David Griffin Photography

In 1852, Henry David Thoreau wrote in his journal about some walks he made up the Assabet River in Concord ( and he wrote about the sandy bottom of the river, the clear water, and the ability to see every detail of the bottom.  He also wrote of the weeds that grew on the bottom that remind you of the sea.

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to, perhaps, visit a place that recalls the river that was.   We paddled a section of the Swift  River in central Massachusetts.   The Swift River has the rather unique distinction of being the primary source of water for Boston — the river was dammed in the 1930′s to form the massive Quabbin Reservoir.  But the fine folks of Boston don’t manage to drink all of the water and so a little bit is allow to continue down the river and it’s just a great place to visit.

I really was in awe paddling on this water.  Whether the water was two or twelve feet deep, I could see quite clearly to the bottom.  Instead of the more typical dark, almost brown, plantlife I see in other rivers, this part of the Swift was dotted with verdant green gardens of various water plants — all teeming with fish.

To realize that, at one time, the river in my backyard shared similar qualities was really a mind-opener.  As an advocate for our river I’m constantly trying to find ways of connecting people to it — particularly through my photography.  I lacked the ability to capture what I experienced on the Swift River that afternoon, but I’m going to go back one day soon and try — because I think it represents what we’ve lost and what we might be able to give back to our grandchildren (actually, that might be aggressive — we’ve got about 100 years of use and abuse to try to reverse).

It has been gone for so long, I don’t think people realize what we’ve lost (and what we have to gain by coming to terms with what we’ve done to the river).  This isn’t the image that will tell that story, but there’s a picture that will and I’m going to go and find it.