Saugatuck River

The Saugatuck River is a short river in southwestern Connecticut in the United States, approximately 25 mi (40 km) long. It drains part of suburban and rural Fairfield County west of Bridgeport, emptying into Long Island Sound.

Description

The Saugatuck River issues from Wataba Lake (562 feet above sea level) approximately 4 mi (6 km) southwest of Danbury near the New York border. It flows generally southeast, passing through the Saugatuck Reservoir (283 feet above sea level), then turns SSW. Near Westport, it broadens into a navigable estuary along its lower 5 mi (8 km) and enters Long Island Sound approximately 4 mi (6 km) southeast of Norwalk. Interstate 95 crosses the river near its mouth downstream from Westport. The river is wadeable along much of its course and is a popular seasonal destination for trout fishing.

At Westport, Route 136 crosses the river on the Bridge Street Bridge, built in 1882, the oldest surviving moveable bridge in Connecticut. The moveable section consists of a hand-cranked swing span made of two pin-connected Pratt trusses. The bridge replaced a wooden truss structure erected in 1873. Before that, a ferry service, started in 1746, helped passengers cross the river. [Westport Historical Society, plaque in the carriage barn part of the museum, read on September 30, 2007]

In the 17th century the river was the site of a Paugusset settlement. The name of the river means "river that flows out" in the Paugusset dialect. The land east of the river was opened to white settlement in 1637 after the defeat of the Pequot by John Mason in the Pequot War. After treaties with the local tribes, members of the Connecticut Colony began to settle the area between the Saugatuck and the Norwalk Rivers to the west between 1639 and 1661. In the 18th century farming villages sprang up along the river, which was the principal means of transportation. During the 19th century, the lower river became the site of warehouses and shipyards, as well as important hub of maritime commerce. The town of Wesport was incorporated out of the existing village of Saugatuck at the mouth of the Saugatuck River and several surrounding communities in 1835.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.past-inc.org/historic-bridges/movable-saugatuck.html Saugatuck River Bridge]
* [http://www.saugatech.com/aboutname.htm About the name Saugatuck]