 1775, Concord Bridge over the river in the town of Concord was famously the scene of the Battle of Lexington and Concord, where the first shots were fired in the Revolutionary War (simultaneously with those at nearby Lexington). The small wooden Concord Bridge is preserved by the National Park Service.
Thoreau was a famous resident of the region in the 1840s, living at nearby Walden Pond. In 1849, he wrote his first book, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, while living at Walden Pond. The book recounted a seven-day canoe trip on the rivers with his brother John, who had since died. Thoreau recounted his exploration of the natural beauty of the river, and his accompanied thoughts on such eternal themes such as truth, poetry, travel, and friendship. Despite the growth of the suburbs in the vicinity of the river, it remains a popular canoeing destination today.
External links
- USGS: Concord River drainage basin (http://ma.water.usgs.gov/basins/concord.htm)
- Thoreau and the Concord River (http://www.literarytraveler.com/spring/journey.htm)
- Walden.org: Thoreau's essay (http://www.walden.org/Institute/thoreau/writings/week/01_Concord_river.htm)
- Early photographs of the river (http://homepage.mac.com/sfe/henry/country_not_esta/concord-river-downstr.html)