The
Ottauquechee River is a 41.4 miles (66.6 km)
riverA river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards 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. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in eastern
VermontVermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is a
tributaryA tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the
Connecticut RiverThe Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...
, which flows to
Long Island SoundLong Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
.
The Ottauquechee rises in the
Green MountainsThe Green Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. state of Vermont. The range extends approximately .-Peaks:The most notable mountains in the range include:*Mount Mansfield, , the highest point in Vermont*Killington Peak, *Mount Ellen,...
in eastern
Rutland County in the town of
KillingtonKillington is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 811 at the 2010 census. Killington Ski Resort is located here....
, and flows generally eastwardly into
Windsor County, where it passes through or along the boundaries of the towns of
BridgewaterBridgewater is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 980 at the 2000 census. Bridgewater contains the hamlets of Bridgewater Village, Bridgewater Corners, West Bridgewater, and Bridgewater Center...
,
WoodstockWoodstock is the shire town, and capital, of Windsor County, Vermont, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 3,232. It includes the villages of Woodstock, South Woodstock and Taftsville.-History:...
,
PomfretPomfret is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 997 at the 2000 census.-History:The town was named after the Earl of Pomfret...
,
HartfordHartford is a town in Windsor County in the U.S. state of Vermont. It is located on the New Hampshire border, at the intersection of Interstates 89 and 91. It is the site of the confluence of the White River and the Connecticut River; the Ottauquechee River also flows through the town...
and
HartlandHartland is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,223 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 45.2 square miles , of which 45.0 square miles is land and 0.2 square mile is water...
; and the villages of
WoodstockWoodstock is an incorporated village in the town of Woodstock in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 977 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
and
QuecheeQuechee is one of five unincorporated villages in the town of Hartford, Windsor County, Vermont. Quechee is also a census-designated place. It is the site of the Quechee Gorge on the Ottauquechee River and is also the home to the Quechee Lakes planned community initiated in the late 1960s, which...
. It joins the Connecticut River in the town of Hartland, about 4 miles (6 km) south-southwest of
White River JunctionWhite River Junction is an unincorporated village and census-designated place in the town of Hartford in Windsor County, Vermont, United States...
.
A headwaters tributary known as the
North Branch Ottauquechee River flows southeastwardly through the towns of Killington and Bridgewater.
Quechee State Park is located along the river near the village of Quechee. Near the river's mouth a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
damA dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
causes the river to form North Hartland Lake.
Near the state park, the river flows through the 165 feet (50.3 m) Quechee Gorge. The U.S. Rt. 4 bridge crosses over the gorge and provides good viewing down into its depths.
http://www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/geo/quechee.htm
Variant names and spellings
The U.S. Board on Geographic Names settled on "Ottauquechee River" as the stream's name in 1908. According to the
Geographic Names Information SystemThe Geographic Names Information System is a database that contains name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features located throughout the United States of America and its territories. It is a type of gazetteer...
, it has also been known historically as:
- Otta Quechee River
- Ottaquechee River
- Ottaqueeche River
- Queechee River
- Queechy River
- Water Quechee River
- Waterchuichi River
- Waterqueechy River
- Waterqueechy
External links