Woonasquatucket River

Woonasquatucket River. (Woon ahs kwa tuck it = where the salt water ends). , The Woonasquatucket River is one of the fourteen federally designated American Heritage Rivers. From its headwaters in North Smithfield, it flows to Providence where it creates Waterplace Park, and then joins other rivers to form the upper part of Narragansett Bay., The River played a powerful role in Rhode Island's progression from pioneer to national leader in the American Industrial Revolution. This rich industrial heritage left behind dams that prevent the passage of fish-such as herring, shad, and eel-that need to move between fresh and saltwater to spawn., The Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council's mission to reclaim this River as a natural, historic, and recreational resource includes returning these fish to the river through the restoration of fish passages., Follow the river upstream and you may see great blue herons, painted turtles, kingfishers, red-tailed hawks and the first fish ladder at Rising Sun Mills.