I went to Chocolateville today - July 14, 2013

I was actually suppose to go there with Chuck, Tommy and Jim during the Paddle Across Rhode Island, but that got washed out, so I went by myself today. I put-in at the River Island Campground in Valley Falls, and paddled down to the Chocolate Mill Landing in Central Falls - about a mile. 

Until today I didn’t know that the first chocolate mill in the country was located in Central Falls. The Chocolate Mill Landing is actually pretty nice. It’s at the corner of Roosevelt Avenue and Charles Street in Central Falls just upstream from the Elizabeth Webbing Dam. The put-in is down a step hill, but there is a nice set of stairs.

This section of the Blackstone is rarely paddled since there hasn’t been good access. There has been access up in Valley Falls for a while (off High Street in Central Falls at the new River Island Campground), but the parking is a problem there, and it’s a long carry to the river. This will work out much better. 

Links:
My pictures
River Island Campground - Central Falls

Dams on the Lower Blackstone River

I was sorting through some old pictures yesterday, and was able to put together pictures of all the dams on the lower Blackstone River from Blackstone, MA down to Pawtucket, RI.

Rolling Dam - Blackstone Gorge

Saranac Dam - Waterford/Blackstone

Woonsocket Falls Dam
(seen through the South Main Street Bridge)

Manville Dam

Albion Dam

Ashton Dam

Pratt Dam - Lonsdale

Valley Falls Dam



Elizabeth Webbing Mills Dam - Central Falls



Slater Mill Dam - Pawtucket

Pawtucket Falls Dam
(Photo  by Cheryl Thompson Cameron)

All can be portaged, although some are much more difficult than others.  The dams along the Blackstone River Bikeway from Woonsocket to Valley Falls (Manville, Albion, Ashton and Lonsdale) can be portaged relatively easily.

The next dam upstream in MA is Rice City in Uxbridge.  I would have had a picture of that dam if I hadn't lost my camera on Saturday.  Above Plummers Landing is the dam at Riverdale, followed by the Depot Street Dam in Grafton. I'm not familiar with the dams further upstream in MA, but I want to get up there sometime. The section from Riverlin Street in Millbury down to Grafton is on my list of places to paddle.

Valley Falls to Pawtucket – July 10th

I was back on the Blackstone River today paddling a section that I had never done before - Valley Falls to Pawtucket.

I parked off High Street in Central Falls in the parking lot next to the walking track. There is a path there that takes you over the old mill trench and down to the river. The river was low just below the dam, but was fine otherwise. With a lot more water, this might be a good place to bring my whitewater boat.  (There is a path by the mill trench on the Central Falls side that goes back up toward the dam which would make doing loops easier.)

Its only about a mile down to the Elizabeth Webbing Dam. I was able to portage around the dam on the right through the parking lot for an old mill that has been converted into condominiums. Its another mile down to the old Slater Mill. The scenery is OK if you like old mills. I did see lots of different birds including an Osprey and what looked like a Cormorant.

I got home around 11:30, and the rain and thunderstorms rolled in around 1:30.  Unfortunately, we still need more rain.


Valley Falls to Pawtucket from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

Links:
Valley Falls from Woonsocket.org
Samuel Slater from Woonsocket.org