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Encyclopedia > Merrimack River
Merrimack River
A man on the waterfront of downtown Lowell, Massachusetts examines the flooded Merrimack
Origin Franklin, New Hampshire
Mouth Atlantic Ocean
Basin countries Flag of the United States United States
Length 110 mi (177 km)
Source elevation n/a
Avg. discharge 7,562 ft3/s[1]
Basin area Approx. 5,000 sq mi (12,900 km²)
Merrimack River watershed
Merrimack River watershed

The Merrimack River (or Merrimac River, an earlier spelling that is sometimes still used) is a 110 mile (177 km)-long river in the Northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire,[2] flows southward into Massachusetts, and then flows northeast until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Newburyport. From the point where the river turns northeast in Lowell, Massachusetts onward, the Massachusetts–New Hampshire border is roughly parallel to the river, three miles north of it. A man on the waterfront in downtown Lowell, Massachusetts examines the flooded Merrimack River (taken Sept. ... Nickname: Motto: Art is the Handmaid of Human Good Location in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country United States State Massachusetts County Middlesex County Settled 1653 Incorporated 1826 A city 1836 Government  - Type Manager-City council  - Mayor William F. Martin, Jr. ... [[ == Headline text == This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Franklin is a city located in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, at the merging of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee Rivers to form the Merrimack River. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... A mile is a unit of length, usually used to measure distance, in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, United States customary units and Norwegian/Swedish mil. ... km redirects here. ... [[ == Headline text == This article does not cite its references or sources. ... In hydrology, the discharge of a river is the volume of water transported by it in a certain amount of time. ... A square mile is an English unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (≈1,609 m) in length. ... Square kilometre (U.S. spelling: square kilometer), symbol km², is a decimal multiple of SI unit of surface area square metre, one of the SI derived units. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... A mile is a unit of length, usually used to measure distance, in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, United States customary units and Norwegian/Swedish mil. ... km redirects here. ... Look up confluence in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Pemigewasset River is a river in the State of New Hampshire, USA. It is approximately 70 miles or 113 kilometers in length. ... Winnipesaukee River in 1907, Franklin, New Hampshire The Winnipesaukee River is a 10. ... Franklin is a city located in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, at the merging of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee Rivers to form the Merrimack River. ... Official language(s) English Capital Boston Largest city Boston Area  Ranked 44th  - Total 10,555 sq mi (27,360 km²)  - Width 183 miles (295 km)  - Length 113 miles (182 km)  - % water 13. ... Newburyport is a small coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, 38 miles (61 km) northeast of Boston. ... Nickname: Motto: Art is the Handmaid of Human Good Location in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country United States State Massachusetts County Middlesex County Settled 1653 Incorporated 1826 A city 1836 Government  - Type Manager-City council  - Mayor William F. Martin, Jr. ... The northern boundary of the U.S. state of Massachusetts adjoins two other states - Vermont and New Hampshire. ...


The Merrimack is an important regional focus in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts. In New Hampshire, the central-southern part of the state is known as the Merrimack Valley Region, and in Massachusetts, the "Merrimack Valley" refers to a cluster of towns and small cities in the northeastern part of the state. The Merrimack Valley Region is an area of south-central New Hampshire, approximately 35 miles wide, centered on the Merrimack River, and running from Canterbury south to the Massachusetts border. ... The Merrimack Valley is the region surrounding the Merrimack River in northeastern Massachusetts. ...


Several U.S. naval ships have been named the USS Merrimack and USS Merrimac in honor of this river. Three ships of the United States Navy have borne the name USS Merrimack, named in honor of the Merrimack River, a river formed by the junction of Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee Rivers at Franklin, New Hampshire. ...

Contents

History and details

Prior to glaciation, the Merrimack continued its southward course far beyond the present day New Hampshire-Massachusetts border to enter the Atlantic Ocean near Boston. Upon the glacier's retreat, debris deposited north of Boston filled the lower Merrimack Valley, redirecting the river into its current northeast bend at Lowell. Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Universe)1, Athens of America, The Cradle of Revolution, Puritan City, Americas Walking City Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas M. Menino(D) Area    - City 232. ...


