Fort River

The Fort River is a river in Western Massachusetts and is a tributary of the Connecticut River and runs through the towns of, Amherst, Massachusetts, and ends in Hadley, Massachusetts.^[1]

Fort River
Fort River in Amherst
Location of the mouth of the Fort River within Massachusetts
Location
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Hampshire
Physical characteristics
Source	Fort River at Adams Brook (location where Amythest Brook flows into Adams Brook)
• location	Pelham, Massachusetts
Mouth
• location	Hadley, Massachusetts
• coordinates	42.3261°N 72.5843°W / 42.3261; -72.5843

Fort River Lenticular Bridge in Amherst

The Fort technically begins as Adams Brook which begins at a pond near Atkin's Reservoir in Shutesbury, Massachusetts (however the ponds aren't part of the reservoir), and flows south-west ward until it reaches the spot where Amythest Brook flows into it, where it becomes the "Fort River." Although it has no dams or man-made structures on the river, some of the Fort's tributaries have reservoirs.

The Fort River has a wide variety of wildlife due to it being the longest free-flowing tributary (having no dams or other man made changes made to the rivers shape or flow) of the Connecticut River. Because of this there is a lot of wildlife making it one of the 3 most diverse rivers in the state. Mussels, Eastern Pearlfish, Sea Lampreys, and American Eel's.^[2]