The
Hoosic River, also known as the
Hoosac, the
Hoosick (primarily in New York) and the
Hoosuck (mostly archaic), is a tributary of the
Hudson RiverThe Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. It rises at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains, flows past Albany, and finally forms the border between New York City and New Jersey at its mouth before emptying into...
, 70 miles (113 km) long, in the northeastern
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The varying transliterations are from the
AlgonquinThe Algonquins are aboriginal/First Nations inhabitants of North American who speak Algonquin. Culturally and linguistically, they are closely related to the Odawa and Ojibwe, with whom they form the larger Anicinàpe grouping...
name, probably meaning "the beyond place" (as in beyond, or east of, the Hudson) or perhaps "stony place" (either because the river's stony bottom is usually exposed except in spring, or because local soils are so stony).
The main stream, the south branch, rises in northwestern
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...
in the
Hoosac RangeThe Hoosac Range is part of both the Berkshires of western Massachusetts and the southern Green Mountains of Vermont; it is part of the greater Appalachian Mountain chain. Notable Peaks include Haystack Mountain and Mount Snow in Vermont and Spruce Mountain in Massachusetts, as well as the...
.
The
Hoosic River, also known as the
Hoosac, the
Hoosick (primarily in New York) and the
Hoosuck (mostly archaic), is a tributary of the
Hudson RiverThe Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. It rises at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains, flows past Albany, and finally forms the border between New York City and New Jersey at its mouth before emptying into...
, 70 miles (113 km) long, in the northeastern
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The varying transliterations are from the
AlgonquinThe Algonquins are aboriginal/First Nations inhabitants of North American who speak Algonquin. Culturally and linguistically, they are closely related to the Odawa and Ojibwe, with whom they form the larger Anicinàpe grouping...
name, probably meaning "the beyond place" (as in beyond, or east of, the Hudson) or perhaps "stony place" (either because the river's stony bottom is usually exposed except in spring, or because local soils are so stony).
The main stream, the south branch, rises in northwestern
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...
in the
Hoosac RangeThe Hoosac Range is part of both the Berkshires of western Massachusetts and the southern Green Mountains of Vermont; it is part of the greater Appalachian Mountain chain. Notable Peaks include Haystack Mountain and Mount Snow in Vermont and Spruce Mountain in Massachusetts, as well as the...
. It flows north, west, and northwest, past the Massachusetts towns of Cheshire,
AdamsAdams is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 8,809 at the 2000 census.-History:...
,
North AdamsNorth Adams is a city in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 14,681 at the 2000 census, making it the least populous city in the state...
, and
WilliamstownWilliamstown is a town in Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 8,424 at the 2000 census...
, and then across
PownalPownal is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 3,560.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 46.7 square miles , of which, 46.7 square miles of it is land and 0.1 square...
in the southwest corner of
VermontThe State of Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd by land area, , and 45th by total area. It has a population of 621,270, making it the second least-populated state...
, before entering
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. It flows past
Hoosick FallsHoosick Falls is a village in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 3,436 at the 2000 census. During its peak around 1900, the village had a population of about 7,000...
, where it provides
hydroelectric powerHydroelectricity is electricity generated by hydropower, i.e., the production of power through use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
and joins the Hudson 14 mi (23 km) above the city of
TroyTroy is a city in New York, U.S., and the county seat of Rensselaer County. As of the 2000 census, the population was 49,170. Troy's motto is Ilium fuit, Troja est, which means "Ilium was, Troy is."...
in the town of
SchaghticokeSchaghticoke is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, USA. The population was 7,456 at the 2000 census. The Schaghticoke is a native tribe original to the area. The town is on the northern border of the county, north of Troy...
,
Rensselaer CountyRensselaer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2000 census, the population was 152,538. Its name is in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the land in the area. Its county seat is Troy...
.
Tributaries
- North Branch Hoosic River
- Green River
- Little Hoosick River
- Walloomsac River
The Walloomsac River is a tributary of the Hoosic River, in length, in the northeastern United States. It rises in southeastern Vermont, in the Green Mountains east of the town Pownal and flows north and west past Bennington to join the Hoosic below Hoosick Falls, New York....
- Owl Kill
See also
External links