The Hammonasset River is formed about 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Durham, Connecticut

Durham, Connecticut

Durham is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. Durham is a former farming village on the Coginchaug River in central Connecticut. The population was 6,627 at the 2000 census. Every autumn, the town hosts the Durham Fair, the largest volunteer agricultural fair in New...

 along a gully on the north end of Bunker Hill at about a half mile northeast of the junction of Route 148 and Bunker Hill Road. The river travels for 21 miles (33.8 km) to Clinton Harbor

Clinton, Connecticut

Clinton is a town located on Long Island Sound in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 13,094 at the 2000 census. The town center along the shore line was listed as a census-designated place by the U.S...

 on 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...

 just east of Hammonasset Beach State Park

Hammonasset Beach State Park

Hammonasset Beach State Park is a state park located in Madison, a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States.It is Connecticut's largest shoreline park, with over two miles of beach. Activities include bicycling, boating, fishing, hiking, picnicking and swimming. The park has over 550...

. A popular paddling route runs for about 10 miles (16.1 km) starting along Summer Hill Road about 2.5 miles (4 km) south on Route 79

Route 79 (Connecticut)

Route 79 is a state highway in southern Connecticut from Madison to Durham.-Route description:Route 79 begins at US 1 in Madison center and heads north across I-95 . It continues north, intersecting with Horse Pond Road , which leads to the town offices...

 from North Madison, Connecticut. This is a scenic river run with mostly flat and quickwater, but with a few Class I-II whitewater

Whitewater

Whitewater is formed in a rapid, when a river's gradient increases enough to disturb its laminar flow and create turbulence, i.e. form a bubbly, or aerated and unstable current; the frothy water appears white...

 areas.

The Hammonasset were a tribe of Algonquian

Algonquian peoples

The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups, with tribes originally numbering in the hundreds. Today hundreds of thousands of individuals identify with various Algonquian peoples...

 Native Americans who had their "digging grounds" in this part of Connecticut, from the west bank 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...

 to the Hammonasset River along the coast. The act of the Connecticut General Court, May 10, 1666, that established New London County

New London County, Connecticut

New London County is a county located in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of 2010 the population was 274,055. The total area of the county is , including inland and coastal waters....

 mentioned as the county's western bounds "Homonoscet Plantation", which was settled by the English in 1663, now Killingworth

Killingworth, Connecticut

Killingworth is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town's name can easily be confused with another Connecticut town, Killingly; or a Vermont ski area, Killington. The population was 6,018 at the 2000 census.-History:...

. The name was also spelled "Homonoscitt" in some records.

External links

• Connecticut Explorer's Guide - paddling map of the Hammonasset River