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Park River (Connecticut)

January 01, 1970

41°45′36.1″N 72°39′52.7″W / 41.760028°N 72.664639°W / 41.760028; -72.664639

The original course of the Park River is visible in this 1824 survey map of Hartford

The Park River is a tributary of the Connecticut River in Hartford, Connecticut. It was officially named the Park River in 1892 after Bushnell Park, through which it flowed in downtown Hartford. A local newspaper had advocated for that name rather than the “’Hog River’” name which was then in use.[1][2] Between 1940 and the 1980s, the 2.3-mile (3.7 km) river was buried by the Army Corps of Engineers to prevent the spring floods regularly caused by increased surface runoff from urban development.[3]

History edit

 
The confluence of the Park River and the Connecticut River

Before European settlement, several indigenous Algonquian peoples, including the Wangunk or Wongunk, Saukiog or Suckiaug, Podunk, and Tunxis peoples lived on the fertile banks of the Connecticut and Park rivers.[4] In 1633, fur traders from the Dutch West India Company set up Fort Goede Hoop at the Park and Connecticut rivers' confluence. The Dutch referred to the Connecticut River as the "Great River", and called its tributary, the Park, the "Little River".[5]

The first English settlers arrived in the area in 1635; the following year, the Reverend Thomas Hooker led 100 of his congregation to form a new settlement north of the Dutch fort. The first mill in the settlement was built on the Little River by Matthew Allyn to grind local corn. During industrialization, the Little River became known as Mill River because of the numerous mills built to use its water power.

The lower part of the river was prone to flooding. Damaging floods in 1936 and 1938 led to a public works project to move the lower part underground, which was started by the US Army Corps of Engineers in 1940. The conduit under Bushnell Park (for which the river was named) was completed in 1943–1949. Sections farther upriver were completed after the next big floods in August 1955, which followed two hurricanes (Connie and Diane) that came about a week apart, and the whole project was completed in the 1980s, with a total of more than 9 miles of river underground.[3]

North Branch Park River watershed edit

 
Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus)
 
American eel
 
Fallfish

The North Branch Park River watershed is a 28.6 square-mile basin within the larger (78 square-mile) Park River watershed. It has a watershed management plan that was completed in 2010.[6] and its subwatersheds are mapped here.[7]

Four major tributaries in the upper watershed—Beamans Brook, Wash Brook, Filley Brook, and Tumbledown Brook (Tumble Brook)--drain Bloomfield (68% of the watershed) and northern parts of West Hartford (17% of the watershed), converging near the University of Hartford to form the North Branch of the Park River. The North Branch then flows between the West End, Blue Hills, and Asylum Hill neighborhoods of Hartford (11% of its watershed) before pouring into an underground conduit just north of Farmington Avenue.[8] The North Branch then flows approximately 0.5 miles in an underground conduit before joining the South Branch Park River in Pope Park, and ultimately flowing to the Connecticut River via the 2.3-mile (3.7 km) Park River conduit.[6][9]

The North Branch watershed includes Nook Farm, named for the bend or nook in the river just south of Nook Farm.[10] Nook Farm became and artists’ colony that included the authors Harriet Beecher Stowe and Mark Twain. Twain and his wife Livy built an elaborate home overlooking the North Branch floodplain, where he enjoyed seeing its marshes and wildlife from his house.[11] The “nook” portion of the North Branch was visible from the west-facing side of the house, as seen in a photo of it taken from the library window.[12] Mark Twain and his family lived in what is now called the Mark Twain House from 1874 to 1891, a period when he wrote three famous books (two novels and a memoir) that feature a much larger river, the Mississippi: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876), Life on the Mississippi (1883), and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885).

