From its source in Goshen to its confluence with the Connecticut River at the Oxbow, the Mill River is an often beautiful, sometimes turbulent waterway that has powered mills and destroyed villages.
Spring rains caused the Mill River to overflow its banks in 2007.NORTHAMPTON – It lacks the grandeur of the nearby Connecticut, but the Mill River has a special place in the history and ecology of Northampton, and a newly formed group of volunteers has dedicated itself to making sure as many people as possible can appreciate it.
The Mill River Greenway, some three dozen members strong, has already organized field trips and mitigation projects around the river, but that’s just a start, according to John Sinton, one of its founders.
“Our ultimate goal is to have as much of the river as accessible as possible for walking and biking,” he said.
The Greenway group had its genesis in the discussions surrounding a proposed hotel in the Armory parking lot behind Pulaski Park a few years ago. The project was designed to abut an area at the back of the lot where the Mill River flowed before it was diverted by the Army Corp of Engineers after it flooded downtown Northampton in 1936. All that’s left of the former channel is a muddy trickle, but Sinton and others wanted to ensure that the piece of the city’s history was not lost amid the construction. The hotel project ultimately fell through, but the desire to protect and promote the Mill River never abated.
“We said, ‘The Mill River is the heart of Northampton and Williamsburg. Why not talk about the whole thing?’” Sinton said. “It’s a really important part of our lives.”
From its source in Goshen to its confluence with the Connecticut River at the Oxbow, the Mill River is an often beautiful, sometimes turbulent waterway that has powered mills and destroyed villages. The flood of 1936 was puny compared to the 1874 disaster that sent millions of gallons of water downstream from a broken dam, wiping out the village of Skinnerville where Haydenville now stands and claiming 145 lives. In kinder times, the river provided a source of energy for the silk mills along its course in Williamsburg, Florence and Leeds.
Since the Greenway formed, various communities have been working on plans to highlight the river’s particular importance to them. The people in the Bay State neighborhood are pushing for a river walk. Florence wants to educate the public about the river’s role in its industries. Leeds wants to improve its riverfront. In Williamsburg, the Greenway partnered with Meekins Library to create a small riverside park.
The group’s website– millrivergreenway.org – went online earlier this month. On it, viewers can find a photo gallery with Mill River scenes and notices of events such as a May 6 field trip on the Smith College campus.
Sinton, a retired professor of environmental studies who taught at the University of Massachusetts, said Greenway envisions a trail with continuous public access from Route 66 to the Clement Street bridge. It would also like to create a river walk along the river’s old bed, pieces of which still exist downtown.
To celebrate its formations and its accomplishments to date, Mill River Greenway is holding an party on Friday at Pedal to Properties on 14 Strong Avenue. The 5-7 p.m. event is free and open to the public.