Beginning of a River
The water that will become the Charles River falls several feet from a small circular dam at the Milford Reservoir, passing through a water treatment plant and flowing under a bridge on Dilla Street. The newly formed river then rambles through a park and disappears in a culvert beneath the main street in Milford, before re-emerging and traveling into a grassy area near Hopedale. So begins the river’s winding eighty mile journey through twenty-three towns all the way to Boston and into the Harbor.
I was inspired to attempt an exploration of the Charles after learning to sail at C0mmunity Boating and riding my bike along the river from Boston from Watertown where I lived for fifteen years. Max Hall’s book The People’s River that I discovered one day in the Lincoln Public Library inspired me to start my own journey. While not owning a kayak or having a friend or family member to accompany me on the water, I began to follow the path of the river on foot and by car several years ago, and I would arrive at places where the river was inaccessible because it rambled over large rocks, ran through private property, wandered through wetlands, or was confined by buildings along the shore. I was grateful for author Mike Tougias’ book The Hidden Charles: An Explorer’s Guide to Charles River that helped me get started at Granite Street in Hopkinton where water trickled into the ground and percolated through a forest into the Milford reservoir. With a road map on the seat beside me in my car and an Instamatic camera, I then followed the route of some of his explorations heading downriver as he described the natural beauty, pointing out the places where fishing was good, while informing the rower, canoeist, and kayaker about the best portages. Then I started to explore on foot and by bicycle with my husband and friends on weekends – beginning in Boston.
My adventure of exploring the Charles first-hand has taken me several places, and I have spent many hours seeking information in libraries and online, attending river-related events, and meeting like-minded people who either grew up near the river or are similarly inspired by its history and beauty – …and I am still learning …
N.B. I have also read Michael Tougias’ book of historical fiction about King Philip who led the Natives living near the river to launch raids against the English settlements, especially around Medfield, trying to protect the land where the Algonquian tribes intended to remain although their numbers were decimated by illness imported from Europe.
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