Paddling to Nashaway

My objective today was simple; drive along the Nashaway Trail and then paddle to the confluence of the Nashua River's north and south branches, where the Nashaway tribe of Nipmuck people once lived. 
What I found less than simple were the many historical loops that seemed to be connected to this location.
When I paddle the Assabet River in Pompositticut, I frequently launch at Russell's Bridge (White Pond Rd.) and have learned that this was the early route to Lancaster via Pompositticut (Stow) Lower Village and Route 117.  After recently reading The Indians of the Nipmuck Country in Southern New England by Dennis A. Connole, I learned that this route was called the Nashaway Trail and that the Nashaway chief sachem Sholan (aka Nashacowam) may have traversed the trail in 1641 or 1642 enroute to Watertown (possibly at the falls on the Charles River known as Cowate) to do some trading with a young English trader named Thomas King.  Sholan invited King to visit Nashaway and encouraged him to set up a trading post.  King visited Nashaway and did subsequently set up a trading post on the southeast slope of George Hill, located about a mile from the confluence of the Nashua River's north and south branches.  The confluence is pictured in the opening photo as seen looking downstream from the north branch.  The combined Nashua River passes to the left (north) under Center Bridge Road while the south branch from Clinton and Wachusett Reservoir enters from the right.
According to Connole, after several good years, King sold the trading operation to John Prescott, the man who is credited with founding the community of Lancaster.  Prescott ultimately sold the trading operation to John Tinker and this is where several connections occur.  Nanamcocomuck, eldest son of Passaconaway, great sachem of the Pennacook tribe, who often resided near Pawtucket Falls in Lowell married into the Nashaway tribe and became a sachem of the nearby Wachusetts.  In his dealings with John Tinker at Nashaway he indebted himself and wasn't able to repay the growing debt.  Tinker ultimately had Nanamcocomuck imprisoned in 1659 for failure to pay and Passaconaway was only able to free his son by paying Tinker.  Nanamcocomuck left for Maine after his release from prison and, it is said, never returned.  His son, Kancamagus would, later, take some measure of revenge against English settlers in New Hampshire and Maine.  Food for thought the next time driving along the scenic Kancamagus Highway.
Connole's account ties in nicely with that in another book The Bend in the River by John Pendergast who identifies the property sold to pay off Tinker as Wickasee Island.  This island was very dear to Passaconaway and his family.  See my post about Passaconaway's other son Wannalancet and his final resting place near Wickasee Island.
As to the Nashaways, decades of good relations with the settlers came to an abrupt end with the outbreak of the conflict known as King Philip's War in 1675/76.  The war led to their demise in this region.

Anyway, back in the present, I launched just as the sun was beginning to break through the clouds at Seven Bridge Road (Rt. 117 in Lancaster) and headed upriver.  At one of the first large blowdowns across the river, there was quite a bit of trash (mostly plastic and glass bottles)...

This one location nearly filled my boat with over 100 pieces of trash including 10 one-quart glass beer bottles.  As I finished my work there, both the day and blowdown were looking better...

Continuing upriver, I came upon these wood ducks that were less shy than most others of their kind I encounter...

Also seen and heard today were armies of robins, a hawk, perhaps a mink, and the unmistakable calls of red-winged blackbirds.

Nearing the confluence of the north and south branches I passed under Center Bridge Road and found the north branch more inviting or less obstructed by blowdowns.  I paddled up to where the B & M RR's Worcester, Nashua, and Portland branch crosses over the river...

Today the line is operated by Pan Am Railways.

The Route 70 bridge can be seen in the distance.  To my immediate left, through the woods, is the Old Settler's Burial Field, the oldest cemetery in Lancaster and reported to have graves dating to the 1600's.

My trip downriver was a swift one with some good current.

Back at Seven Bridge Road, my trash haul posed in the strange white stuff that coated the ground...

There were 82 recyclable containers (2 redeemable) and 63 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as styrofoam, nip bottles, spray cans, and a cooler.  Note how nearly all of the plastic and glass bottles have lost their identifying wrappers.  The glue holding the wrappers dissolves in water.  This could have unintended consequences if Massachusetts ever expands the bottle bill to require a deposit on non-carbonated beverage containers. A permanent mark in the plastic or glass would work better. 

Today's haul of 145 combine with 21 from a recent Fort Pond Brook terrestrial patrol to bring my YTD total to 1009.