The total watershed of the river is approximately 5,000 square miles (12,900 km²), covering much of southern New Hampshire and a portion of northeastern Massachusetts. On its banks are a number of cities built to take advantage of water power in the 19th Century, when textile mills dominated the New England economy: Concord, Manchester, and Nashua in New Hampshire, and Lowell, Lawrence, and Haverhill in Massachusetts. At the mouth of the river is the small city of Newburyport. Prior to the construction of the Middlesex Canal, Newburyport was an important ship-building city, in a location to receive New Hampshire timber that had been floated downriver. A square mile is an English unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (≈1,609 m) in length. ... Square kilometre (U.S. spelling: square kilometer), symbol km², is a decimal multiple of SI unit of surface area square metre, one of the SI derived units. ... Location in Merrimack County, New Hampshire Coordinates: Country United States State New Hampshire County Merrimack County Incorporated 1733  - City Manager Thomas J. Aspell, Jr. ... Nickname: Location in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire Coordinates: Country United States State New Hampshire County Hillsborough County Incorporated 1751 Government  - Mayor Frank Guinta (R) Area  - City  34. ... Nickname: Gate City Location in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire Coordinates: Country United States State New Hampshire County Hillsborough Incorporated 1746 Government  - Mayor Bernard A. Streeter Area  - City  31. ... Nickname: Motto: Art is the Handmaid of Human Good Location in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country United States State Massachusetts County Middlesex County Settled 1653 Incorporated 1826 A city 1836 Government  - Type Manager-City council  - Mayor William F. Martin, Jr. ...   Settled: 1655 â€“ Incorporated: 1847 Zip Code(s): 01840 â€“ Area Code(s): 351 / 978 Official website: http://www. ... Location in Massachusetts Coordinates: Country United States State Massachusetts County Essex County Settled 1640 Incorporated 1641 Government  - Type Mayor-council city  - Mayor James J. Fiorentini Area  - City  35. ... Newburyport is a small coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, 38 miles (61 km) northeast of Boston. ... The Middlesex Canal was built in the late 18th century to connect the Merrimack River with the port of Boston. ...


The river is perhaps best known for the early American literary classic A Week on the Concord and Merrimack River by Henry David Thoreau. Among its tributaries are the Souhegan River, which extends west from the town of Merrimack, New Hampshire; the Nashua River, which flows north into the city of Nashua; the Concord River, which flows north from Concord, Massachusetts to Lowell; and the Shawsheen River, which after also flowing north, joins the Merrimack at Lawrence. Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817 – May 6, 1862; born David Henry Thoreau[1]) was an American author, naturalist, transcendentalist, tax resister, development critic, and philosopher who is best known for Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay, Civil Disobedience, an argument for individual resistance... Souhegan River in 1906, Milford, New Hampshire The Souhegan River is a tributary of the Merrimack River in the northeastern United States. ... Next to the Breezeway at Merrimack Town Hall Merrimack is a town located in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire. ... The Nashua River, 37. ... 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. ... Location in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country United States State Massachusetts County Middlesex County Settled 1635 Incorporated 1635 Government  - Type Open town meeting Area  - Town  25. ... Located in northeast Massachusetts, the Shawsheen River is a tributary of the Merrimack River. ...


Etymology and spelling

Merrimack River in Pembroke, NH
Merrimack River in Lowell, MA
Merrimack River in Lowell, MA

The etymology of the name of the Merrimack River - from which all subsequent uses derive, such as the the name of the Civil War ironclad - remains unknown. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 796 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1296 × 976 pixel, file size: 603 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Merrimack River in Pembroke, New Hampshire. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 796 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1296 × 976 pixel, file size: 603 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Merrimack River in Pembroke, New Hampshire. ... Pembroke is a town located in Merrimack County, New Hampshire. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2816 × 2112 pixel, file size: 4. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2816 × 2112 pixel, file size: 4. ... Nickname: Motto: Art is the Handmaid of Human Good Location in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country United States State Massachusetts County Middlesex County Settled 1653 Incorporated 1826 A city 1836 Government  - Type Manager-City council  - Mayor William F. Martin, Jr. ...


There is some evidence that it is native American. In 1604 the natives of later New England told Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Monts, who was leading a colony of French language speakers to Acadia (later Nova Scotia), of a beautiful river to the south. The French promptly pronounced its native name as Merremack. In 1605 Samuel de Champlain followed this lead, found the river and renamed it Riviere du Gas. This article is about the region in the United States of America. ... Pierre Dugua, the Sieur de Monts, (c. ... French (français, langue française) is one of the most important Romance languages, outnumbered in speakers only by Spanish and Portuguese. ... The national flag of Acadia, adopted in 1884. ... Motto: Munit Haec et Altera Vincit(Latin) One defends and the other conquers Capital Halifax Largest city Halifax Regional Municipality Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor Mayann E. Francis - Premier Rodney MacDonald (PC) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 11 - Senate seats 10 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area... A much-reproduced fictional portrait of Champlain by Théophile Hamel (1870) (no authentic portrait has survived)[1]) Samuel de Champlain , the father of New France, was born around 1580 in the town of Brouage, a seaport on Frances west coast. ...


