{{Short description|Tributary of the Connecticut River, located in Western Massachusetts}} {{Use American English|date=February 2025}} {{more footnotes|date=July 2018}} {{Infobox river | name = Fort River | name_native = | name_native_lang = | name_other = | name_etymology = <!---------------------- IMAGE & MAP --> | | map = | map_size = | map_caption = | image = Looking upstream on Fort River, Amherst Massachusetts.JPG | image_caption = Fort River in Amherst | pushpin_map = Massachusetts | pushpin_map_size = | pushpin_map_caption= Location of the mouth of the Fort River within Massachusetts <!---------------------- LOCATION --> | subdivision_type1 = Country | subdivision_name1 = United States | subdivision_type2 = State | subdivision_name2 = Massachusetts | subdivision_type3 = | subdivision_name3 = | subdivision_type4 = County | subdivision_name4 = Hampshire | subdivision_type5 = | subdivision_name5 = <!---------------------- PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS --> | length = | width_min = | width_avg = | width_max = | depth_min = | depth_avg = | depth_max = | discharge1_location= | discharge1_min = | discharge1_avg = | discharge1_max = <!---------------------- BASIN FEATURES --> | source1 = Fort River at Adams Brook (location where Amythest Brook flows into Adams Brook) | source1_location = Pelham, Massachusetts | source1_coordinates= | source1_elevation = | mouth = | mouth_location = Hadley, Massachusetts | mouth_coordinates = {{coord|42.3261|-72.5843|display=inline,title}} | mouth_elevation = | progression = | river_system = | basin_size = | tributaries_left = | tributaries_right = | custom_label = | custom_data = | extra = }} [[Image:Fort River Lenticular Bridge, Amherst MA.jpg|thumb|right|254px|{{center|Fort River Lenticular Bridge in Amherst}}]]
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.<ref name=GNIS>{{GNIS|609009|name=Fort River}}</ref>
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 Amethyst 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, making it one of the 3 most diverse rivers in the state.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hitchcockcenter.org/earth-matters/fort-river-rich-resource-in-our-own-backyard/|title = Hitchcock Center for the Environment | Education for a Healthy Planet}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.hitchcockcenter.org/earth-matters/fort-river-rich-resource-in-our-own-backyard/ River resource article]
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Category:Rivers of Massachusetts Category:Tributaries of the Connecticut River Category:Geography of New England Category:Rivers of Franklin County, Massachusetts Category:Rivers of Hampshire County, Massachusetts Category:Geography of Amherst, Massachusetts