Mystic River (Connecticut)

For other uses, see Mystic River (disambiguation)
Mystic River
Country United States
Basin
Main source Connecticut
River mouth Long Island Sound
Physical characteristics
Length 3.4 mi (5.5 km)

The Mystic River is a 3.4-mile-long (5.5 km)[1] estuary in the southeast corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. Its main tributary is Whitford Brook. It empties into Fishers Island Sound, dividing the village of Mystic between the towns of Groton and Stonington. Much of the river is tidal. The Mystic River was the location of three large shipbuilding firms during the 19th-century, and it is now the home of the Mystic Seaport maritime museum. The name Mystic, as the modern spelling has it, is derived from the Pequot term "missi-tuk", describing a large river whose waters are driven into waves by tides or wind, according to the Mystic River Historical Society.

History

The Sabino traveling along the Mystic River

The Pequot Indians built their first village, called the Siccanemos, overlooking the western bank of the Mystic River. The only written records describe this village as existing in the year 1637.[2] There were many hostilities and power struggles between the Native American tribes and English settlers during this time. On May 26, 1637, a military force under the command of John Mason and John Underhill attacked and destroyed the Pequot village, killing almost everyone and burning the village to the ground.

Course

Mystic River railway bridge in New London County, since replaced

Bridge

See also

References

  1. U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed April 1, 2011
  2. Leigh Fought, A History of Mystic Connecticut: From Pequot Village to Tourist Town. Charleston, NC: ww.historypress.net, 2007.
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Coordinates: 41°20′59″N 71°58′13″W / 41.34972°N 71.97028°W / 41.34972; -71.97028

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