Sunday, March 13, 2016

River in Here Somewhere

The crystal clear waters of the Squannacook River flow easterly with contributions from Willard, Trapfall, Mason, Walker, and Pearl Hill Brooks.  At Townsend Harbor the river is held back by a dam built in 1733 which created Harbor Pond. This past Saturday I launched into the pond from behind the church off of Rt. 119, a short distance beyond the traffic light at South Street and Main.  After exploring the scenic pond I decided to head upriver provided, of course, I could find where it came in.  After probing several possibilities, eventually I found a narrow winding channel which brought me to the actual Squannacook River...
As with visits to other parts of the Squannacook, Saturday's voyage was a story of fallen tree after fallen tree.  I managed to reach the location where Old Meetinghouse Road used to bridge the river...
 ...and allowed folks living south of the river a way to reach the town's first Meeting House back in the 1700s.  Maps from 1944 show this still being a viable road.  Beyond here was a short portage at a fallen tree which only allowed another 50 yards to the next fallen trees.  Deciding to follow the river bank on foot...
...brought me past many more blowdowns. One such spot is serving to trap a good deal of plastic flotsam...


At a sharp bend is this vertical beach...
Though spending time in here is serene, and surmounting the navigational challenges provides some sense of accomplishment, after awhile it all starts to look like this...
...and gives me a new appreciation for those who participate in the Townsend Lions Club Canoe Race advertised as an "obstacle course".

Once I retraced my steps back to Harbor Pond I explored some of Townsend Harbor's more interesting structures such as the Cooperage...


...which overhangs the river, and the Grist Mill across the street...
These two historic buildings are situated on an island created when a canal was dug to the north of the river. 

According to "The History of Townsend" by Ithamar B. Sawtelle, the Coopering business was one of Townsend's largest industries, and Sawtelle mentions that folks in a coopering town would know the term "shooks".  He defines them as "Staves of a barrel, knocked down, and tied up in a bundle, after the cask is set up, levelled, howelled and worked off, would be a shook. Those made at that time were of hard wood, either maple, birch, or oak, with staves about twenty-one inches long, and heads, perhaps eighteen inches in diameter, and when set up and hooped were "quarter fish drums".
Sort of like a barrel kit shipped to the user who would then assemble it prior to use.

Sawtelle also indicates the term "Harbor" may have been a reference to nearby log-framed structures where residents would find safe haven from raiding Native Americans during the 1700s.  I guess that makes more sense than it being a "harbor" in the sense of boating.

Trash recovered while out on the water and from the launch site...
The empty bag of ice melt had done a great job everywhere but this one tiny cove...

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