Contoocook River

The Contoocook River (/kənˈtʊkək/ (listen)) is a 71-mile-long (114 km)[1] river in New Hampshire. It flows from Pool Pond and Contoocook Lake on the Jaffrey/Rindge border to Penacook (just north of Concord), where it empties into the Merrimack River. It is one of only a few rivers in New Hampshire that flow in a predominantly northward direction. Three covered bridges span the river, one in the village of Contoocook in the town of Hopkinton, one in the town of Henniker, and a third on the Hancock-Greenfield line. Residents and tourists have made the Contoocook popular for fishing and whitewater boating.

Covered railroad bridge in village of Contoocook, New Hampshire

The name Contoocook came from the Pennacook tribe of Native Americans and perhaps means "place of the river near pines." Other variations of the name include the Abenaki meaning "nut trees river" or Natick language meaning "small plantation at the river."[2][3]

The river gives its name to Contoocook, New Hampshire, a census-designated place (CDP) within the town of Hopkinton.

Principal tributaries

From south to north:

See also
  • List of New Hampshire rivers

References
Hopkinton Dam on the Contoocook River in Merrimack County
  1. New Hampshire GRANIT state geographic information system Archived August 3, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  2. Coolidge, Austin J.; John B. Mansfield (1859). A History and Description of New England. Boston, Massachusetts: A.J. Coolidge. pp. 424–426. coolidge mansfield history description new england 1859.
  3. Day, Gordon M.; Michael K. Foster; William Cowan (1998). In Search of New England's Native Past. United States of America. pp. 61–64. ISBN 1558491511.
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