The
Charles River is a
riverA river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing toward an ocean, a lake, a sea or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water...
in
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Most of its population of...
,
USAThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It travels through 22 cities and towns in eastern Massachusetts, from
HopkintonHopkinton is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, just over west and south of Boston. The town is best known as the starting point of the Boston Marathon, held annually on Patriots' Day in April, and as the home of computer storage firm EMC Corporation....
to Boston on the
Atlantic OceanThe Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres , it covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface and about one-quarter of its water surface area. The first part of its name refers to the Atlas of Greek...
.
Route
The Charles River is fed by about 80 brooks and streams and several major aquifers as it flows snakelike for 80 miles (129 km), starting at Echo Lake in
HopkintonHopkinton is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, just over west and south of Boston. The town is best known as the starting point of the Boston Marathon, held annually on Patriots' Day in April, and as the home of computer storage firm EMC Corporation....
, through 22 cities and towns in eastern Massachusetts before emptying into
Boston HarborBoston Harbor is a natural harbor located adjacent to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the northeast.-History:...
. 33 lakes and ponds, and 35 communities are entirely or partially part of the Charles River watershed. Despite the river's length and relatively large drainage area (308 square miles; 798 km²), its source is only 26 miles (42 km) from its mouth, and the river drops only 350 feet (107 m) from source to sea. It is the most densely populated river basin in
New EnglandNew England is a region of the United States. It is located at the northeastern corner of the US, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Canada and the state of New York, consisting of the modern U.S...
.
Brandeis UniversityBrandeis University is a private research university with a liberal arts focus, located in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate...
,
Harvard UniversityHarvard University is a private university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1636 by the colonial Massachusetts legislature, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and currently comprises ten separate academic units...
,
Boston UniversityBoston University is a private nonsectarian university located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Although chartered by the Massachusetts Legislature in 1869, Boston University traces its roots to the establishment of the Newbury Biblical Institute in Newbury, Vermont in 1839...
, and the
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyThe Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological research...
are all located along the Charles River. Near its mouth, it forms the border between downtown Boston and
CambridgeCambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, a nexus of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Notably, Cambridge is home to two internationally prominent...
and
CharlestownCharlestown is a part of the city of Boston, Massachusetts located on a peninsula north of Boston proper. Charlestown was originally a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; it became a city in 1847 and was annexed by Boston on January 5, 1874...
(a neighborhood of Boston). Here, the river opens out into a broad basin and is lined by the parks of the
Charles River ReservationCharles River Reservation is a Massachusetts state park located in Boston and Cambridge. The park is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation . The portion of the Reservation between the Charles River Dam and the Eliot Bridge is a Historic District.-Description:Note: Significant...
. On the Charles River Esplanade stands the
Hatch ShellThe Hatch Memorial Shell is an outdoor concert venue adjacent to the Charles River Esplanade near downtown Boston. The Hatch Shell is best known for hosting the Boston Pops Orchestra annually for the Boston Fourth of July celebration, but is also used for free concerts most weekends and many...
, where concerts are given in summer evenings. The basin is especially known for its
Independence DayIn the United States, Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
celebration. The river is well known for its
rowingWatercraft rowing is the act of propelling a boat using the motion of oars in the water. The difference between paddling and rowing is that with rowing the oars have a mechanical connection with the boat whereas with paddling the paddles are hand-held with no mechanical connection.This article...
,
scullingSculling refers to the use of oars to propel a boat or other watercraft, but the word is used in a number of ways:-Two-oar sculling:Sculling is a form of rowing in which a boat is propelled by one or more rowers, each of whom operates two oars, one held in each hand...
, and
sailingSailing is the art of controlling a boat with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to change the direction and speed of a boat...
, both recreational and competitive. The
Head of the Charles RegattaThe Head of the Charles Regatta, also known as HOCR or HOTC, is a rowing race held on the penultimate complete weekend of October each year on the Charles River, which separates Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts. The race is named the "Head" of the Charles because it is a head race...
is held here every October.
Discovery and naming
The river's name, preceding the English version, was once thought to be
Quinobequin (meandering), though that attribution has been discredited by, among others, the Harvard University Librarian in 1850. The river was used by Native Americans for local transportation and fishing, and as part of the passage from southeastern Massachusetts to northern New England.