The French and their name did not remain on the Merrimack. The natives dwelling along the river at that time were the Agawam on the lower reaches, the Pawtucket at Lowell, Massachusetts, the Nashua, Souhegan and Namoskeag around Manchester, New Hampshire, the Penacook northward from Bow, New Hampshire, and the Winnepisseogee at the source, Lake Winnipesaukee. These were all members of a nation of Algonquian speakers known as the Nipmuck. The Pennacook or Pawtucket are a Native American group who once had villages in the Merrimack River valley in southern and central New Hampshire, northeastern Massachusetts, and southern Maine. ... Nickname: Motto: Art is the Handmaid of Human Good Location in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country United States State Massachusetts County Middlesex County Settled 1653 Incorporated 1826 A city 1836 Government  - Type Manager-City council  - Mayor William F. Martin, Jr. ... The Nashaway (or Nashua or Weshacum) were a tribe of Algonquian Indians inhabiting the Nashua River valley in present-day central Massachusetts in the 17th Century. ... Nickname: Location in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire Coordinates: Country United States State New Hampshire County Hillsborough County Incorporated 1751 Government  - Mayor Frank Guinta (R) Area  - City  34. ... The Pennacook or Pawtucket are a Native American group who once had villages in the Merrimack River valley in southern and central New Hampshire, northeastern Massachusetts, and southern Maine. ... This article is about the bow as a place in New Hampshire. ... Lake Winnipesaukee at Sunset Lake Winnipesaukee is the largest lake in New Hampshire. ... The Algonquian (also Algonkian) languages are a subfamily of Native American languages that includes most of the languages in the Algic language family (others are Wiyot and Yurok of northwestern California). ... Nipmuck emblem The Nipmuck are an aboriginal North American people, belonging to the family of Algonquian peoples, currently living in and around the Chaubunagungamaug Reservation of Webster, Massachusetts. ...


According to Joseph B. Walker[3], relying on Chandler Eastman Potter's The History of Manchester (1856), Merremack contains the elements merruh, "strong" and auke, "place" (a recognizable locative ending), and means "the place of strong current,- a term not inappropriate, when we consider ... the river's rapids ...." Potter was an authority on native American affairs in colonial New England. Locative is a case which indicates a location. ...


Walker goes on to cite spellings of Merimacke, Merimack and Merrimacke in "the colonial records of Massachusetts", as well as the Merrimake and Merrymake of a 1721 land grant at Penacook, New Hampshire. William Wood's New England's Prospect of 1634 calls the river the Merrimacke and locates it eight miles beyond Agowamme (Ipswich, Massachusetts). It hosts, he says, "Sturgeon, Sammon and Basse, and divers other kinds of fish."[4] Penacook is a village in northern Concord, New Hampshire in Merrimack County, New Hampshire. ... Ipswich is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. ...


Merrimac, Massachusetts, settled in 1638 and originally part of Amesbury, Massachusetts, was called West Amesbury until 1876, at which time it adopted its current name and spelling. Merrimack, New Hampshire was incorporated in 1746, spelling its name "Marrymac" in the record of its first town meeting. It is referred to as Merrimac into the early 19th century: in the 1810 decennial census, it was spelled Merrimac, but in the 1820 and afterwards, Merrimack. Nickname: Location in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country United States State Massachusetts County Essex County Settled 1638 Incorporated 1876 Government  - Type Open town meeting  - Board of    Selectmen Robert Sinibaldi Bonnie Collins Carol Traynor Area  - Town  8. ... Location in Massachusetts Coordinates: Country United States State Massachusetts County Essex County Settled 1654 Incorporated 1668 Government  - Type Mayor-council city  - Mayor Thatcher W. Kezer III Area  - City  13. ... Next to the Breezeway at Merrimack Town Hall Merrimack is a town located in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire. ...


May 2006 Flooding

While the Merrimack River is prone to minor flooding, on May 15, 2006 rainfall raised the river more than feet (2.4 m) above flood stage, forcing evacuations, damaging property, and breaking the main sewage pipeline in the city of Haverhill, Massachusetts, dumping 35 million gallons of raw sewage waste into the river per day. Reports of total rainfall vary, but most areas appear to have received around a foot of rain with some areas receiving as much as 17 inches (43 cm). A NEXRAD radar animation of the storm on May 12, 2006 The New England Flood of May 2006 was a flood event that occurred in New England, especially in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, during the month of May, 2006. ... A flood (in Old English flod, a word common to Teutonic languages; compare German Flut, Dutch vloed from the same root as is seen in flow, float) is an overflow of water, an expanse of water submerging land, a deluge. ... is the 135th day of the year (136th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... The metre (American English:meter) is a measure of length. ... Location in Massachusetts Coordinates: Country United States State Massachusetts County Essex County Settled 1640 Incorporated 1641 Government  - Type Mayor-council city  - Mayor James J. Fiorentini Area  - City  35. ... An inch (plural: inches; symbol or abbreviation: in or, sometimes, ″ - a double prime) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... A centimetre (American spelling centimeter, symbol cm) is a unit of length that is equal to one hundredth of a metre, the current SI base unit of length. ...


