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Saxtons River

Coordinates: 43°08′16″N 72°30′35″W / 43.1378556°N 72.5098115°W / 43.1378556; -72.5098115
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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Pbergstrom (talk | contribs) at 03:17, 20 May 2014 (Revised brook names in the village based on a 2001 road map (Bolles Brook)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Saxtons River Falls in the village of Saxtons River, Vermont, as seen from below at fairly high flow, the morning after a day of rain. The bridge is on Westminster St. Part of Tenney's Mill is visible behind the bridge in the upper left; it was powered by water from a dam farther upstream.. The foundations of Frey's Mill, which was powered by water from these falls, are just out of the frame on the right.
Looking east down Saxtons River, just west of the village of Saxtons River.
Falls on the Saxtons River with ruin of Gages Mill on the right, North Westminster, VT (also called Gageville)
Twin Falls, on the Saxtons River in North Westminster, as seen from Forest Rd. off VT 121. There are the highest falls on this river.
Lower end of the Saxtons River, where it flows into the Connecticut River just south of Bellows Falls, VT in Westminster, VT. As seen from the US 5 bridge looking downstream.

The Saxtons River is a 22.9-mile-long (36.9 km)[1] river in the U.S. state of Vermont, a tributary of the Connecticut River. Its watershed covers 78 square miles (200 km2) and a range in altitude of 1,800 feet (550 m); land use is about 80% forested and 3% agricultural, and the upper river supports wild brook trout and brown trout, while Atlantic salmon occur but are usually limited to the area below Twin Falls on the lower river.[2][3]

The Saxtons River rises to the east of Glebe Mountain, in the town of Windham. It continues on through the towns of Grafton and Rockingham, passing through the Rockingham village of Saxtons River (named for the river). It then continues into the town of Westminster before joining the Connecticut River at Westminster, just south of the Rockingham town line. Its watershed lies south of the Williams River watershed and north of the West River watershed. There are three notable waterfalls on the river, listed from upriver to downriver: Saxtons River Falls in the village of Saxtons River, just below the bridge on Westminster St; Upper Twin Falls in North Westminster, also called Gageville, just below the bridge on Covered Bridge Rd; and Twin Falls, in North Westminster near Forest Rd.[4][5]

Its larger tributaries (listed from upriver to downriver) include Hinkley Brook and South Branch Saxtons River, flowing north in Grafton; Bull Creek flowing north and Weaver Brook flowing south, near Cambridgeport; Leach Brook, flowing south along Leach Rd between Cambridgeport and the village of Saxtons River; Pleasant Valley Brook, flowing south near Pleasant Valley Rd and joining the river on the west side of the village of Saxtons River; Bolles Brook, which flows south along Rockingham Hill Rd and Pleasant St and joins the river near Oak St; and an apparently unnamed brook flowing north near Westminster West Rd and joining the river behind a trailer park. Joining the river east of the village of Saxtons River are Marks Brook, which starts near Paradise Hill northeast of the village and flows south near Hall Bridge Rd, and Bundy Brook, which flows north near Davidson Hill Rd, crosses Back Westminster Rd where it flows over a small stone dam, and joins the river near where Vermont Route 121 is crossed by Interstate 91[6][7]

See also

References

  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed April 1, 2011
  2. ^ Saxtons River basin summary http://www.vermontconservation.org/Basin-11/Saxtons-River-Summary.html
  3. ^ Twin Falls description and location http://www.newenglandwaterfalls.com/waterfall.php?name=Twin%20Falls
  4. ^ Around Bellows Falls: Rockingham, Westminster, and Saxtons River By Anne L. Collins, Virginia Lisai, and Louise Luring. Arcadia Publishing, 2002. ISBN 978-0-7385-1033-0
  5. ^ Waterfalls of the Northeatern United States http://www.northeastwaterfalls.com/database.php?browse=st&sort=VT
  6. ^ Vermont Atlas and Gazetteer, Eleventh Edition, Delorme, 2003, ISBN 0-89933-322-2
  7. ^ Rockingham and Westminster Road Maps, Windham Regional Commission http://www.rpc.windham.vt.us/gis/roadname/index.htm

43°08′16″N 72°30′35″W / 43.1378556°N 72.5098115°W / 43.1378556; -72.5098115