Paddling the Quinebaug to Indian Island

After recently reading The Indians of the Nipmuck Country in Southern New England, 1630 - 1750 by Dennis A. Connole, I was compelled to visit one location that played a pivotal role in the book and the fate of the Nipmuck people.
At the outset of "King Philip's War" (named for Wampanoag leader Metacomet aka Philip) Massachusetts officials needed to know if the Nipmuck tribes were likely to join forces with the Wampanoags.  In mid July 1675 Governor John Leverett sent 33-year old trader Ephraim Curtis into the Nipmuck Country to find out firsthand.  Curtis and his small party numbering 12 found only abandoned villages until they finally located a large encampment of Nipmucks on a 4-acre island in the Quinebaug River.  As Curtis approached the island from the east, he was prevented from crossing the river by 40 warriors.  Keeping their cool, Curtis and his party ultimately persuaded the warriors to allow their passage across the river to meet with the Nipmuck sachems.  Once across the river and on the island they were, once again, surrounded by an even larger force of warriors.  After what must have been a harrowing time for Curtis and his men, the sachems agreed to a meeting.  There were 6 sachems: Muttaump (Quabaug tribe), Konkewasco (Quabaug tribe), Willymachem, Upchatuck (Nashaway tribe), Keehood (Wabbaquaset tribe), and Nontatouso (Wabbaquaset tribe).
Curtis would return to the island one more time towards the end of July, but any hope of a continued state of peace between the Nipmucks and Colonists would soon be gone for reasons Connole explains in his book.
Locating the island required going to one of Connole's sources The Bay Path and Along the Way by Levi Badger Chase.  In addition to a very detailed description of the location, Chase provided this map which shows the island near the bottom right.
So, this morning as the sun was winning the day, I traveled to the town of Holland, Ma and launched into the Quinebaug River where it exits Siog Pond (aka Holland Pond) at Pond Bridge Road (opening photo).  The Army Corps of Engineers maintains the Quinebaug River Canoe Trail which runs 5 miles downstream to East Brimfield Lake.  There are 3 rest stops along the way.  The scenery is beautiful and wildlife plentiful.
As I was preparing to get underway, a pair of bald eagles were carrying on in a large pine across Siog Pond.  I would see eagles (perhaps the same ones) frequently over the course of my visit.  Wood ducks and mallards were also plentiful today.  One hawk was seen as well.
Indian Island (aka Curtis Island) was reached after 1 mile and the bridge occupies the location where Curtis crossed the river from right to left...

The island would have made an ideal stronghold for the Nipmucks.
 
As I landed my boat at rest stop # 1 a bald eagle soared overhead...

This rest stop provided a nice spot to enjoy lunch protected from the breeze...

After lunch, I stretched my legs by walking to the island's elevated section and then to the bridge where I crossed to the other side of the river from where Curtis made his approach.  This is the view looking across towards the island...

Curtis was surrounded by 40 warriors as he looked across towards an encampment where he estimated there were 200 men and 6 sachems.  Today, by contrast, things were fairly quiet.

Upon relaunching my boat, I encountered the confluence of Mill Brook and the river.  Ascending the brook for a quarter mile or so required pushing over a couple of beaver dams before returning to the Quinebaug and continuing downstream to rest stop # 3 where I turned around...

Pieces of trash encountered along the way numbered 39...

This haul was composed of 18 recyclable containers (6 redeemable) and 21  pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as aluminun foil, plastic bags, styrofoam cups.  Most of the trash was found at rest stop # 1 and only 12 pieces were found in the river itself.  YTD = 843

Both on my way to this launch site and on my way home, I passed areas where last June's tornado had cut a wide swath of devastation through the area.  Here it is, 9 months later and the landscape  looks other worldly...





After Work on the Ipswich River in Middleton

Decided to do some after work unwinding on the Ipswich River in Middleton this afternoon.  I launched for the first time from the Raymond A. Farnsworth Canoe Landing/Conservation Area on Route 114 which is only 5 minutes from my job site. The sun was out and it was unseasonably warm, though a bit windy.  Once on the water, I headed upriver pushing over 3 beaver dams to somewhere near the Norris Brook Area where this tree blocked my further ascent...

Turning around here I began the easy trip back...

As I approached the pines in the distance, a pair of turkey vultures were patrolling the treetops...

Also seen today were a pair of hawks, a beaver, a musquash, a belted kingfisher, and a small woodpecker.

A modest amount of trash was encountered and recovered...