Captain John SmithCaptain John Smith Admiral of New England was an English soldier, explorer, and author. He is remembered for his role in establishing the first permanent English settlement in North America at Jamestown, Virginia, and his brief association with the Virginia Indian girl Pocahontas during an...
explored and mapped the coast of New England, naming many features including the Charles River, which he gave the Native American name,
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Most of its population of...
River. When Smith presented his map to
Charles ICharles I, , the second son of James VI of Scotland and I of England, was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. Charles famously engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England...
he suggested that the king should feel free to change any of the "barbarous names" for "English" ones. The king made many such changes, but only four survive today, one of which is the Charles River, which Charles named for himself.
In portions of its length, the Charles drops slowly in elevation and has relatively little current. Despite this, early settlers in
Dedham, MassachusettsDedham /ˈdɛdəm/ is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 23,464 at the 2000 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border...
, found a way to use the Charles to power mills. In 1639, the town dug a canal from the Charles to a nearby brook that drained to the
Neponset RiverThe Neponset River is a river in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. The headwaters of the Neponset are at the Neponset Reservoir in Foxborough, near the Gillette Stadium...
. By this action, a portion of the Charles's flow was diverted, providing enough current for several mills. The new canal and the brook together are now called
Mother BrookMother Brook is the modern name for a stream that flows from the Charles River in Dedham, Massachusetts, to the Neponset River in the Hyde Park section of Boston, Massachusetts. Mother Brook was also known variously as East Brook and Mill Brook in earlier times. The man-made portion of Mother...
. The canal is regarded as the first industrial canal in North America. Today it remains in use for flood control.
WalthamWaltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, billed by the Chamber of Commerce as the "birthplace of the American industrial revolution", and an early center for the labor movement. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th...
was the site of the first fully integrated textile factory in America, built by Francis Cabot Lowell in 1814, and by the 19th century, the Charles River was one of the most industrialized areas in the United States. Its
hydropowerHydropower, hydraulic power or water power is power that is derived from the force or energy of moving water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes....
soon fueled many mills and factories. By the century's end, 20 dams had been built across the river, mostly to generate power for industry. An 1875 government report listed 43 mills along the 9.5-mile (15 km) tidal estuary from
Watertown DamThe Watertown Dam spans the Charles River upstream from the Watertown Bridge near Watertown Square in the Town of Watertown, Massachusetts where the Charles River tidal estuary ends. Watertown Dam is of earthen construction, a gravity dam. Its length is . Its capacity is 30 acre feet. Normal...
to Boston Harbor.
Creation of modern Boston-Cambridge basin
Today's Charles River basin between Boston and Cambridge is almost entirely a work of human design. Owen A. Galvin was appointed head of the Charles River Improvement Commission by Governor
William E. RussellWilliam Eustis Russell was a U.S. political figure. He served as Democratic governor of Massachusetts between 1891 and 1894, becoming the states youngest ever elected Governor ....
in 1891. Their work led to the design initiatives of noted
landscape architectA landscape architect is a person involved in the planning, design and sometimes oversight of an exterior landscape or space. Their professional practice is known as landscape architecture....
s Charles Eliot and Arthur Shurcliff, both of whom had apprenticed with
Frederick Law OlmstedFrederick Law Olmsted was an American journalist, landscape designer and father of American landscape architecture, famous for designing many well-known urban parks, including Central Park and Prospect Park in New York City...
, and by the architect and landscape architect
Guy LowellGuy Lowell , American architect, was the son of Mary Walcott and Edward Jackson Lowell, and a member of Boston's well-known Lowell family....
. This designed landscape now includes over 20 parks and natural areas along 19 miles (31 km) of shoreline, from the New Dam at the
CharlestownCharlestown is a part of the city of Boston, Massachusetts located on a peninsula north of Boston proper. Charlestown was originally a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; it became a city in 1847 and was annexed by Boston on January 5, 1874...
Bridge to the dam near
Watertown SquareThe Town of Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 32,986 at the 2000 census.- History :Watertown, first known as Saltonstall Plantation, was one of the earliest of the Massachusetts Bay settlements. It was begun early in 1630 by a group of...
.
