Seekonk River - September 26, 2021

Cormorants on the shoreline

I had some time free in the afternoon, so I decided to head over to Pawtucket to paddle on the Seekonk River.

The Seekonk River is the tidal extension of the Blackstone River that begins just below the Pawtucket Falls. The two rivers could not be more different. The Blackstone is freshwater with lots of twists and turns, while the Seekonk is a wide-open saltwater estuary.

Division Street Bridge

I put in at Festival Pier off School Street and paddled upstream toward the Pawtucket Falls. I paddled under the Division Street Bridge, the Route 95 Bridge, and up to the Pawtucket Falls under the Main Street Bridge.

The Pawtucket Falls is the largest waterfall on the Blackstone River. As I looked upstream over the falls I could see the Old Slater Mill. Built in 1793 by Samuel Slater, it was the first successful water powered textile mill in the United States. Lots of potential for this section of the river, but unfortunately it still has a ways to go.

Old Slater Mill and the Pawtucket Falls