The nook was filled in before 1934 to allow construction of a row of apartments on Farmington Avenue, and a new straight channel for the North Branch was dug to the west of it.[13] That channel was buried after 1965 to create land for athletic fields for the nearby Hartford Public High School, and for a parking lot for the Twain House.[14]

The watershed features a number of native and introduced fish, many of which are game fish. A 2000 survey found American Eel, Pumpkinseed, and Tessellated darter to be the most abundant species in the North Branch. A 2008 survey found that North Branch tributary creeks hold large populations of Eastern blacknose dace and Longnose dace. Largemouth Bass, Fallfish, Common shiner, Common carp, Bluegill, Redbreast sunfish, Rock Bass, White sucker, and Banded killifish are also found throughout the North Branch and its tributaries.[15]

South Branch Park River watershed edit

The South Branch Park River watershed covers 39.6 square miles,[16] and the river is formed by the confluence of Trout Brook and Piper Brook, near New Britain Avenue in the Elmwood section of West Hartford. The South Branch is exposed from there to Pope Park, where it joins the North Branch and flows from there to the Connecticut River in a conduit.[9]

There was extensive flooding in Elmwood near the upper end of the South Branch after the two hurricanes in August 1955, and a large flood control project was started to reduce the risk of future flooding. This project was completed in 1993, and major maintenance of the structures was done in 2015–16.[17] The South Branch is classified as impaired for recreation due to elevated bacteria levels, although it has no recreational facilities.[18]

The Trout Brook watershed covers 17.7 square miles,[16] and, 66% of West Hartford is in the Trout Brook watershed.[19] Sections of Trout Brook are impaired,[20] and there was controversy in 2014 about cutting down forest near the brook to build more homes.[21] Piper Brook starts in St. Mary's Cemetery in New Britain,[22] has an 11.5 square mile watershed,[16] and also has impaired sections.[23] Bass Brook is the other brook in the watershed, with a 10.4 square mile watershed,[16] which starts near the intersection of Corbin & Farmington avenues and flows into Piper Brook near CT Rt. 9 in New Britain.[24] Other towns in the South Branch watershed are Newington, Farmington and Wethersfield.[25]

See also edit

The name Hog River derives from the pig farms along what was originally called the “Little River”.

References edit

  1. ^ Hartford Daily Courant editorial, 'What's in a Name,' Feb 27th 1883.
  2. ^ "Geographic Names Information System". edits.nationalmap.gov. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
  3. ^ a b "The Park River – Bushnell Park Foundation". www.bushnellpark.org.
  4. ^ Love, William DeLoss. The Colonial History of Hartford. Hartford. 1914. Page 82
  5. ^ Eiseman, Alberta (1998-08-30). "THEATER; The Industrialization of the Great River, New England's Longest". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
  6. ^ a b Baseline Watershed Assessment, North Branch Park River Watershed. https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/DEEP/water/watershed_management/wm_plans/nbparkr/baselineassesspdf.pdf
  7. ^ "Watershed" (JPG). www.parkwatershed.org. 2012.
  8. ^ North Branch subwatershed map https://www.parkwatershed.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Sub_watersheds.jpg</ref" https://www.parkwatershed.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Sub_watersheds.jpg
  9. ^ a b "Pope Park". Pope Park.
  10. ^ "Mark Twain's Neighborhood: Nook Farm". www.fingerpostproductions.com. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
  11. ^ ""The Loveliest Home That Ever Was"". Mark Twain House. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
  12. ^ "Mark Twain's Hartford". Mark Twain House. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
  13. ^ "Aerial survey of Connecticut 1934 photograph 09906". cslib.contentdm.oclc.org. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
  14. ^ "Aerial survey of Connecticut 1965 photograph 02529". cslib.contentdm.oclc.org. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
  15. ^ "Baseline Watershed Assessment North Branch Park River Watershed" (PDF). ct.gov. Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. Fuss and O'Neil. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  16. ^ a b c d "Watershed summary" (PDF). clear.uconn.edu.
  17. ^ NRCS DEEP SBPR Presentation 2016 http://ctfloods.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Sweeney-Perry-Biron-South_Branch_Park_River.pdf
  18. ^ Park River Bacteria TMDL summary 2012 https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/DEEP/water/tmdl/CTFinalTMDL/parkriver4400
  19. ^ "West Hartford info" (PDF). clear.uconn.edu.
  20. ^ "Bacteria info" (PDF). www.ct.gov.
  21. ^ "Trout Brook | Park Watershed". Retrieved 2022-08-12.
  22. ^ "GNIS Detail - Piper Brook". geonames.usgs.gov.
  23. ^ "Bacteria info" (PDF). www.ct.gov.
  24. ^ "GNIS Detail - Bass Brook". geonames.usgs.gov.
  25. ^ "Science - Park Watershed". www.parkwatershed.org.

