CONNECTICUT RIVER, a river of New England; it rises in Connecticut Lake on the northern border of New Hampshire, 2,000 feet above sea-level, forms the boundary be tween Vermont and New Hampshire and flows southward, passing through the western part of Massachusetts, the central part of Con necticut and falls into Long Island Sound. Its total length is about 350 miles, and its drain age basin is more than 11,000 square miles in extent. Its principal affluent is the Farmington which joins it above Hartford. Throughout its course between New Hampshire and Ver mont the banks are wooded, the river bed very narrow and all affluents are small, but at cer tain seasons become so many torrents. The average fall in this upper course is from 18 to 32 feet per mile. After entering Massachu setts the river flows through Triassic shales and sandstones and the river valley becomes very broad. Near the Connecticut border and after its entry into the latter State the river has cut its way through heavy deposits of sand, gravel and clay of the late Glacial Period. This por tion is also marked by several rapids and water falls; of these the principal are the Enfield Falls, 10 miles above Hartford. The river val ley from Middletown to the sea is narrow, the stream here working through the crystalline rocks of the lowlands. The valley is a great
manufacturing region, ample water-power being supplied by the river at many points, such as Bellows Falls, Vt., Turners Falls and Holyoke, Mass., and Windsor Locks, Conn. Below Brattleboro, Vt., a great power dam has been constructed recently by the Federal govern ment. The latter has had elaborate surveys made with a view of rendering the river navi gable as far as Holyoke. Subsidiary canals at present make it navigable for about 25 miles above Hartford, while from this city to the sea (50 miles) it is navigable for vessels draw ing from 8 to 10 feet. The sand bars which are constantly forming at the mouth of the river are removed by dredging. In Colonial times the river played a prominent part in the settlement of the region. It .was the highway for the English and Dutch fur traders, and the fertility of the lands along its banks soon at tracted settlers. Until the advent of the rail way it remained the principal thoroughfare be tween the northland and the sea. Consult Bacon, E. M.,