Pequabuck River

Pequabuck River
River
240px Early 20th-century postcard portraying the Pequabuck River in Forestville, Connecticut
Country	United States
State	Connecticut
Counties	Litchfield County, Hartford County
Tributaries
- right	Poland River
Source
- location	Harwinton, Litchfield County, Connecticut, USA
Mouth	Confluence with Farmington River
- location	Farmington, Hartford County, Connecticut, USA
Length	19 mi (31 km)
Basin	58.4 sq mi (151 km2)

The Pequabuck River is a river, approximately 19 miles (30.6 km) in length, which rises in Litchfield County, Connecticut and courses through neighboring Hartford County before emptying into the Farmington River in Farmington. The river has played a crucial role in the development of Plainville, Connecticut, in particular. The river's lower drainage basin consists of industrial and urban areas and effluents from these areas pollute the river's waters. The Pequabuck drove a water wheel that provided 8 horsepower to the Upper Lock Shop in Plymouth, Connecticut, a facility which would eventually become the Lewis Lock Company in 1851 and, finally, the once-renowned Eagle Lock Company. The river banks were historically the site of one of United States' first malleable iron producing units, known as Malleable Iron Works (later Andrew Terry and Company).

Etymology

The name "pequabuck" was derived from an indigenous Algonquin phrase meaning "clear pond" or "open pond". It is believed that this term originally referred to a pond or wetland at the headwaters of the Pequabuck River.

See also

• List of rivers of Connecticut