According to The Boston Globe, around 1,500 people evacuated their homes to escape the flood.[5]


This flood also prompted the city of Lowell, Massachusetts to drop the flood-controlling Francis Gate for only the third time in its 150 years of service. When lowered, the Francis gate seals the city's canal system off from its source on the Merrimack. The Great Gate, as it is also called, was built in 1850 under the direction of James B. Francis. Considered unnecessary when it was first constructed, "Francis' Folly" first saved the city in 1852, and has done so a handful of times since, most recently in the April 2007 flood - due to a powerful Nor'easter. The water level at Lowell reached approximately 58 feet (18 m) in this event, or less than a foot less severe than the 2006 flood. Nickname: Motto: Art is the Handmaid of Human Good Location in Massachusetts Coordinates: , Country United States State Massachusetts County Middlesex County Settled 1653 Incorporated 1826 A city 1836 Government  - Type Manager-City council  - Mayor William F. Martin, Jr. ... James Bicheno Francis (May 18, 1815 – September 18, 1892) was a British-American engineer. ... James Bicheno Francis (May 18, 1815 – September 18, 1892) was a British-American engineer. ... Satellite image of the intense noreaster responsible for the North American blizzard of 2006. ...


The most significant flood in the recorded history of the Merrimack was in March of 1936, when a double flood of rain and melting snow and ice swelled the Merrimack to 68.4 feet (20.8 m), 10 feet (3 m) higher than the 2006 flood. The Jack Kerouac book Doctor Sax is set during this event. Jack Kerouac (pronounced ) (March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969) was an American novelist, writer, poet, and artist. ... Doctor Sax, a 1959 novel by Jack Kerouac. ...

Notes

  1. ^ Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (2001). Merrimack River: A Comprehensive Watershed Assessment Report (pdf).
  2. ^ The Merrimack River Watershed Council, Inc. (2007). The Voice of the Merrimack.
  3. ^ Pages 414-415.
  4. ^ Currier (1902), page 23.
  5. ^ Flooding besets region; more rain in forecast by Brian MacQuarrie, The Boston Globe, 16 May 2006.

The Boston Globe (and Boston Sunday Globe) is the most widely circulated daily newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts and New England. ... May 16 is the 136th day of the year (137th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Bibliography

  • Currier, John James (1902). History of Newbury, Mass. 1635-1902. Boston: Damrell & Upham.  Downloadable from Google Books.
  • Walker, Joseph B. (1863), "The Valley of the Merrimack", Collections of the New Hampshire Historical Society, The New Hampshire Historical Society, at pages 414-432. Downloadable from Google Books.

See also

This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of Massachusetts Acushnet River Agawam River Annisquam River Assabet River Assonet River Barrington River Blackstone River Bluefish River Bungay River Burnshirt River Canoe River Charles River Chicopee River Clam River Concord River Connecticut River Cotley River Crooked River Deerfield... This is a partial list of rivers in the U.S. state of New Hampshire Androscoggin River Bog Brook Chickwolnepy Brook Clear Stream Dead River Magalloway River Dead Diamond River Swift Diamond River Mollidgewock Brook Moose River Peabody River West Branch Peabody River Stearns Brook Wild River Bellamy River Connecticut...

External links


  Results from FactBites:
 
About The Watershed | Merrimack River Watershed Council, Inc. (672 words)
The Merrimack River is formed by the confluence of the Pemigewasset River, which originates from Profile Lake at the Old Man of the Mountains in Franconia Notch, NH, and the Winnipesaukee River, which has its source in a lake of the same name.
The Merrimack mainstem is formed by the marriage of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee Rivers in Franklin, NH where it flows 115 miles to its meeting with the Atlantic Ocean in Newburyport, MA.
The Merrimack River watershed was first surveyed by Goodman Woodward in 1638 and is the fourth largest watershed in New England.
Merrimack River - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (600 words)
The Merrimack River (or Merrimac River, an earlier spelling that is sometimes still used) is a 110-mile-long (177-kilometer-long) river in the Northeastern United States.
Among its tributaries are the Souhegan River, which extends west from the town of Merrimack, New Hampshire, the Nashua River, which flows north into the city of Nashua, the Concord River, which flows north from Concord, Massachusetts to Lowell, and the Shawsheen River, which after also flowing north, joins the Merrimack at Lawrence.
Since Merrimack is closer to the source of the river, many assume that the river receives its name from this community; however, early maps and documents that predate the town clearly refer to the river as the Merrimac.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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