Eliot first envisioned today's river design in the 1890s, but major construction began only after his death with the damming of the river's mouth at today's Museum of Science, an effort led in by James Jackson Storrow. The new dam, completed in 1910, stabilized the water level from Boston to Watertown, eliminating the existing mud flats, and a narrow embankment was built between Leverett Circle and Charlesgate. After Storrow's death, his widow Mrs. James Jackson Storrow donated $1 million toward the creation of a more generously landscaped park along the Esplanade; it was dedicated in 1936 as the Storrow Memorial Embankment. This also enabled the construction of many public docks in the Charles River Basin. In the 1950s a highway (
Storrow DriveStorrow Drive is a major cross town expressway in Boston, Massachusetts, running south and west from Leverett Circle along the Charles River. It is a parkway—in other words, it is restricted to cars; trucks and buses are not permitted on it...
) was built along the edge of the Esplanade to connect Charles Circle with Soldiers Field Road, and the Esplanade was enlarged on the water side of the new highway.
The Inner Belt highway was proposed to cross the Charles River at the
Boston University BridgeThe Boston University Bridge is a steel truss bridge with a suspended deck carrying Route 2 over the Charles River, connecting Boston to Cambridge, Massachusetts. According to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials route log, the bridge also carries U.S. Route 3...
, but its construction was canceled in the 1970s.
Pollution and remediation efforts
As
sewageSewage is water-carried wastes, in either solution or suspension, that flow away from a community. Also known as wastewater flows, sewage is the used water supply of the community. It is more than 99.9% pure water and is characterized by its volume or rate of flow, its physical condition, its...
,
industrial wastewaterIndustrial wastewater treatment covers the mechanisms and processes used to treat waters that have been contaminated in some way by anthropogenic industrial or commercial activities prior to its release into the environment or its re-use....
and
urban runoffUrban runoff is surface runoff of rainwater created by urbanization. This runoff is a major source of water pollution in many parts of the United States and other urban communities worldwide.-Overview:...
flowed freely into the river from the surrounding city, the Charles River became well known for its high level of
pollutantsWater pollution is the contamination of water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and groundwater. All water pollution affects organisms and plants that live in these water bodies and in almost all cases the effect is damaging either to individual species and populations but also to the natural...
, gaining such notoriety that by 1955,
Bernard DeVotoBernard Augustine DeVoto was an American historian and author who specialized in the history of the American West.- Life and work :...
wrote in
Harper's MagazineHarper's Magazine is a monthly, general-interest magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. It is the second-oldest, continuously-published monthly magazine in the U.S.; current circulation is more than 220,000 issues...
that the Charles was "foul and noisome, polluted by offal and industrious wastes, scummy with oil, unlikely to be mistaken for water."
It was not an uncommon sight to see
toxinsToxicity is the degree to which a substance is able to damage an exposed organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a substructure of the organism, such as a cell or an organ , such as the liver...
coloring the river pink and orange in spots, fish kills and submerged cars.
Once popular with swimmers, awareness of the river's high pollution levels forced the state to shut down several popular swimming areas, including the Cambridge's Magazine Beach and Gerry Landing public beaches. Until very recently, rowers and sailors who fell into the water were advised to go to the hospital for
tetanusTetanus, also called lockjaw, is a medical condition characterized by a prolonged contraction of skeletal muscle fibers. The primary symptoms are caused by tetanospasmin, a neurotoxin produced by the Gram-positive, obligate anaerobic bacterium Clostridium tetani. Infection generally occurs through...
shots.
Efforts to clean up the river and restore it to a state where swimming and fishing would be acceptable began as early as the 1960s and the program to clean up the Charles for good took shape in 1965 with the creation of the Charles River Watershed Association. In 1995, the
United States Environmental Protection AgencyThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged to regulate chemicals and protect human health by safeguarding the natural environment: air, water, and land...
declared a goal of making the river swimmable by 2005. In 1996, then governor
William WeldWilliam Floyd Weld was the Republican Governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997. From 1981 to 1988, he was a federal prosecutor in the United States Justice Department...
plunged, fully clothed, into the river to prove his commitment to cleaning up the river. In July 2007, the river hosted the Charles River Masters Swim Race, the first sanctioned race in the Charles in over five decades.
A combination of public and private initiatives helped dramatically lower levels of pollutants by focusing on eliminating
combined sewer overflowA combined sewer is a type of sewer system that collects sanitary sewage and stormwater runoff in a single pipe system. Combined sewers can cause serious water pollution problems due to combined sewer overflows, which are caused by large variations in flow between dry and wet weather...
s and storm water
runoffSurface runoff is the water flow which occurs when soil is infiltrated to full capacity and excess water, from rain, snowmelt, or other sources flows over the land. This is a major component of the hydrologic cycle. Runoff that occurs on surfaces before reaching a channel is also called a nonpoint...
