Saugatuck River
| Saugatuck River | ||
 The river at Westport. |
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| Data | ||
| Water code | US : [1] | |
| location | Connecticut (USA) | |
| origin | Near Spruce Mountain ( Wooster Mountain State Park ) 41 ° 21 ′ 23 " N , 73 ° 28 ′ 43" W |
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| muzzle | near Norwalk (Connecticut) in the Long Island Sound Coordinates: 41 ° 6 '0 " N , 73 ° 21' 29" W 41 ° 6 '0 " N , 73 ° 21' 29" W |
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| Mouth height |
0 m
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| Left tributaries | West Redding Brook, Little River, Gilbert Brook, Hawleys Brook, | |
| Right tributaries | Blackmans Pond Brook, Moffits Brook, Beaver Brook, Kettle Creek, Stony Brook | |
| Communities | Danbury , Westport , Norwalk , Weston , Redding | |
| Navigable | 8 kilometers | |
The Saugatuck River is a 38 km (23.7 mi) long river in southwest Connecticut . Its catchment area covers parts of Fairfield County west of Bridgeport . It flows into Long Island Sound east of Norwalk .
The USS Saugatuck (AO-75) , a United States Navy supply ship , was named after the river.
geography
The Saugatuck River rises near Spruce Mountain (272 m) in the northwest of Wooster Mountain State Park , crosses the park in a southeast direction to Sugar Hollow Pond. There it emerges from the pond about 5 km southwest of Danbury and continues to flow southeast. As soon as it reaches the parish of Redding, it begins to make major turns and a number of small tributaries increase its volume. It passes the Saugatuck Falls Natural Area ( Saugatuck Falls Natural Area ) and Stormfield -Park before it is dammed up to the Saugatuck Reservoir ( Saugatuck Reservoir , 86 m above sea level ). This reservoir forms the border between Redding and Weston, to the southwest borders the Devil's Den Nature Preserve . Many other small rivers send their water, which is dammed by the Samuel P. Senior Dam . Then the river turns more south-south-west. The Devils Glen Park joins below the dam. In Westport , the Saugatuck widens into a navigable estuary . It is navigable for the last 8 km and flows into Long Island Sound about 6 km southeast of Norwalk. The Interstate 95 crosses the river near its mouth.
The river is relatively shallow, making it a popular seasonal fishing destination. It is stocked with rainbow trout annually by the State of Connecticut .
Tributaries
In the hilly area of Fairfield County, many small rivers and streams flow to the Saugatuck. It is often not possible to clearly identify on maps which direction the small bodies of water are heading. Left tributaries include: West Redding Brook, Little River, Gilbert Brook, Hawleys Brook, and Grays Creek. Right tributaries are Blackmans Pond Brook, Moffits Brook, Beaver Brook, Kettle Creek, Stony Brook, and others.
bridges
The dense settlement of the river region means that a large number of bridges have been built over the river. In Westport, Route 136 crosses the river on the Saugatuck River Bridge . It was built in 1882 and is the oldest surviving moving bridge in Connecticut. The moving part consists of a hand-operated arm with two beams. The bridge replaced a wooden structure from 1873 . Before that there was only one ferry that was introduced in 1746 .
Other bridges are (in order from the mouth to the source):
- In the Westport area: Saugatuck River Railroad Bridge (Metro-North railroad), Interstate 95 bridge, Saugatuck River Bridge (see above), Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge (US Route 1), King's Highway (Route 57), Merritt Parkway Burrs Bridge.
- In the Weston area: River Road, Cartbridge Road, Davis Hill Road, Valley Forge Road, Newtown Turnpike (Route 53).
- In the Redding area: Glen Road (Route 53), Redding Road (Route 53), Diamond Hill Road, Redding Road (twice), Station Road, Simpaug Turnpike, George Hull Hill Road.
- In the Danbury area: East Starrs Plain Road, West Redding Road, Starrs Plain Road (twice).
history
In the 17th century there was a settlement of the Paugussett Indians. The name means "river that flows out" in Paugusset. The land east of the river was opened to white settlers in 1637 after the Pequot were defeated in the Pequot War by Major John Mason (c. 1600–1672). After treaties were made with the local tribes, settlers of the Connecticut Colony began to establish themselves in the area between Saugatuck and the Norwalk River (about 1639–1661). In the 18th century, several farming villages developed along the river, which at that time was the main artery. In the 19th century, warehouses and shipyards were built and the estuary became an important hub for maritime trade. The city of Westport was founded in 1835 from the merger of the village of Saugatuck at the mouth of the river and several other villages.
In 1908, Samuel Clemens moved into a villa above the river in Redding, which he named " Stormfield ". Clemens died in 1910 and the original Stormfield villa was destroyed by fire in 1923.
Bridgeport Hydraulic Company Holdings (today: Aquarion) dammed the river at Weston after 1938. To do this, the Valley Forge village had to be evacuated. And the Saugatuck Reservoir was created.
Culture
The song 157 Riverside Avenue from REO Speedwagon mentions the river.
Secrets of Redding Glen , a children's book by Jo Polseno, describes the natural cycle of the year on a section of the river in chronicle form.
Individual evidence
- ^ US Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map , accessed April 1, 2011
- ↑ http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/s/saugatuck.html "Saugatuck," Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Naval Historical Center.
- ^ Report on the Business and Surveys of the Contemplated New York and Hartford Railroad via Danbury, New York and Hartford Railroad, Hartford: Press of Case, Tiffany and Burnham, 1845. Pages 59-60. ( limited preview in Google Book search)
- ↑ http://www.ct.gov/deep/lib/deep/fishing/general_information/fishdistributionreport.pdf "Connecticut Fish Stocking Report, 2013," Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection.
- ^ Westport Historical Society, plaque in the carriage barn part of the museum, read on September 30, 2007
- ↑ Beard, Dan, "Mark Twain as a Neighbor," Review of Reviews and World's Work: An International Magazine, January-June 1910, Volume 41, page 705. ( limited preview in Google Book Search)
- ↑ http://hq.abaa.org/books/antiquarian/news_fly?code=118 MacDonnell, Kevin, "A Virtual Tour of Mark Twain's Last Home With a Glimpse of His Library," Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America.
- ↑ FIGHT RESERVOIR PROJECT; Residents Offer to Finance a Suit by Weston, Conn. , Nov. 27, 1937, Page 9, 144 words, THE NEW YORK TIMES.
- ↑ SUE TO PREVENT DAM; Saugatuck Valley Residents Seek Injunction and $ 250,000 , February 3, 1938, Page 10, 133 words, THE NEW YORK TIMES.
- ↑ Valley Forge Forever Gone ( Memento of the original from November 3, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , By Marcia Miner, The Aspetuck Land Trust
- ↑ The rise and fall of Valley Forge , Published: 12:00 am, Sunday, March 26, 2006, Robert Miller, THE NEWS-TIMES
- ^ Village of the Damned: the fight for open space and the flooding of a Connecticut town. By James Lomuscio, ISBN 1-58465-477-5 ISBN 978-1584654773
- ↑ - ( Memento of the original from July 14, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. "In Tribute," Redding Land Trust.
