Park River (Connecticut)

41°45′36.1″N 72°39′52.7″W / 41.760028°N 72.664639°W / 41.760028; -72.664639

The original course of the Park River is visible in this 1824 survey map of Hartford

The Park River is a tributary of the Connecticut River in Hartford, Connecticut. It was officially named the Park River in 1892 after Bushnell Park, through which it flowed in downtown Hartford. A local newspaper had advocated for that name rather than the “’Hog River’” name which was then in use.[1][2] Between 1940 and the 1980s, the 2.3-mile (3.7 km) river was buried by the Army Corps of Engineers to prevent the spring floods regularly caused by increased surface runoff from urban development.[3]

  1. ^ Hartford Daily Courant editorial, 'What's in a Name,' Feb 27th 1883.
  2. ^ "Geographic Names Information System". edits.nationalmap.gov. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
  3. ^ "The Park River – Bushnell Park Foundation". www.bushnellpark.org.