. A new
Charles River DamThe 'Charles River Dam' is a flood control structure on the Charles River in Boston Massachusetts, located just downstream of the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge, near Lovejoy Wharf, on the former location of the Warren Bridge-History:...
was constructed downstream from the Science Museum site to keep
salt waterSeawater is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5%. This means that every of seawater has approximately of dissolved salts...
out of the basin. Since Weld's stunt, the river's condition has improved dramatically, although it was not deemed entirely swimmable by 2005. In 1995 the EPA rated the river's quality as a "D" compared to the most recent ranking of a "B+" and most days of the year, the river now meets swimming standards below the
Harvard BridgeThe Harvard Bridge carries Massachusetts Avenue from Back Bay, Boston to Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is the longest bridge over the Charles River....
. With the improved
water qualityWater quality is the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance can be assessed...
, swimming and fishing are progressively re-emerging as about 90% of the length of the river is now considered safe for swimming. Health risks remain, however, particularly after rainstorms and when walking in certain riverbeds stirs up toxic sediment.
During the period September 2004 to September 2006, the City of Cambridge and the state's Department of Conservation and Recreation introduced vegetation at
Magazine BeachCambridgeport is one of the neighborhoods of Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is bounded by Massachusetts Avenue, the Charles River, the Grand Junction Railroad, and River Street. The neighborhood is predominantly residential homes, many of the triple decker style common in New England...
just west of the BU Bridge on the Cambridge side of the river. This introduced vegetation had significant trouble living there because it was not
nativeIn biogeography, a species is defined as indigenous or native to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only natural resources, with no human intervention. Every natural organism has its own natural range of distribution in which it is regarded as native...
to the Charles River. The vegetation installed created a wall preventing the reintroduction of swimming at Magazine Beach.
The
Conservation Law FoundationConservation Law Foundation is an environmental advocacy organization based in New England. Since 1966, CLF's mission has been to advocate on behalf of the region's environment and its communities. CLF's advocacy work takes place in four program areas: Clean Energy & Climate Change, Clean Water &...
opposes the permit given to
MirantMirant Services LLC, an Atlanta-based energy company, produces and sells electricity in the United States. The company was spun-off from its former parent, Southern Company, on April 2, 2001....
for the Mirant Kendall Generating Station, an electricity plant near
Kendall SquareKendall Square is a neighborhood in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with the "square" itself at the intersection of Main Street, Broadway, Wadsworth Street, and Third Street...
, charging that the water it releases causes blooms of hazardous
microorganismA microorganism or microbe is an organism that is microscopic...
s, due to its warm temperature.
It is a common belief that the water quality of the Charles River is at its worst after a large rainfall because of pollutants carried by runoff. However, a study, published in the Journal of the American Water Resources Association (April 2008), completed by researchers at Northeastern University, found high concentrations of E. coli
bacteriaThe bacteria are a large group of unicellular microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
in the Charles River after a long period of no rain. Using a mathematical model, the researchers then determined that two major tributaries, the
Stony BrookStony Brook may refer to:Massachusetts:* Stony Brook, a tributary of the Charles River in Boston* Stony Brook on the Orange Line in Jamaica Plain...
and
Muddy RiverThe Muddy River is a series of brooks and ponds that runs through sections of Boston's Emerald Necklace, including along the south border of Brookline, Massachusetts...
, are the predominant sources of E. coli in the lower Charles River.
Running and biking
The
Charles River Bike PathThe Charles River Bike Path is a mixed-use path in the Boston, Massachusetts area. It follows both shores of the Charles River from Boston, Massachusetts to Norumbega Park in Newton, passing through Watertown and Waltham...
runs along the banks of the Charles, starting at the Museum of Science and passing the campuses of MIT, Harvard and Boston University. The path is popular with runners and bikers. Many runners gauge their distance and speed by keeping track of the
mileage between the bridges along the route.
In popular culture
- The Charles River is an icon for Boston and is featured in the song "Dirty Water
"Dirty Water" is a 12-bar blues song composed by Ed Cobb and first recorded by the California rock and roll band The Standells in 1966. It is considered a classic of garage rock....
