The Israel River, sometimes referred to as Israel's River, is a river in the
White Mountains of
New Hampshire
New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
, in the United States. It rises in the township of
Low and Burbank's Grant and runs generally northwest along
U.S. Route 2, traversing the towns of
Jefferson and
Lancaster, before joining the
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges into Long Isl ...
.
History
The
Abenaki
The Abenaki ( Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Eastern Abenaki language was pred ...
people called the river ''Siwooganock'', which means "place of the burnt pine trees". The first name given to the river by
English settlers was "Powers River" in honor of Captain Peter Powers (1707-1757), who in 1754 became the first to explore this area.
The present name comes from an early hunter and trapper named Israel Glines, whose camp was situated near the outlet of the river. The
Johns River, in the nearby town of
Whitefield, is named for Israel's brother John.
Description
The Israel River rises near the foot of
Mount Adams, at the juncture of Castle Brook and Cascade Brook. With its numerous tributaries, the river drains the northwestern slopes of Mount Adams and
Mt. Jefferson in the
Presidential Range
The Presidential Range is a mountain range located in the White Mountains of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. It contains the highest peaks of the Whites, the most notable of which are named for American presidents, followed by prominent ...
, the northern slopes of the
Dartmouth Range, and the southern slopes of the Pliny Range. The larger tributaries include the
South Branch, The Mystic, Castle Brook, Cascade Brook, Stag Hollow Brook, Priscilla Brook (also called Alder Brook), Red Brook, Mill Brook, Garland Brook, and Otter Brook.
Major highway bridges over the river include
New Hampshire Route 115,
U.S. Route 2 and
New Hampshire Route 115A in Jefferson, and
U.S. Route 3
U.S. Route 3 (US 3) is a United States Numbered Highway running from Cambridge, Massachusetts, through New Hampshire, to the Canada–United States border near Third Connecticut Lake, where it connects to Quebec Route 257.
Massachu ...
on Main Street in Lancaster. A number of smaller bridges are provided for
snowmobile
A snowmobile, also known as a snowmachine (chiefly Alaskan), motor sled (chiefly Canadian), motor sledge, skimobile, snow scooter, or simply a sled is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow.
Their engines normally ...
trails, and there is an old
covered bridge on Mechanic Street in Lancaster (closed in 2004 for major repairs and since reopened).
See also
*
List of rivers of New Hampshire
References
Notes
*Julyan, Robert and Mary (1993). ''Place Names of the White Mountains'' (revised ed.). Hanover: University Press of New Hampshire. p. 77. .
*USDA Forest Service (1993). ''White Mountain National Forest'' (Map).
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Rivers of New Hampshire
Tributaries of the Connecticut River
Rivers of Coös County, New Hampshire