local circle Fire charcoal with stone, Water and Earth...

Hoosic River (South branch)

Lanesborough MA

 

marking sites with headwaters Hoosic South Branch...

this headwaters and the headwaters of Housatonic River that conjoins with Long Island Sound are within 10 miles of each other... they are slso within ten miles with Kinderhook Creek Headwaters, Hancock MA

 

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The flood chutes have been both a blessing and a curse for North Adams. After destructive floods in the 20s and 30s, the city begged for flood protection.  The Army Corps of Engineers came in, widenedand deepened the river and constructed a concrete bottom and concrete walls 10 - 20 feet high. The walls have done a phenomenal job of protecting the city from floods. Unfortunately, the walls restrict access to and enjoyment of the river in North Adams. 

Upon their construction, homes and business right along the river were torn down. Catherine Coughlin Dailey, living near the river off Holden Street, refused to move. While she remained in her house, trucks and cranes transported the house to Barth Avenue. 

 

and

 

The Hoosic River was a very industrial river: industry ran both along side of it and right through it. The mills and factories dumped their waste right into the river. Textile dyers washed their rags in the river. Each day, the river would be a new color - the color of the cloth dye that day. Children used to take bets on the color of the river as they walked home from school. Fish could not live in the river and swimming was not ideal - The glass and other debris in the river would cut swimmers. The smell of the river was so bad that on hot summer days you could not leave your house - and if you accidentally fell into the river, you would smell like the river as well. 

Fortunately, the water quality of the Hoosic is improving and fish can be caught outside of the flood chutes. Soon, the HRR Pilot Project area will be a wonderful place to fish, swim, and boat. 

 

- https://hoosicriverrevival.org/interactive-river-maps/