The Ammonoosuc River is a river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

, 55 mi (89 km) long, in northwestern New Hampshire

New Hampshire

New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It is a tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of the Connecticut River

Connecticut River

The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...

, which flows to Long Island Sound

Long Island Sound

Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...

. "Ammonoosuc" is Abnaki for "small, narrow fishing place".

The Ammonoosuc rises on the western slope of Mount Washington

Mount Washington (New Hampshire)

Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at , famous for dangerously erratic weather. For 76 years, a weather observatory on the summit held the record for the highest wind gust directly measured at the Earth's surface, , on the afternoon of April 12, 1934...

, in Sargent's Purchase

Sargent's Purchase, New Hampshire

Sargent's Purchase is a township located in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2010 census, the purchase had a total population of 3....

 in the White Mountains

White Mountains (New Hampshire)

The White Mountains are a mountain range covering about a quarter of the state of New Hampshire and a small portion of western Maine in the United States. Part of the Appalachian Mountains, they are considered the most rugged mountains in New England...

 of southern Coos County

Coos County, New Hampshire

-National protected areas:*Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge *Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge *White Mountain National Forest -Demographics:...

. One branch of the river is the outlet of the Lakes of the Clouds

Lakes of the Clouds

The Lakes of the Clouds are a set of small ponds located at the col between Mount Monroe and Mount Washington in the White Mountains of the U.S. state of New Hampshire...

 in the saddle between Mount Washington and Mount Monroe

Mount Monroe

Mount Monroe is the highest peak south of Mount Washington in the Presidential Range of New Hampshire. It is the fourth highest mountain on the 4000 footers list for New Hampshire. The Lakes of the Clouds, and its AMC hut, lie nestled at the col between Mount Monroe and neighboring Mount...

. Leaving the vicinity of the Presidential Range

Presidential Range

The Presidential Range is a mountain range located in the White Mountains of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Containing the highest peaks of the Whites, its most notable summits are named for American Presidents, followed by prominent public figures of the 18th and 19th centuries.Mt...

, the river flows westwardly into Grafton County

Grafton County, New Hampshire

Grafton County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2010 census, the population was 89,118. Its county seat is North Haverhill, which is a village within the town of Haverhill. Until 1972, the county courthouse and other offices were located in downtown Woodsville, a...

, where it turns southwestwardly. Along its course the Ammonoosuc passes through Chandler's Purchase

Chandler's Purchase, New Hampshire

Chandler's Purchase is a township located in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. It was granted by Commissioner Willey to Jeremiah Chandler of Conway in 1835 for $300 and contained about...

, Bean's Grant

Bean's Grant, New Hampshire

Bean's Grant is a township located in southern Coos County, New Hampshire, United States, north of Crawford Notch State Park. In New Hampshire, locations, grants, townships , and purchases are unincorporated portions of a county which are not part of any town and have limited self-government...

, and Crawford's Purchase

Crawford's Purchase, New Hampshire

Crawford's Purchase is a township located in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. It was granted by Commissioner Willey to Thomas Abbott, Nathaniel Abbott and Ethan Allen Crawford in 1834 for $8,000 and contained about...

; and the towns of Carroll

Carroll, New Hampshire

Carroll is a town in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 763 at the 2010 census. The two largest villages are Twin Mountain and Bretton Woods. Carroll is an important access point for recreational areas in the White Mountains, including many 4,000-footers, the Zealand...

, Bethlehem

Bethlehem, New Hampshire

Bethlehem is a hillside town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,526 at the 2010 census. It is home to Cushman and Strawberry Hill state forests. The eastern half of the town is within the White Mountain National Forest...

, Littleton

Littleton, New Hampshire

Littleton is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,928 at the 2010 census. Situated at the edge of the White Mountains, Littleton is bounded on the northwest by the Connecticut River....

, Lisbon

Lisbon, New Hampshire

Lisbon is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,595 at the 2010 census. Lisbon hosts an annual "Lilac Festival" on Memorial Day weekend....

, Landaff

Landaff, New Hampshire

Landaff is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 415.- History :The name on the town charter is Llandaff, after the Bishop of Llandaff, chaplain to England's King George III. Originally, however, the land was granted as Whitcherville...

, Bath

Bath, New Hampshire

Bath is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,077 at the 2010 census. Now a tourist destination and bedroom community for Littleton, the town is noted for its historic architecture, including the Brick Store and three covered bridges...

, and Haverhill

Haverhill, New Hampshire

Haverhill is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,697 at the 2010 census. Haverhill includes the villages of Woodsville, Pike, and North Haverhill, the historic town center at Haverhill Corner, and the district of Mountain Lakes...

 to the village of Woodsville

Woodsville, New Hampshire

Woodsville is a census-designated place in the town of Haverhill in Grafton County, New Hampshire, U.S., along the Connecticut River at the mouth of the Ammonoosuc River. The population was 1,126 at the 2010 census...

, where it flows into the Connecticut River. It collects the Gale River

Gale River

The Gale River is a 13.1 mile long tributary of the Ammonoosuc River in northwestern New Hampshire in the United States. Via the Ammonoosuc, it is part of the watershed of the Connecticut River, which flows to Long Island Sound....

 in Lisbon, and the Wild Ammonoosuc River

Wild Ammonoosuc River

The Wild Ammonoosuc River is a tributary of the Ammonoosuc River, about long, in northwestern New Hampshire in the United States. Via the Ammonoosuc River, it is part of the watershed of the Connecticut River, which flows to Long Island Sound....

 in Bath.

Variant names and spellings

The United States Board on Geographic Names

United States Board on Geographic Names

The United States Board on Geographic Names is a United States federal body whose purpose is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the U.S. government.-Overview:...

 settled on "Ammonoosuc River" as the stream's name in 1936. According to the Geographic Names Information System

Geographic Names Information System

The Geographic Names Information System is a database that contains name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features located throughout the United States of America and its territories. It is a type of gazetteer...

, it has also been known as:

• Amminoo Suck River
• Amonoosuck River
• Amonsook River

See also Defunct placenames of New Hampshire

Defunct placenames of New Hampshire

Defunct placenames are those no longer used officially.Many populated places in New Hampshire once prospered and are now gone, subsumed by adjacent cities or renamed. Similarly, many geophysical features have had their names changed over time. This is an alphabetized list of the names of such...

.

See also

• List of New Hampshire rivers
• Upper Ammonoosuc River
  Upper Ammonoosuc River
  The Upper Ammonoosuc River is a tributary of the Connecticut River that flows through Coös County in northern part of the northeastern U.S. state of New Hampshire...
  
  
• Wild Ammonoosuc River
  Wild Ammonoosuc River
  The Wild Ammonoosuc River is a tributary of the Ammonoosuc River, about long, in northwestern New Hampshire in the United States. Via the Ammonoosuc River, it is part of the watershed of the Connecticut River, which flows to Long Island Sound....