Hoosic River

[[Image:Hoosic River upstream from West Main St, North Adams MA.jpg|thumb|right|294px|Hoosic River
upstream from West Main Street
in [[North Adams, Massachusetts]]]] The '''Hoosic River''', also known as the '''Hoosac,''' the '''Hoosick''' (primarily in New York) and the '''Hoosuck''' (mostly archaic), is a {{convert|76.3|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} tributary of the [[Hudson River]] in the northeastern [[United States]]. The different spellings are the result of varying transliterations of the river's original [[Algonquian languages|Algonquian]] name. It can be translated either as "the beyond place" (as in beyond, or east of, the Hudson) or as "the stony place" (perhaps because the river's stony bottom is usually exposed except in spring, or perhaps because local soils are so stony). The Hoosic River [[drainage basin|Watershed]] is formed from tributaries originating in the [[The Berkshires|Berkshire Hills]] of [[Massachusetts]], the [[Green Mountains]] of [[Vermont]], and the [[Taconic Mountains]]. The main (South) Branch of the river begins on the west slope of North Mountain and almost immediately fills the man-made Cheshire Reservoir in [[Berkshire County, Massachusetts]]. From there, the river flows north, west, and northwest, through the towns of [[Cheshire, Massachusetts|Cheshire]] and [[Adams, Massachusetts|Adams]], the city of [[North Adams, Massachusetts|North Adams]], and the town of [[Williamstown, Massachusetts|Williamstown]]. It then travels through [[Pownal, Vermont|Pownal]] in the southwest corner of Vermont, after which it enters [[Rensselaer County, New York|Rensselaer County]], [[New York]]. There, it flows through the towns of [[Petersburgh, New York|Petersburgh]] and [[Hoosick, New York|Hoosick]], where it passes over a [[Hydroelectricity|hydroelectric power]] dam in the village of [[Hoosick Falls, New York|Hoosick Falls]]. (There are also dams in [[Johnsonville, New York|Johnsonville]], [[Valley Falls, New York|Valley Falls]], and [[Schaghticoke (village), New York|Schaghticoke]].) The river provides the northwest border of the town of [[Pittstown, New York|Pittstown]], then flows through the town of [[Schaghticoke (town), New York|Schaghticoke]] with its villages of Valley Falls and Schaghticoke before it terminates at its confluence with the Hudson {{convert|14|mi}} above the city of [[Troy, New York|Troy]]. ==Tributaries== * North Branch Hoosic River * Green River * Little Hoosick River * [[Walloomsac River]] - Native American name, also Wal-loom-sac * Owl Kill * Wampecack Creek - Native American name, also Po-quam-pa-cak. * Tomhannock - Native American name, also Tom-he-nack ** Sunkouissa Creek - Native American name, also Sank-an-is-sick ==See also== *[[List of rivers of Massachusetts]] *[[List of rivers of New York]] *[[List of rivers of Vermont]] ==External links== * [http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ma/nwis/uv?01332500 USGS water flow statistics at Williamstown] * [http://www.hoorwa.org Hoosic River Watershed Association] * [http://www.hoosucktu.org Hoosuck Chapter of Trout Unlimited] * [http://www.wrlf.org/hoosic.html Hoosic River Nature Trail in Williamstown] {{coord missing|Massachusetts}}