" by The StandellsThe Standells are a 1960s garage rock band from Los Angeles, California.-History:The band was formed in 1962 by guitarist Tony Valentino and organist Larry Tamblyn...
:
- Down by the River...
- Down by the banks of the River Charles
- Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren is an American musician, singer-songwriter and record producer.-Early career:Rundgren was born in Upper Darby, PA. He began his career in Woody's Truck Stop, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based group based on the model of Paul Butterfield Blues Band. However, he left the band to...
's song "Boat on the Charles" from Runt: The Ballad of Todd RundgrenRunt. The Ballad of Todd Rundgren is the second album by American singer-songwriter/musician Todd Rundgren, released in 1971. The album is perhaps Rundgren's most concise and straightforward, featuring mostly piano-led pop songs and ballads....
is written from the point of view of someone contemplating suicide in the Charles because of an unrequited love.
- In William Faulkner
William Faulkner was a Nobel Prize-winning American author. One of the most influential writers of the 20th century, his reputation is based on his novels, novellas and short stories. He was also a published poet and an occasional screenwriter.Most of Faulkner's works are set in his native state...
's The Sound and the FuryThe Sound and the Fury is a novel written by the American author William Faulkner. It employs a number of striking narrative styles, including the technique known as stream of consciousness, pioneered by 20th century European novelists such as James Joyce and Virginia Woolf...
, the tormented Quentin character commits suicide by drowning himself in the Charles.
- The 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a 2004 American comedy-drama by French director Michel Gondry. The film uses elements of science fiction and neosurrealism to explore the nature of memory and romantic love...
features a prominent scene on the frozen river.
- The 1994 film The River Wild
The River Wild is a 1994 American thriller film directed by Curtis Hanson and starring Meryl Streep, Kevin Bacon, David Strathairn, John C. Reilly, and Joseph Mazzello...
opens with Meryl StreepMary Louise "Meryl" Streep is an American actress who has worked in theatre, television, and film. She is widely regarded as one of the most talented and respected movie actors of the modern era....
rowing under the Watertown BridgeThe Watertown Bridge is a five-lane traffic bridge over the Charles River, carrying Rt. 16 and Galen Street. It connects Watertown Square on the north and Watertown Yard on the south sides of Watertown, Massachusetts, across the Charles River. Pedestrian walkways line each side of it.- History...
(Galen Street, Rt. 16) proceeding east past the Perkins School for the BlindPerkins School for the Blind, located in Watertown, Massachusetts, is one of the oldest and most prominent schools for the blind in the United States...
Chapel tower and on to BostonBoston is the capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the region and is sometimes regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England"...
.
- In the novel The Bell Jar
The Bell Jar is American writer and poet Sylvia Plath's only novel, which was originally published under the pseudonym "Victoria Lucas" in 1963. The novel is semi-autobiographical with the names of places and people changed...
by Sylvia PlathSylvia Plath was an American poet, novelist, children's author, and short story author.Known primarily for her poetry, Plath also wrote a semi-autobiographical novel, The Bell Jar, under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas...
, the protagonist, Esther, briefly considers committing suicide by jumping into the Charles off of a bridge.
- In the short story "The Other" by Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo , best known as Jorge Luis Borges, was an Argentine writer and poet born in Buenos Aires. In 1914, his family moved to Switzerland where he attended school and traveled to Spain. On his return to Argentina in 1921, Borges began publishing his poems and...
a mature Borges sits on the bank of the river Charles and comes faces to face with a younger version of himself. He determines that in the past he must have had the encounter during a dream and dismissed it as fantasy, though later accepting it as real.
See also
- List of crossings of the Charles River
- List of Charles River boathouses
- List of Massachusetts rivers
- Sudbury Aqueduct Linear District
The Sudbury Aqueduct Linear District is a 16-mile long historic district in Massachusetts along the Sudbury Aqueduct from Farm Pond at Waverly Street in Framingham to Chestnut Hill Reservoir in Boston. Going east from Framingham, it runs through Sherborn before entering Natick...
which crosses the river from Needham to Newton on the Echo BridgeEcho Bridge was built to carry an aqueduct over the Charles River in Newton Upper Falls, Massachusetts. The aqueduct carried water from the Sudbury River to Boston. Construction of Echo Bridge began in 1875 and was completed in 1877 by Boston Water Works . At the time, it was the second longest...
External links