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Mill River (Hampshire Co., Massachusetts)

 

 
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Mill River (Hampshire Co., Massachusetts)
 
 
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The Mill River is a tributary of the Connecticut River
Connecticut River

The Connecticut River is the largest river in New England, flowing south from the Connecticut Lakes in northern New Hampshire, along the border between New Hampshire and Vermont, through Western Massachusetts and central Connecticut into Long Island Sound at Old Saybrook, Connecticut....
 arising in the Berkshires in Hampshire County
Hampshire County, Massachusetts

Hampshire County is a non-governmental county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of 2000, the population was 152,251. Its largest community and county seat is Northampton, Massachusetts....
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. It borders Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north....
. It is notable for dropping in elevation more than 700 feet over 15 miles.

ns of mills were built along the Mill River in the early to mid 19th Century to take advantage of the available waterpower. To maintain sufficient summer water flow four reservoirs were built in the higher tributaries of the river.

A dam holding back the Williamsburg Reservoir burst causing a flood
Flood

A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land, a deluge. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide....
 along the Mill River on May 16, 1874, killing 139 people.






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The Mill River is a tributary of the Connecticut River
Connecticut River

The Connecticut River is the largest river in New England, flowing south from the Connecticut Lakes in northern New Hampshire, along the border between New Hampshire and Vermont, through Western Massachusetts and central Connecticut into Long Island Sound at Old Saybrook, Connecticut....
 arising in the Berkshires in Hampshire County
Hampshire County, Massachusetts

Hampshire County is a non-governmental county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of 2000, the population was 152,251. Its largest community and county seat is Northampton, Massachusetts....
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a U.S. state located in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. It borders Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north....
. It is notable for dropping in elevation more than 700 feet over 15 miles.

History

Dozens of mills were built along the Mill River in the early to mid 19th Century to take advantage of the available waterpower. To maintain sufficient summer water flow four reservoirs were built in the higher tributaries of the river.

A dam holding back the Williamsburg Reservoir burst causing a flood
Flood

A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land, a deluge. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide....
 along the Mill River on May 16, 1874, killing 139 people. The flood destroyed much of the villages of Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Massachusetts

Williamsburg is a New England town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 2,427 at the 2000 census....
, Skinnerville, and Haydenville in the township of Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Massachusetts

Williamsburg is a New England town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 2,427 at the 2000 census....
, and the village of Leeds
Leeds, Massachusetts

Leeds is a neighborhood in the western portion of the city of Northampton, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, United States, bordering Williamsburg, Massachusetts along the Mill River and Florence, Massachusetts....
 in the township of Northampton
Northampton, Massachusetts

Northampton is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 28,978 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Hampshire County....
.

This flood was widely covered in contemporaneous newspapers across the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
.