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| Mystic River | |
|---|---|
 Mystic River as seen from the Cradock Bridge inMedford | |
 Interactive map of the Mystic River | |
| Etymology | fromWampanoagMuhs-uhtuq meaning "big river" |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| District | Middlesex County |
| Municipalities | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Lower Mystic Lake |
| Mouth | Boston Harbor |
| Length | 7 mi (11 km), roughly east-west |
| Basin size | 76 sq mi (200 km2) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Alewife Brook |
| • right | Chelsea Creek,Island End River,Malden River |
TheMystic River is a 7.0-mile-long (11.3 km) river[1] inMassachusetts. In theMassachusett language,missi-tuk means "large estuary", alluding to the tidal nature of the Mystic River. The resemblance to the English wordmystic is a coincidence, which the colonists followed.
The Mystic River lies to the north of Boston and flows approximately parallel to the lower portions of theCharles River, encompassing 76 square miles (200 km2) of watershed. The river flows from theLower Mystic Lake and travels throughEast Boston,Chelsea,Charlestown,Everett,Medford,Somerville, andArlington. The river joins the Charles River to form innerBoston Harbor. Its watershed contains 44 lakes and ponds, the largest of which is Spot Pond in theMiddlesex Fells, with an area of 307 acres (124 ha). Significant portions of the river's shores are within theMystic River Reservation and are administered by theMassachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, which include a variety of recreation areas.[2]
The Mystic River has a long history of industrial use and a continuing water quality problem. Some sections are undergoing an extensive cleanup as part of the construction ofEverett's newEncore Boston Harbor casino.[3][4]
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American Indians and colonists usedweirs to catchalewives and fertilize their crops. In 1631, the first ship built in Massachusetts was theBlessing of the Bay, launched from the river's shores. The first bridge was built in 1637; neighboring towns squabbled about the costs for more than a hundred years.
The Mystic River played a role in theAmerican Revolution on September 1, 1774 when a force of roughly 260 British regulars rowed from Boston up the river to a landing point nearWinter Hill. From there, they marched about a mile (1.6 km) to thePowder House where a large supply of American gunpowder was kept; they removed all the powder, sparking a popular uprising known as thePowder Alarm. TheBattle of Chelsea Creek took place in the river's watershed in May 1775, and the British attacked via the river's beach in theBattle of Bunker Hill in June.
In 1805, theMiddlesex Canal linked theCharles and Mystic Rivers to theMerrimack River inLowell. Ten shipyards along the Mystic River built more than 500 clipper ships during the 19th Century. Shipbuilding peaked in the 1840s, as schooners and sloops transported timber and molasses for rum distilleries between Medford and the West Indies.
Extensive salt marshes lined the banks of the Mystic River until 1909, when the first Craddock Locks was built across the river, converting salt marsh to freshwater marsh and enabling development. TheAmelia Earhart Dam was built in 1966, named forAmelia Earhart. In 1950, construction was completed on theMaurice J. Tobin Bridge which spans the Mystic River, joining Charlestown and Chelsea.
At one time, the Mystic River was home to many species of fish, includingsalmon,alewife,blueback herring,striped bass,bluefish,smallmouth bass,largemouth bass,bluegill,carp and more. Although most of these species still live in the Mystic River, pollution and dam building have severely damaged the populations. Pollution came from various mills and a small ship building yard in the past. The main source of pollution in the 20th century and into the present is from drainage from cities and towns in the watershed. Many of the records of nearby drainage pipes have been lost, or have undocumented changes and diversions. Once described as having so many herring that one could cross the river on their backs, the Mystic River herring run is much smaller than it was in historic times. Pollution has raised bacteria levels and turbidity, making it unfavorable for fish to live in.
In 1844, Medford abolitionist and writerLydia Maria Child described her journey across the Mystic to her grandfather's house in the poem "Over the River and Through the Wood." (Grandfather's House, restored byTufts University in 1976, still stands near the river on South Street in Medford.)
John Townsend Trowbridge's popular 1882 novel,The Tinkham Brothers' Tide-Mill, had its setting along the river at a time when saltwater still reached the Mystic Lakes.
InDennis Lehane'snovel of the same name,Boston-area Mystic River holds a pivotal narrative development in the mystery. Later,Clint Eastwood directed the acclaimed filmadaptation.
In the 1861 poem "Paul Revere's Ride" byHenry Wadsworth Longfellow,Paul Revere rides along the banks of the Mystic River.
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