The Quaboag River is a
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
, accessed April 1, 2011 river in
that heads at
Quaboag Pond in
Brookfield Brookfield may refer to:
Australia
*Brookfield, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane
*Brookfield, Victoria
Canada
* Brookfield, Manitoba, on Manitoba Highway 11
*Brookfield, Newfoundland and Labrador
*Brookfield, Nova Scotia
*Brookfield, Ontario ...
at an elevation of above sea level. It flows west to the village of
Three Rivers, Massachusetts
Three Rivers is a village and former census-designated place (CDP) in the city of Palmer in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is named for the confluence ...
, at an elevation of .
History
The river receives its name from
Quaboag Pond, an Indian name meaning "red-water" (place or pond). At one time, this pond was called Podunk Pond. Early industry started along the Quaboag River downstream from
West Brookfield, where the river started a change in elevation, providing significant waterpower. Major
heavy industry
Heavy industry is an industry that involves one or more characteristics such as large and heavy products; large and heavy equipment and facilities (such as heavy equipment, large machine tools, huge buildings and large-scale infrastructure); ...
was located in
Warren, Massachusetts
Warren is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,975 at the 2020 census. The town contains the villages of Warren and West Warren.
History
Warren was first settled in 1664 and was officially incorpora ...
, because of the available waterpower from the river. Many of the dams on the river, used to provide
waterpower, were destroyed during floods and not repaired or replaced. Parts of them remain, providing a hint of the river’s industrial past.
Description
The Quaboag River heads at
Quaboag Pond, flows through the towns of
Brookfield Brookfield may refer to:
Australia
*Brookfield, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane
*Brookfield, Victoria
Canada
* Brookfield, Manitoba, on Manitoba Highway 11
*Brookfield, Newfoundland and Labrador
*Brookfield, Nova Scotia
*Brookfield, Ontario ...
,
West Brookfield (where
Lake Wickaboag
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much lar ...
drains into it), and
Warren before joining the
Ware River and
Swift River in
Three Rivers, to form the
Chicopee River
The Chicopee River is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Connecticut River in the Pioneer Valley, Massachusetts, known for fast-moving wat ...
. This river is therefore part of the
Chicopee River Watershed.
Watershed
Numerous local brooks and streams from the towns of East Brookfield, Brookfield, West Brookfield, and Warren drain the watershed into the Quaboag River.
Lake Lashaway in East Brookfield drains into
Quaboag Pond, and several other significant water sources drain into it. There are also several wetlands associated with this watershed, the two major ones being the Great Swamp south of Brookfield, and the Allen Swamp south of East Brookfield.
Recreational use
Whitewater kayakers and canoeists paddle the Quaboag from a put-in at Lucy Stone Park in Warren, downstream to a take-out along Route 67. The river is
Class III and features several named rapids, Mousehole and Trestle Rapid above the dam, and, downstream, Angel's Field and Devil's Gorge, which contains an abrupt four-foot waterfall called Quaboag Drop. The river has a large watershed, holds its water well (is well formed), and is runnable at levels above four feet on the
Brimfieldbr>
USGS gauge It contains one mandatory
portage
Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...
around an unrunnable dam next to a factory. This dam is shown in the title block.
Coordinates
* Mouth in
Three Rivers
* Passage through
Warren
* Head south of
East Brookfield
See also
*
List of rivers of Massachusetts
References
Podunk Pond reference*
*
Stream flow data
{{authority control
Rivers of Worcester County, Massachusetts
Tributaries of the Connecticut River
Rivers of Massachusetts