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Park River (Connecticut).
  • Park/Hog River History
  • More Park/Hog River History, using its former name
  • Bushnell Park Foundation, Park River
  • Park River Watershed Revitalization Initiative

January 01, 1970
park, river, connecticut, 760028, 664639, 760028, 664639, original, course, park, river, visible, this, 1824, survey, hartford, park, river, tributary, connecticut, river, hartford, connecticut, officially, named, park, river, 1892, after, bushnell, park, thro. 41 45 36 1 N 72 39 52 7 W 41 760028 N 72 664639 W 41 760028 72 664639 The original course of the Park River is visible in this 1824 survey map of Hartford The Park River is a tributary of the Connecticut River in Hartford Connecticut It was officially named the Park River in 1892 after Bushnell Park through which it flowed in downtown Hartford A local newspaper had advocated for that name rather than the Hog River name which was then in use 1 2 Between 1940 and the 1980s the 2 3 mile 3 7 km river was buried by the Army Corps of Engineers to prevent the spring floods regularly caused by increased surface runoff from urban development 3 Contents 1 History 2 North Branch Park River watershed 3 South Branch Park River watershed 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksHistory edit nbsp The confluence of the Park River and the Connecticut River Before European settlement several indigenous Algonquian peoples including the Wangunk or Wongunk Saukiog or Suckiaug Podunk and Tunxis peoples lived on the fertile banks of the Connecticut and Park rivers 4 In 1633 fur traders from the Dutch West India Company set up Fort Goede Hoop at the Park and Connecticut rivers confluence The Dutch referred to the Connecticut River as the Great River and called its tributary the Park the Little River 5 The first English settlers arrived in the area in 1635 the following year the Reverend Thomas Hooker led 100 of his congregation to form a new settlement north of the Dutch fort The first mill in the settlement was built on the Little River by Matthew Allyn to grind local corn During industrialization the Little River became known as Mill River because of the numerous mills built to use its water power The lower part of the river was prone to flooding Damaging floods in 1936 and 1938 led to a public works project to move the lower part underground which was started by the US Army Corps of Engineers in 1940 The conduit under Bushnell Park for which the river was named was completed in 1943 1949 Sections farther upriver were completed after the next big floods in August 1955 which followed two hurricanes Connie and Diane that came about a week apart and the whole project was completed in the 1980s with a total of more than 9 miles of river underground 3 North Branch Park River watershed edit nbsp Pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus nbsp American eel nbsp Fallfish The North Branch Park River watershed is a 28 6 square mile basin within the larger 78 square mile Park River watershed It has a watershed management plan that was completed in 2010 6 and its subwatersheds are mapped here 7 Four major tributaries in the upper watershed Beamans Brook Wash Brook Filley Brook and Tumbledown Brook Tumble Brook drain Bloomfield 68 of the watershed and northern parts of West Hartford 17 of the watershed converging near the University of Hartford to form the North Branch of the Park River The North Branch then flows between the West End Blue Hills and Asylum Hill neighborhoods of Hartford 11 of its watershed before pouring into an underground conduit just north of Farmington Avenue 8 The North Branch then flows approximately 0 5 miles in an underground conduit before joining the South Branch Park River in Pope Park and ultimately flowing to the Connecticut River via the 2 3 mile 3 7 km Park River conduit 6 9 The North Branch watershed includes Nook Farm named for the bend or nook in the river just south of Nook Farm 10 Nook Farm became and artists colony that included the authors Harriet Beecher Stowe and Mark Twain Twain and his wife Livy built an elaborate home overlooking the North Branch floodplain where he enjoyed seeing its marshes and wildlife from his house 11 The nook portion of the North Branch was visible from the west facing side of the house as seen in a photo of it taken from the library window 12 Mark Twain and his family lived in what is now called the Mark Twain House from 1874 to 1891 a period when he wrote three famous books two novels and a memoir that feature a much larger river the Mississippi The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 1876 Life on the Mississippi 1883 and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 1885 The nook was filled in before 1934 to allow construction of a row of apartments on Farmington Avenue