The Green Fall River is a forested river corridor and an environmental treasure.  From its top, a long section of the river runs through Patchaug State Forest, Connecticut’s largest forest. A dam created Green Fall Pond on its upper reaches. The Green Fall River is also part of the Great Thicket National Wildlife Refuge.

The Green Fall Rift Valley is a memorable, dramatic and majestic six-mile long fault line, with the river flowing beneath steep rocky ridge lines and embankments rising over 400’ on either side, with dark, green forests, the result of a geological traumatization of the southern RI and CT borderlands that took place during the assemblage and subsequent breakup of the Pangea supercontinent. 

Extensive Native American ceremonial stonework can be seen throughout the river region. Colonial agricultural walls, the remains of foundations and other more ambiguous features also dot the area.

The rich flood-plain soils at the river’s southern end continue in agriculture with five farms in production. There are over 375 acres under purchase of development rights to ensure that these prime farm soils will be continued to be used only for agriculture.

Today the Green Fall River flows peacefully through the northern forested areas and the quiet villages of its southern course. In times past these villages were very active with mills and other industries that accessed the water power provided by the river.

-Adapted from Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and Scenic Rivers Stewardship Program who generously sponsored this project.

https://wpwildrivers.org/the-rivers/green-falls-river/

New color images follow the watershed north to south concentrating on the geology, history and ecology of the river. I have included black and white images collected for the "Questions for a Stony Landscape" series shot in the watershed as a separate portfolio. All photographs © Ted Hendrickson