There were 12 recyclable containers (1 redeemable) and 11 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as styrofoam cups, plastic bags, a plastic watering can, and a few nip bottles.  YTD = 804

Pompositticut's "Open Winter" Continues

What little ice remained at the White Pond Road (Russell's Bridge) boat launch in Maynard was easily pushed away, yesterday afternoon.  The impoundment area of the Assabet River upstream from the Ben Smith Dam was open water allowing me to paddle Pompositticut waters up to Fort Meadow Brook in Stow.  Along the way, I saw mute swans, mallards, common goldeneyes, belted kingfishers, hawks, musquashes, and bluebirds.  This bluebird stayed still long enough for a photo...

Near the outfall from Lake Boon, this white-breasted hawk surveyed things from its lofty perch...

As I headed back downriver, I encountered this small airplane practicing landing approaches at the Crow Island airstrip...

Once back at Russell's Bridge my trash haul posed hullside...

There were 26 recyclable containers (6 redeemable) and 14 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, nip bottles, a sneaker, and an old Snoopy toy.  YTD = 781

River-Weary Beer Keg Home at Last

The tired and beat-up looking beer keg found in the Sudbury River on February 10th is finally home.  It was delivered to the Anheuser-Busch facility in Medford, MA (photo at left) this past Wednesday, ending what, most likely, was a long and interesting odyssey: possibly filled with beer at the Anheuser-Busch brewery near the Merrimack River in New Hampshire; found floating in the Sudbury River in Wayland, MA; returned to Anheuser-Busch at their facility near the Mystic River in Medford, MA.

Unlike most of the beverage containers I find in the river, this one's owner actually wanted it back despite its integrity having been compromised.  By that I mean the 15.5-gallon keg was found nearly full of river water and there were three cracks in the stainless-steel shell.  It took six days to thaw and drain the majority of water out of the keg. (Note: Freezing temperatures slowed draining process as keg was not allowed in house.) 

Here is a photo of the keg in question...

The date stamp on the container indicated it was manufactured in 1984.  That leaves me to wonder just how long kegs are kept in service and consequently how many gallons of beer a keg may convey over the course of its useful life.

I knew very little of "kegology" before finding this keg.  Since adopting it, I found out the following:

• A 15.5 gallon keg contains enough beer to fill 168 12-ounce cans or bottles
• It weighs 160 lbs when full and 30 lbs when empty
• There is no easy way to get liquid out other than displacing it with air or gas
• New kegs can cost breweries as much as $ 150
• Deposits on kegs can run anywhere from $ 30 to the full cost of the keg
• Kegs, both full or empty, are the property of the brewery
• Kegerators are used both commercially and residentially to keep kegs cold
• Kegs are the ultimate re-usable container
• Beer kegs were once made of wood, such as the ones delivered by the Three Stooges for the Panther Brewing Company

Thanks to Anheuser-Busch Customer Relationship Group and August A Busch Co. of Massachusetts for their help in properly disposing of the beer keg.

  

Danvers River to Salem Willows

My afterwork jaunt from Pope's Landing in Danvers out to Salem Willows was a nice way to wrap up a long day.  Heading downriver, against an incoming tide, provided a good little workout.  Wildlife was plentiful and included gulls, Canda geese, mute swans, buffleheads, loons, and eider ducks. 
Hard to believe it is February 15th and I was paddling without gloves for most of the time.
Other boats were very few, only two, and the Salem Willows looked pretty much deserted (photo at left).
Looking seaward, saw a lone kayaker heading out, and a loon electing not to follow...

My trip back up the Danvers River was on a mirror-like surface...

Further up, the sun finally broke through the clouds and lit the eastern shore...

Trash was few and far between and included plastic bags, plastic bottles, and my first-ever toupee...

YTD = 741


Terrestrial Patrol Along Fort Pond Brook

Before leaving for our "no-show snowstorm" walk today, Mrs. Trashpaddler and I remembered to bring along a couple of plastic bags in the event we encountered any egregious litter.  Our walk followed Fort Pond Brook for a ways and we passed several sites where small dams used to put the brook to work.  The photo at left shows where the brook once helped in the manufacturing of Chadwick's Piano Stools.  These days, however, the brook has it easy, like an old horse put out to pasture.
Unfortunately our bags were too quickly filled and we saw our first sign that litterbugs are aging (notice an Ensure container)...

There were 34 pieces of trash in all: 18 recyclable containers (3 redeemable) and 16 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, styrofoam cups, and nip bottles.  YTD = 729