and a new straight channel for the North Branch was dug to the west of it 13 That channel was buried after 1965 to create land for athletic fields for the nearby Hartford Public High School and for a parking lot for the Twain House 14 The watershed features a number of native and introduced fish many of which are game fish A 2000 survey found American Eel Pumpkinseed and Tessellated darter to be the most abundant species in the North Branch A 2008 survey found that North Branch tributary creeks hold large populations of Eastern blacknose dace and Longnose dace Largemouth Bass Fallfish Common shiner Common carp Bluegill Redbreast sunfish Rock Bass White sucker and Banded killifish are also found throughout the North Branch and its tributaries 15 South Branch Park River watershed editThe South Branch Park River watershed covers 39 6 square miles 16 and the river is formed by the confluence of Trout Brook and Piper Brook near New Britain Avenue in the Elmwood section of West Hartford The South Branch is exposed from there to Pope Park where it joins the North Branch and flows from there to the Connecticut River in a conduit 9 There was extensive flooding in Elmwood near the upper end of the South Branch after the two hurricanes in August 1955 and a large flood control project was started to reduce the risk of future flooding This project was completed in 1993 and major maintenance of the structures was done in 2015 16 17 The South Branch is classified as impaired for recreation due to elevated bacteria levels although it has no recreational facilities 18 The Trout Brook watershed covers 17 7 square miles 16 and 66 of West Hartford is in the Trout Brook watershed 19 Sections of Trout Brook are impaired 20 and there was controversy in 2014 about cutting down forest near the brook to build more homes 21 Piper Brook starts in St Mary s Cemetery in New Britain 22 has an 11 5 square mile watershed 16 and also has impaired sections 23 Bass Brook is the other brook in the watershed with a 10 4 square mile watershed 16 which starts near the intersection of Corbin amp Farmington avenues and flows into Piper Brook near CT Rt 9 in New Britain 24 Other towns in the South Branch watershed are Newington Farmington and Wethersfield 25 See also editPortal nbsp ConnecticutThe name Hog River derives from the pig farms along what was originally called the Little River List of rivers of ConnecticutReferences edit Hartford Daily Courant editorial What s in a Name Feb 27th 1883 Geographic Names Information System edits nationalmap gov Retrieved 2022 08 12 a b The Park River Bushnell Park Foundation www bushnellpark org Love William DeLoss The Colonial History of Hartford Hartford 1914 Page 82 Eiseman Alberta 1998 08 30 THEATER The Industrialization of the Great River New England s Longest The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 2022 08 12 a b Baseline Watershed Assessment North Branch Park River Watershed https portal ct gov media DEEP water watershed management wm plans nbparkr baselineassesspdf pdf Watershed JPG www parkwatershed org 2012 North Branch subwatershed map https www parkwatershed org wp content uploads 2012 01 Sub watersheds jpg lt ref https www parkwatershed org wp content uploads 2012 01 Sub watersheds jpg a b Pope Park Pope Park Mark Twain s Neighborhood Nook Farm www fingerpostproductions com Retrieved 2022 08 12 The Loveliest Home That Ever Was Mark Twain House Retrieved 2022 08 12 Mark Twain s Hartford Mark Twain House Retrieved 2022 08 12 Aerial survey of Connecticut 1934 photograph 09906 cslib contentdm oclc org Retrieved 2022 08 12 Aerial survey of Connecticut 1965 photograph 02529 cslib contentdm oclc org Retrieved 2022 08 12 Baseline Watershed Assessment North Branch Park River Watershed PDF ct gov Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Fuss and O Neil Retrieved 14 May 2019 a b c d Watershed summary PDF clear uconn edu NRCS DEEP SBPR Presentation 2016 http ctfloods org wp content uploads 2016 11 Sweeney Perry Biron South Branch Park River pdf Park River Bacteria TMDL summary 2012 https portal ct gov media DEEP water tmdl CTFinalTMDL parkriver4400 West Hartford info PDF clear uconn edu Bacteria info PDF www ct gov Trout Brook Park Watershed Retrieved 2022 08 12 GNIS Detail Piper Brook geonames usgs gov Bacteria info PDF www ct gov GNIS Detail Bass Brook geonames usgs gov Science Park Watershed www parkwatershed org External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Park River Connecticut Park Hog River History More Park Hog River History using its former name Bushnell Park Foundation Park River Park River Watershed Revitalization Initiative Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Park River Connecticut amp oldid 1182432645, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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